| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | April 18, 2012 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 26, 2018 |
| Award Number: | 1216590 |
| Award Instrument: | Cooperative Agreement |
| Program Manager: |
Rose Dufour
rdufour@nsf.gov (703)292-8811 OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | April 1, 2012 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $33,837,500.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $38,671,516.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2013 = $6,318,500.00 FY 2014 = $5,723,400.00 FY 2015 = $5,372,200.00 FY 2016 = $5,461,300.00 FY 2017 = $8,028,616.00 FY 2018 = $1,000,000.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
2425 CAMPUS RD SINCLAIR RM 1 HONOLULU HI US 96822-2247 (808)956-7800 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1680 East West Road Honolulu HI US 96822-2303 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
SHIP OPERATIONS, SUBMERSIBLE SUPPORT |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001314DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001415DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001516DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001617DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001718DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001819DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
This proposal is awarded support for the first of five years of operation under a renewal of the current NSF Cooperative Agreement, OCE-0500180. Ship awards will be renegotiated each year and is based on the number of days of ship time in support of NSF funded research program. R/V Kilo Moana, a Navy-owned research vessel, is operated as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) research fleet by University of Hawaii under Charter Party N00014-08-L-0651 with Office of Naval Research and a Cooperative Agreement with NSF. In 2012, Kilo Moana anticipates operating 238 days, of which 201 days will be in direct support of NSF peer-reviewed sea-going programs.
Intellectual and Technical Merit
Use of R/V Kilo Moana allows researchers to make cost-effective studies of a wide array of topics in ocean research, including physical, chemical, biological and geological oceanography and ocean engineering. A major emphasis is the study of ocean currents, nutrients, CO2 and biota that together control the physical, biological and chemical processes in the surface ocean, the flux of CO2 between the ocean and the atmosphere, and the ecology of marine life. In 2012, the first year of the proposed new cooperative agreement, these studies will occur during focused investigations around Hawaii (Karl, Church, Sachs, Alford, Sweeney).
Broader Impacts
Studies of ocean processes undertaken for NSF-funded researchers on R/V Kilo Moana include projects that are part of large international efforts to understand the global carbon cycle, coupled ocean-atmosphere climate forcing, and ocean ecosystem dynamics and productivity all of which are environmental and public policy issues with direct societal impacts. In addition, this year R/V Kilo Moana will support 2 cruises (Richards) to the western equatorial Pacific to examine mixing in the equatorial thermocline, a process that plays an important role in ocean atmosphere interactions including heat transfer, ultimately a key factor in climate processes.
R/V Kilo Moana is at the cutting edge of research vessel technology, and we seek to maximize her exposure to the public as part of the Universitys commitment to outreach and education. We provide high school teachers/students as well as graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in our State-and federally-funded cruises, including dedicated student/teaching cruises. We give a high priority to requests for tours of our ships and supporting facilities. In general, we have an open door policy for individuals and groups that are interested in our research ships, facilities, and research operations
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Final Report, NSF Award OCE-1216590
R/V Kilo Moana Ship Operations 2012-2016
This report summarizes our use of NSF funds from cooperative agreement OCE-1216590 during the period 2012 through mid-2018. Funds were provided to University of Hawaii to support operation of research vessel Kilo Moana (AGOR 23), owned by the US Government (Office of Naval Research), and operated by the University of Hawaii as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) academic research fleet.
Funds received from NSF under this program are used to support NSF-funded research projects aboard the vessel. Support covers all normal operating expenses of the ship, including crew salaries, fuel, food, maintenance and repairs, insurance, etc. A portion of the annual budget, for major overhauls every few years, is managed through a Major Overhaul Stabilization Account. Funds from this award are not used to directly support the scientific researchers, who receive separate grant support from NSF. Additionally, the costs of seagoing technicians and maintaining a pool of shared-use scientific instruments, are separately supported through the NSF Shipboard Technical Services program.
The operating cost of the ship is shared among all users, who are mostly academic researchers supported by federal agencies, particularly the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and NSF. The ship is operated under the terms of both this Cooperative Agreement with NSF and a Charter Party Agreement with ONR. Operation as part of the UNOLS fleet provides a scheduling process that gives access to scientists from all across the United States, allowing scientists to conduct ocean research even if their own institution does not operate a ship. In addition to federally-sponsored research, we also frequently carry State- and University-funded projects, and under the terms of our ONR charter party, we carry some foreign- or privately-sponsored research, as long as it is approved by ONR as being ‘in the public interest.’ Costs of ship operations are paid at the same daily rate by all users. NSF pays this ‘day rate’ only for those days in direct support of NSF-funded research, with other research sponsors responsible for paying for the days they use. A provisional rate is used during the year, and monitored quarterly by reports from UH to NSF. As long as costs remain within 5% of the provisional rate, they are adjusted up or down at year-end, and all projects billed (or refunded) the difference.
The cooperative agreement had an original planned duration of 5 years, covering operations during calendar years 2012 through 2016. At NSF request, it was extended to mid-2018, when a new agreement (OCE-1822903) became effective July 1, 2018.
The cooperative agreement terms require quarterly financial and safety reports, as well as a detailed Annual Report, which is the basis for setting rates and approving operating plans for the next calendar year. NSF serves as the cognizant agency for review and approval of the annual report and budget each year, working closely with ONR (the vessel owner).
During the period of this award, R/V Kilo Moana had three shipyard maintenance periods (early 2012, early 2015 and early 2017). In the first shipyard, in 2012, in addition to regularly scheduled maintenance, we repaired damage from a casualty in January 2012 in which the hull was breached and pumps failed, requiring USCG assistance. That work included a redesign and installation of a new emergency pump system. Repairs were completed in February-March in Oregon. We also had regularly scheduled shipyard maintenance in January-March 2015 and February-May 2017. From May to November 2016, the ship was out of service as we replaced the vessel control system (primarily with ONR support), which limited 2016 operations to 105 days. It also impacted operations in 2017, as the vessel failed initial trials on completion of the work, and required a major redesign of the filters in the electrical system. This work was finally completed in the shipyard in early 2017, and the ship resumed normal operations, operating well since May 2017. Our next scheduled shipyard is in early 2020.
Overall, during the 6.5 years covered by this award, the Kilo Moana carried out 1321 vessel operating days, including 828 that were in direct support of NSF research projects. Additionally, with permission of the program director, support was provided for 203 days of vessel operations on the UH-owned research vessel Ka’Imikai-O-Kanaloa (R/V KOK), primarily to support either Hawaii Ocean Time-series work when Kilo Moana was away from Hawaii (91 days) or two projects (2016 and 2017, total 92 days) using KOK to support our Pisces research submersibles for NSF in the Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Monument (NW Hawaiian Islands).
Last Modified: 10/30/2018
Modified by: Alexander N Shor
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