R/V Atlantis Operations

2005年，亚特兰蒂斯号将继续其主要任务，作为阿尔文号和国家深潜设施（NDSF）车辆的支持船，同时也进行一般的海洋学研究。亚特兰蒂斯号今年有271天的日程安排，其中233天用于支持NSF资助的研究项目。这是一份为期五年的合作协议，协议中每一年的资金将根据支持nsf资助的研究的海上天数进行协商。本提案所要求的船舶支持用于14个NSF研究项目的实地考察。这些项目都经过严格的科学和知识价值评估，作为NSF奖励过程的一个组成部分。奖项授予过程的高度竞争性质确保了非常高的智力水平。亚特兰蒂斯研究项目所获得的知识和发现将增进我们对海洋的了解，并解决一系列重要的科学问题。研究人员将获得所需的设备和熟练的船上人员，以安全有效地在海上进行科学研究。亚特兰蒂斯号是这些研究项目的平台。2005年及以后几年所支持的海上研究项目对于了解快速扩张脊上形成的海洋地壳的形成和结构，确定基因流动、物种多样性和几个相隔很远的地点的热液喷口群落的生物地理，以及测试新的系泊技术，以近实时地从海底传感器网络遥测数据到岸上，将具有重要意义。这些智力上的努力将继续扩大我们对海洋的理解，激发新的问题，并在未来几年证实科学理论。海洋学考察在许多方面是课堂的延伸。巡航站的工作人员包括高级和初级科学家、博士后研究人员、工程师、技术人员以及研究生和本科生。这些巡游是非凡的教育体验，让所有参与者接触到新的想法，教授基本的科学原理，并提出问题，激发人们对海洋如何运作的新思考。在过去的几年里，人们越来越意识到我们有责任将科学带入课堂和公众，这导致了分享科学发现的新途径的发展。邮轮网站的概念非常有效地将实时图像、数据和世界各地学校的科学家与学生之间的双向交流传递给教室。这将海上体验从少数参与者的单腿扩展到数千名学生以及公众。有几家邮轮公司正计划使用这个工具，通过基于网络的方法在其本国机构或通过社区组织维护的网站（例如RIDGE2000）展示它们的数据。WHOI网站（http://www.whoi.edu）率先向公众展示航海项目的成果（例如潜水和发现网站：http://science.whoi.edu/DiveDiscover），我们正在继续开发使用WHOI网站的新方法，向更多的受众传达航海研究的激动人心和重要性。

Project Summary In 2005 R/V Atlantis will continue her primary mission as support ship for Alvin and vehicles from the National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF) while also carrying out general oceanographic research. The ATLANTIS has a 271 day schedule this year, and 233 of these days are in support of NSF funded research programs. This is a five year cooperative agreement, and funding for each year of the agreement will be negotiated and is dependent on the number of days at sea in support of NSF-funded research.Intellectual Merit The ship support requested in this proposal is required for the fieldwork of 14 NSF research projects. These programs have been rigorously evaluated for scientific and intellectual merit as an integral part of the NSF award process. The highly competitive nature of the award granting process ensures a very high level of intellectual merit. The knowledge gained and the discoveries made by the research programs on Atlantis will enhance our understanding of the oceans and address a broad range of important scientific questions. Researchers will be provided with the equipment, and skilled shipboard personnel, required to safely and productively pursue their scientific endeavors at sea. The Atlantis serves as the platform for these research programs. Broader Impacts Statement The sea-going research programs supported in 2005 and subsequent years will be important in understanding the formation and structure of ocean crust created at fast spreading ridges, determining gene flow, species diversity, and biogeography of hydrothermal vent communities at several widely separated locations, and test new mooring technology to telemeter data from networks of seafloor sensors to shore in near-real-time. These intellectual endeavors will continue to broaden our understanding of the oceans, spur new questions, and confirm scientific theory for years to come.An oceanographic expedition is in many respects an extension of the classroom. Cruise legs are staffed by a diverse mix of senior and junior scientists, post-doctoral investigators, engineers, technicians and graduate and undergraduate students. These cruises are extraordinary educational experiences that expose all of these participants to new ideas, teach fundamental scientific principles, and raise questions that stimulate new thinking about how the oceans work. Over the past several years an increased awareness of our responsibility to bring science into the classroom, and to the general public, has resulted in the development of new avenues to share scientific findings. The cruise web site concept has been very effective in reaching the classroom with real-time images, data and two-way communication between scientists and students in schools around the world. This extends the sea-going experience from the handful of participants on a single leg to thousands of students, as well as to the general public. Several cruises are planning to use this tool to present their data through web-based approaches either at their home institution or through web sites maintained by community organizations (e.g. RIDGE2000). The WHOI web site (http://www.whoi.edu) has pioneered efforts to present the results of sea-going projects to the general public (e.g. the Dive and Discover web site: http://science.whoi.edu/DiveDiscover), and we are continuing to develop new ways of using the WHOI web site to convey the excitement and importance of seagoing research to a larger audience.