Marine Sediment Sampling Group (MARSSAM, Oregon State University) Oceanographic Technical Support - Year 1 of 5

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This proposal is for support of the Marine Sediments Sampling Group (MARSSAM), located at Oregon State University. MARSSAM provides the full gamut of coring services to the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) community, from surface sampling to piston cores of up to ~25 m in length. MARSSAM coordinates with principal investigators (PIs) with research cruise time supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other federal agencies, determining what equipment is necessary for the accomplishment of scientific goals, and ensuring that equipment is compatible with vessel capabilities. Central to this mandate, MARSSAM adapts coring technology to the UNOLS vessels requested by science PIs so that they can recover the sediments needed for their science. MARSSAM designs, maintains, and rebuilds coring equipment, supervising coring and meta-data collection at sea, and training the science party in the collection of shipboard physical properties data and core splitting. MARSSAM technicians also provide logistical support needed to cycle coring gear to and from globally distributed research vessels as well as to return cores to NSF marine geology archives post cruise.Broader Impacts The 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.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.