Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution / R/V Armstrong SSSE - 2024

A request is made to fund Shipboard Scientific Support Equipment (SSSE) for R/V Atlantis a 274’ multidisciplinary vessel that supports all Deep Submersible Vehicle (DSV) Alvin operations, and R/V Armstrong, a 238’ multidisciplinary vessel. The vessels are operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) as part of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet (ARF) which is scheduled by the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS). The vessels are owned by the U.S. Navy and support all disciplines of oceanographic research globally, supporting science funded primarily by U.S. government agencies. Funding provided would be used to upgrade the R/V Armstrong highly degraded particle board benchtops currently in use to chemical-resistant laminate and stainless-steel sink and bench. Two electro-optical slip rings will also be provided to support Alvin or Jason operations with a spare for the R/V Atlantis and a new slip ring for the R/V Armstrong. The purchase and installation of an acoustic monitoring system on R/V Atlantis would allow monitoring for acoustic noise around the gondola; it would greatly enhance the quality control for the science transducers and improve acoustic communications with DSV Alvin. The principal impact of the present proposal is under Merit Review Criterion 2 of the Proposal Guidelines (NSF 23-525). 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 other organization access to well-maintained, high-quality, calibrated instruments for their research. It ensures the collection of high-quality oceanographic data in support of science, reduces the cost of that research, and expands 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.