Oceanographic Technical Services, R/V Thompson and R/V Barnes, 2012-2016

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University of Washington proposes to support technical services on R/V Thompson, a 274? general purpose, global class research vessel, and R/V Barnes, a 66-foot coastal research vessel, both operated as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System research fleet. The proposal requests support for basic services. They will provide at least two shipboard technicians on each cruise of R/V Thompson to support seagoing research projects and to maintain, calibrate and provide for qualified users items from their pool of shared-use research instrumentation. As part of the basic services, they will maintain and operate the multibeam sonar systems on R/V Thompson. For R/V Barnes, a technician is available to sail if desired by the chief scientists, though (s)he will often not sail due to space limitations. The technician will provide shared-use instrumentation for use by the scientists, and provide remote support as needed if a technician does not sail. The budget included with this proposal is for the first year of a 5-year continuing grant.Broader ImpactsThe principal impact of the present proposal is under criterion two, providing infrastructure support for scientists to use the vessel and its shared-use instrumentation in support of their NSF-funded oceanographic research projects (which individually undergo separate review by the relevant research program of NSF). The support of maintenance and operation of shared-use instrumentation allows NSF-funded researchers from any US university or lab access to working, calibrated instruments for their research, reducing the cost of that research, and expanding the base of potential researchers.