| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 22, 2020 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 7, 2022 |
| Award Number: | 2018355 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Kandace Binkley
kbinkley@nsf.gov (703)292-7577 OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2020 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $576,427.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $576,427.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
85 SAINT NICHOLAS TER NEW YORK NY US 10031-1246 (212)413-3330 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
85 Saint Nicholas Terrace New York NY US 10031-1246 |
| 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): |
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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
An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a mobile, deployable technology that enables detailed water column and benthic surveys at high-resolution spatial and temporal scales. This project supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art, versatile, light-weight system, the REMUS 100 AUV (Hydroid, Inc.), to conduct novel, interdisciplinary research, education, and training activities focused on urban, coastal ecosystems. This sophisticated instrument will be based at the City University of New York (CUNY) and facilitate numerous partnerships across campuses, faculty, institutes, and citizen science research efforts to study the oceanographic processes of NY, NJ, and CT estuaries. Furthermore, integrating this technology within student programs will have considerable educational impact. CUNY is the nation's largest urban university with some of the country?s most ethnically, culturally, and socially diverse campuses, including both Minority and Hispanic Serving Institutions. Thus, the AUV will substantially enhance public engagement and the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM research and education. Students (undergraduate and graduate), postdocs, and other researchers will receive training and experience that expands future employment opportunities and competitiveness while broadening the understanding of ecosystem processes along urbanized coasts, feedbacks associated with global change, and improve coastal hazard preparedness.
The populated NY and surrounding coastal ecosystems provide abundant natural and economic resources (shellfish/finfish, tourism, commerce). Yet, urbanization combined with low elevation makes the region vulnerable to global and anthropogenic stressors such as climate change, sea level rise, intense storms, and eutrophication. To prepare for these challenges, it is essential to refine the understanding and predictive capabilities of associated biogeochemical, geological, and physical features and processes at fine spatial and temporal scales. The AUV will enhance studies of the drivers, severity, and duration of hypoxia and algal blooms, fate and transport of pollutants and contaminants, sediment movement and benthic habitat, linkages between water optical characteristics and remote sensing results, and related questions. The REMUS 100 AUV is ideal for the NY regional coast because it is modular, small, easy to deploy, and designed specifically for shallow, estuarine waters. It enables detailed spatial coverage of concurrent water quality, sea floor texture, and optical evaluations which will uniquely enrich data with new observations at refined scales (beyond discrete water mass sampling) to catalyze novel, interdisciplinary connections (e.g., sediment transport and pollutant distribution; remote sensing and water mass sampling). Repeated surveys will allow researchers to develop, validate, and apply numerical, biogeochemical, and hydrodynamic data-based models to explain and predict processes and environmental hazards, thereby increasing coastal ecosystem and community resilience.
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.
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.
Overview: An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a mobile, deployable technology that enables detailed water column and benthic surveys at high-resolution spatial and temporal scales. This project supported the acquisition of a state-of-the-art, versatile, light-weight system, the REMUS 100 AUV (Hydroid, Inc.), to conduct novel, interdisciplinary research, education, and training activities focused on urban, coastal ecosystems. The REMUS 100 AUV (Hydroid, Inc.) is ideal for the NY coast because it is modular, small, easy to operate, and designed for shallow, estuarine waters. Unlike many AUVs and gliders, it enables concurrent water quality, sea floor texture, and optical evaluations, thereby enhancing interdisciplinary research. This sophisticated instrument is based at the City University of New York (CUNY) and will facilitate multi-institutional partnerships to study the biogeochemical, geological, and physical processes of NY, NJ, and CT estuaries (Long Island Sound, Jamaica Bay, and nearby embayments). These systems provide abundant natural and socio-economic resources, such as shellfish/finfish harvesting, tourism, and commerce. Their coastlines are home to >9 million people in the NYC metropolitan area. Yet, urbanization combined with low elevation makes the region vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors such as climate change, sea level rise, storms, and nutrient enrichment. To prepare for these challenges, it is essential to refine the understanding and predictive capabilities of associated oceanographic features and processes at fine spatial and temporal scales.
Intellectual Merit and Project Outcomes: The REMUS 100 AUV will be used to study the drivers, severity, and duration of hypoxia and algal blooms, pollutant transport, sediment movement and benthic habitat, linkages between water optical characteristics and remote sensing, and related questions. The AUV system will uniquely enrich data from current and planned projects with new observations at highly refined spatio-temporal scales to catalyze novel, interdisciplinary connections. Repeated surveys will help develop and validate numerical, biogeochemical, and hydrodynamic models that will both explain and predict environmental processes and hazards, thereby enhancing the resilience of coastal ecosystems and communities. The instrument build and integration was completed spring, 2023. In June 2023, members of the project team participated in a 4-day, hands-on training session on AUV use and maintenance at the company's Cape Cod location. This workshop included orientation to the basic components and features of the AUV; mission programming and computational/software use; communication and navigation system use; data handling, interpretation, and archiving; preparing the vehicle for operations; in-water practice deployments; and basic trouble-shooting. Current and future efforts will be focused on deploying the AUV within NY-regional waters.
Broader Impacts: The AUV system will enable cutting-edge research that significantly expands the current understanding of coastal processes. Multiple campuses and faculty will benefit from the instrument's operational ease and detailed spatial coverage of oceanographic data at a fraction of the cost of shipboard surveys. These characteristics make the REMUS 100 AUV attractive for building collaborations and will provide substantial training for students, postdocs, and researchers that will have considerable educational impact. CUNY is the nation's largest urban university with some of the country’s most ethnically, culturally, and socially diverse campuses, including Minority and Hispanic Serving Institutions. Thus, the AUV substantially enhances STEM education, public engagement, and the participation of underrepresented groups in research and education.
Last Modified: 12/29/2023
Modified by: Dianne I Greenfield
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