J. Val Klump

Jeffrey Val Klump (born December 17, 1948) is an American limnologist. He was the first person to reach the deepest spot in Lake Superior, a depth of 1333 feet (733 feet below sea level), the second lowest point in the United States after Iliamna Lake, on July 30, 1985 while aboard the R/V Seward Johnson with the Johnson Sea Link-II submersible. Klump was also the first person to reach to the deepest point in Lake Michigan as part of the same expedition. He is currently a professor in the School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and director of the Great Lakes WATER Institute.