Construction and operation of the Alaska Region Research Vessel: Phase III - Shipyard Construction Costs

阿拉斯加地区研究船的建造和运营：第三阶段 - 造船厂建造成本

• 批准号: 0939812
• 负责人: Terry Whitledge
• 金额: $ 14807万
• 依托单位: University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-05-15 至 2015-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0939812&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Construction; operation; Alaska; Region; Research

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The award is made to the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) for the construction of the Alaska Region Research Vessel (ARRV) based on the approval to proceed received from the National Science Board in March 2009. Delivery of the vessel is anticipated in mid-2013 with science operations beginning in 2014.Technical Description: The 242-foot Alaska Region Research Vessel (ARRV) will be a multipurpose research ship that will dramatically improve access to Arctic waters and expand current scientific capabilities in the region. It is designed specifically to operate in seasonal sea ice and open ocean waters near Alaska; including the Chukchi, Beaufort, and Bering Seas as well as the eastern Arctic. To do so, the hull will be ice-strengthened to American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) ice classification standards. The ARRV will provide a much needed, technologically-advanced oceanographic platform to enable multidisciplinary teams to conduct field research at the ice edge and in seasonal sea ice up to 3.9 feet thick. The ARRV will have many advanced capabilities including next-generation science handling systems to improve safety and efficiency at sea, and a modern suite of satellite communications to link the ship to educational facilities ashore. It is designed to have a minimal influence on its own environment, including low underwater radiated noise (URN) for fisheries and acoustics research, and reduced stack emissions to enable atmospheric research. With twenty six dedicated science berths, the ARRV will be able to accommodate over 500 researchers and students annually and spend as many as 300 days at sea. The anticipated operational lifetime of the ARRV is at least 30 years.Broader Impacts: The Alaska coastline is longer than that of the contiguous forty eight states combined, and the area of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is approximately two thirds of the total US EEZ. The Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska sustain more than half of the total annual national fish catch. The area supports one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world, as well as rich and varied marine mammal populations.The Arctic region is changing rapidly. Perennial sea ice has been estimated to be decreasing by about 9% per decade, potentially leading to a summer ice-free Arctic Ocean by the end of the century or even sooner. In the summer of 2008 the Northwest Passage was open for the first time since satellite imagery has been taken. Along with the significant ecosystem changes and impact on coastal communities, this change could impact national security and commerce by providing regular trade routes further into regions along the north coast of Alaska. Opening this fragile area to commerce will heighten the importance of scientific research to understand the effects.Scientific interest in the Arctic region is intensive and highly varied. For example, dramatic changes in biological productivity have been predicted as a consequence of progressive warming, continuing ice recession, changing ocean currents, ocean acidification, and varying climatic conditions. Changing Arctic climate may well be one of the critical drivers for climate change over the entire planet. Besides biological and climatological changes, the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian areas are also subject to major seismic processes. Extending our knowledge about subduction zones and the eruptive history of seafloor volcanoes would help predict the potential risk for devastating tsunamis. All of these scientific missions and activities are of continuing interest and great importance not only to the U.S., but also to the economic and environmental welfare of the entire globe.The Alaska Region Research Vessel (ARRV) will provide a safe and highly effective platform for scientific access to these remote and inhospitable areas that are of such great national and international importance. The ARRV will replace the R/V ALPHA HELIX which was operated by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. When the vessel was retired from service in 2006 it was well past its expected 30-year service life. The ARRV will be the first NSF-built ship since the 1980?s. Committing to construction of this highly capable vessel represents a major NSF contribution to the International Polar Year legacy, advancement of US Arctic Policy, as well as the effort to better understand global issues, including climate change and ocean circulation.

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。根据2009年3月美国国家科学委员会的批准，阿拉斯加费尔班克斯大学（UAF）获得了建造阿拉斯加地区研究船（ARRV）的合同。预计该船将于2013年年中交付，科学操作将于2014年开始。技术描述：242英尺长的阿拉斯加地区研究船（ARRV）将是一艘多用途研究船，将极大地改善进入北极水域的途径，并扩大该地区目前的科学能力。它是专门为在阿拉斯加附近的季节性海冰和开阔海域作业而设计的；包括楚科奇海、波弗特海、白令海以及北极东部。为此，船体将按照美国船级社（ABS）的冰级标准进行冰加固。ARRV将提供一个急需的、技术先进的海洋学平台，使多学科团队能够在冰边缘和3.9英尺厚的季节性海冰中进行实地研究。ARRV将拥有许多先进的能力，包括下一代科学处理系统，以提高海上的安全性和效率，以及一套现代化的卫星通信系统，将船舶与岸上的教育设施连接起来。它的设计对其自身环境的影响最小，包括用于渔业和声学研究的低水下辐射噪声（URN），以及减少烟囱排放以进行大气研究。ARRV拥有26个专用科学泊位，每年将能够容纳500多名研究人员和学生，并在海上度过多达300天。ARRV的预期使用寿命至少为30年。更广泛的影响：阿拉斯加的海岸线比相邻的48个州的海岸线加起来还要长，其专属经济区（EEZ）的面积约占美国专属经济区总面积的三分之二。白令海和阿拉斯加湾维持了超过一半的国家年度总捕鱼量。该地区拥有世界上最具生产力的海洋生态系统之一，以及丰富多样的海洋哺乳动物种群。北极地区正在迅速变化。据估计，常年海冰每十年减少约9%，可能导致本世纪末甚至更早的北冰洋夏季无冰。2008年夏天，自卫星图像拍摄以来，西北航道首次开放。随着生态系统的重大变化和对沿海社区的影响，这种变化可能会影响国家安全和商业，因为它为阿拉斯加北海岸的地区提供了定期的贸易路线。将这个脆弱的地区开放给商业将提高科学研究的重要性，以了解其影响。对北极地区的科学兴趣是强烈而多样的。例如，据预测，由于逐渐变暖、冰的持续消退、洋流的变化、海洋酸化和气候条件的变化，生物生产力会发生巨大变化。北极气候变化很可能是全球气候变化的关键驱动因素之一。除了生物和气候变化，阿拉斯加湾和阿留申地区也受到主要地震过程的影响。扩大我们对俯冲带和海底火山爆发历史的了解，将有助于预测毁灭性海啸的潜在风险。所有这些科学任务和活动不仅对美国，而且对整个地球的经济和环境福利都具有持续的兴趣和重要意义。阿拉斯加地区科考船（ARRV）将提供一个安全、高效的平台，让科学人员能够进入这些对国家和国际都具有重要意义的偏远和荒凉地区。ARRV将取代由阿拉斯加大学费尔班克斯运营的R/V ALPHA HELIX。当该船在2006年退役时，它已经远远超过了预期的30年使用寿命。ARRV将是自20世纪80年代以来美国国家科学基金会建造的第一艘船。承诺建造这艘高性能的船代表了美国国家科学基金会对国际极地年遗产、美国北极政策的进步以及更好地理解包括气候变化和海洋环流在内的全球问题的重大贡献。