Research Vessel (R/V) SIKULIAQ SHIP OPERATIONS for 2014-2016

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This award is for operations of R/V Sikuliaq in calendar 2014, and is year-one of a three-year cooperative agreement to the University of Alaska Fairbanks for operations of the research vessel to support peer-reviewed sea-going science. In calendar year 2014, R/V Sikuliaq will transition from construction to operations after a series of sea-trials. Approximately 90 science/operational days will be carried out in the latter half of 2014. R/V Sikuliaq will be operating in the Western Pacific off Hawaii and Guam, with one cruise utilizing an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) SENTRY within the Emperor Seamounts, specifically Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, and a second cruise operating a high resolution AUV to conduct a magnetic survey of the Hawaiian Jurassic Basin. One of R/V Sikuliaq's missions will include provision of educational opportunities both for students of the marine sciences and the general public. Periodically, the University plans to hold open houses and outreach events to provide early exposure to oceanography that target Alaskan tribal nations. Additionally, community events will include tours through the ship facility, hands-on demonstrations of on board marine science research guided by faculty, students and ships' crewmembers, or at sea real-time internet connection to classrooms with the ship's telepresence capabilities. R/V Sikuliaq - pronounced see-koo-leee-auk, and translated from Inupiaq as "young sea ice" - is a 261-foot ice capable research vessel designed to weather harsh conditions to help advance polar and sub-polar scientific research. Owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, R/V Sikuliaq was launched in October 2012 and is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment to bring scientists to ice-choked polar regions, able to cut through ice up to 2.5 feet thick. In this calendar year, one of the cruises will utilize SENTRY, an AUV operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, which is equipped with a standard suite of scientific and engineering sensors. SENTRY is a flexible platform where scientists, according to their specific interests and scientific needs, can interface additional sensors. R/V Sikuliaq is well suited to support these research programs in terms of equipment and ship capabilities for AUV operations.