At Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) and throughout the oceanographic research community, the observation, measurement, and collection of samples and data are accomplished at sea on a global scale by operations aboard seagoing research vessels. National Science Foundation (NSF) support for the operations of oceanographic research vessels enables NSF-supported scientists to project their ability to observe, measure and sample the planet worldwide, facilitating scientific endeavor across a broad range of disciplines including biology, chemistry, geology, geophysics, physics, atmospheric sciences, and many others. SIO-operated ships have played a critical role in the exploration of our planet since 1907, and continue to contribute significantly to the U.S. ocean research effort.

The equipment supported here contributes to the strongly collaborative, multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional use of shared-use research and education infrastructure. As a member of UNOLS, SIO coordinates research vessel operations with scientists and agencies to best meet the needs of the oceanographic community. The shared-use oceanographic instrumentation supported here contributes to the education, training and outreach missions of all of the scientists (and their home institutions) who use it. The spectrum of research projects enabled by SIO’s shared-use oceanographic instrumentation achieves far-reaching broader impacts through the operation and maintenance of infrastructure that is critical to the promotion of training and learning, increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in research, advancing scientific and technological understanding and informing policy making. The instrumentation requested here directly supports NSF's mission. It also leverages institutional programs that indirectly advance NSF’s mission to promote achievement and progress in science, engineering and education for the benefit of the nation. SIO-operated ships participate in SIO's UC Ship Funds Program, which enables graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral researchers and early career faculty to pursue independent research and instruction at sea via an internal peer-reviewed competitive process.

Intellectual merit:  The engineering design and equipment funded under this grant significantly enhance the safety and utility of the infrastructure for sea-going research.  This project contributed to the advancing safety and utility of NSF-supported oceanographic research vessels by ensuring that UNOLS ships are designed, equipped and maintained at a high level of safety such that they are fit to handle the perils imposed by ocean expeditionary science missions. 

The intellectual merit of this project is amplified by the combined merit of research projects undertaken aboard NSF-supported ships.  Sustaining the capability of research vessels by continuous improvement is fundamental to the success of the U.S. oceanographic research enterprise, enabling a broad range of discovery in the earth and life sciences.

The observation, measurement, and collection of samples and data are accomplished on a global scale by operations aboard seagoing research vessels.  Research vessels in the academic research fleet have played a critical role in the exploration of our planet, and continue to contribute significantly to the U.S. ocean research effort.  Shipboard research offers the transformative potential to understand global change and monitor the health of ocean ecosystems on which human well-being may ultimately depend. 

Broader impacts:  The spectrum of research projects enabled by these improvements to NSF-supported research vessels collectively achieves far-reaching broader impacts through the enhancement of infrastructure that is critical to the promotion of training and learning, increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in research, advancing scientific and technological understanding and informing policy making for the benefit of society.

For example, research and research training are fundamental elements of the SIO mission that benefit significantly from the proposed improvements.  In the five-year period ending in 2015, 1,035 graduate students, 446 undergraduate students, and 112 K-12 and college educators obtained first-hand experience at sea aboard SIO-operated research vessels.  Practical experience aboard research vessels is a cornerstone of SIO’s exemplary research training program, and this experience has contributed to the Institution’s success in producing outstanding new research scientists.  As shared-use resources for the U.S. oceanographic research community, SIO-operated vessels host scientists from throughout the country, and contribute similarly to the education and training missions of other institutions.

As a charter member of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), SIO is actively involved in coordinating research vessel operations with scientists and funding agencies so that our capabilities can best meet current and anticipated research needs of the entire community.  SIO is committed to providing the best possible access to the sea to the broad U.S. research community.  The improvements carried out during the course of this grant ensure that NSF-supported research vessels continue to serve the U.S. scientific community by safely, capably and efficiently carrying out our mission to advance our understanding of the oceans, climate, and Earth.

Last Modified: 09/30/2019
Modified by: Bruce Appelgate