University of Georgia/R/V Savannah Oceanographic Instrumentation

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A request is made to fund Oceanographic Instrumentation for the Research Vessel Savannah, a 92 foot coastal research vessel, owned and operated by Skidaway Institute of Oceanography as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) research fleet. Since being put into service in the fall of 2001, this coastal/local class research vessel has proven to be a capable and cost-effective platform for a range of research and education projects. The primary working area for the vessel has been the continental shelf, coastal and estuarine environments of the Southeastern United States. The ship has also conducted cruises that have crossed the Gulf Stream into the western Sargasso Sea and as far as Curacao in the SE Caribbean. The R/V Savannah has been specifically designed with a large science berthing capacity to provide learning opportunities in ocean and estuarine environments and to demonstrate oceanographic research methodologies to diverse and often under-served student populations. These educational experiences continued in 2014, with the vessel hosting 80 graduate and undergraduate students and 16 high school and middle school teachers on 8 of its cruises. In 2014, the R/V Savannah completed 165 days at sea. NSF funded projects accounted for 92 days (56%) of the total sailing schedule. In 2015, the vessel currently has 157 days scheduled, of which 59 days (38%) are for NSF. With this proposal, Skidaway provides technical descriptions and rationale for the acquisition of the following Oceanographic Instrumentation: 1) Network Upgrades $6,532 2) CTD Upgrade $47,978 3) Water Samplers $5,409 4) Upgrade DGPS $6,862 $66,781 Broader ImpactsThe principal impact of the present proposal is under Merit Review Criterion 2 of the Proposal Guidelines (NSF 13-589). It provides 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 acquisition, 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.