A request is made to fund additional and back-up instrumentation on the R/V Marcus Langseth, a 235? Global seismic vessel with general oceanographic capabilities operated by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System research fleet. The request includes nine items listed by priority:
1) Teledyne RDI 75kHz ?Ocean Surveyor? ADCP $119,053 2) Applanix POS/MV V.4 Upgrade & IMU Replacement $ 92,174 3) Uninterruptable Power Sources $ 56,109 4) Two SBE-45 TSGs $ 12,623 5) Sonobuoy Electronics Package $ 51,806 6) SIPPICAN MK-21 Interface $ 8,339 7) GEOMETRICS 882 Magnetometer $ 22,550 8) EM-122 Water Column Logging License $ 15,532 9) Mammal Mitigation Gun $ 22,230 $400,416 Broader Impacts: The principal impact of the present proposal is under criterion two, providing 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 lab access to working, calibrated instruments for their research, reducing the cost of that research, and expanding the base of potential researchers.
These funds were used to purchase an equipment package for enhancing the Langseth’s Mammal Mitigation program. This equipment package includes a small sound source that can be used to maintain environmental compliance during seismic operations when our larger sound source is turned off. The Langseth’s standard multiple sound source arrays operate using two large Ariel seismic compressors driven by two Caterpiller engines that generate continuous air pressure at 2000psi. This smaller package requires only 100psi and can run off the ship’s standard air compressor. Our mammal mitigation measures require that vessel maintain at least one active source during periods of maintenance, line changes, or other factors. Currently, this requires keeping our large seismic compressors working all the time to maintain air pressure in the system and operate just a portion of the larger array. Howver, this new package is small, relatively lightweight, and easy to deploy. When deployed in the water, this small sound source will allow the vessel to remain in compliance with permitted decibel requirements while allowing shut down of the large air compressors supplying the normal 2000-psi. This reduces runtime for our heavy equipment, decreases our energy usage and costs, and makes maintenance of our source array easier to accomplish.
