| NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 14, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 14, 2015 |
| Award Number: | 1530560 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Russell Kelz
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2015 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $250,990.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $250,990.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE SEATTLE WA US 98195-1016 (206)543-4043 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1900 Commerce Street Tacoma WA US 98402-3100 |
| 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): | Major Research Instrumentation |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
1530560
Shugar
Funding from this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program grant will enable an early career investigator to acquire and deploy a novel remotely operated/autonomous shallow water bathymetric mapping system for hydrographic surveying in rivers, lakes and remote locations inaccessible to traditional survey vessels. The unmanned surface vessel (USV) is manufactured by Teledyne, is 1.8 m long, has twin props and will be outfitted with a multibeam sonar, a real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The operating system will include survey planning and data analysis software.
The USV as equipped offers the capability to map bathymetry with cm-scale resolution especially in shallow water systems where traditional survey vessels cannot operate (e.g. proglacial lakes, shallow inlets, estuaries and proglacial rivers). By using repeat mapping over time the investigator will gain an advanced understanding of fluvial sediment transport, bedform and delta evolution in environments that impact human populations. Many of the investigators mapping targets have never before been surveyed so the knowledge gained has the potential to be transformative and therefore supports NSF mission of promoting the progress of science. Undergraduates at this predominantly undergraduate university will be engaged in experiential field mapping using the USV, increasing employability in fields that routinely engage in hydrographic surveying and thus promoting the national welfare.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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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.
This NSF MRI grant allowed us to acquire a cutting edge multibeam sonar system for high-resolution mapping of shallow-water (<100m) lake, river, and ocean bottom environments. The sonar is mounted in an Unmanned Surface Vessel (a drone boat), which allows personnel operating the equipment to be out of harm's way when surveying dangerous environments such as in glacial lakes. Other equipment acquired includes a sound velocity profiler, and associated software. We have successfully used the instruments in a variety of environments, including a fjord in southeast Alaska, proglacial lakes in Yukon and British Columbia, a shallow river in Washington, and the Puget Sound. In Alaska, we used the sonar to map an underwater landslide that triggered one of the largest tsunamis ever recorded on earth (193m runup). Since the USV is best suited for mapping relatively small areas, we tied the data collection to that of a larger vessel, but which could not map in as shallow water as the USV could. We have also used the USV in waterbodies that are inaccessible to vehicles and larger vessels. In southwest Yukon, we used a helicopter to access a remote glacial lake. We have produced one of the first high-resolution maps of the bathymetry of a proglacial lake.
Last Modified: 10/10/2018
Modified by: Daniel Shugar
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