Oregon State University proposes to support technical services on R/V Wecoma, a 185? general purpose research vessel as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System research fleet. The vessel is owned by the National Science Foundation. The proposal requests support for both basic and specialized services. For basic services, they will provide one or two shipboard technicians on each cruise of R/V Wecoma to support seagoing research projects and to maintain, calibrate and provide for qualified users items from their pool of shared-use research instrumentation. As part of specialized services, they will continue to operate and maintain the NORCOR facility, a shared use coring facility available to all operators as well as continue development and support for the SWAP effort, a ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications protocol. The budget included with this proposal is for the first year of a 3-year continuing grant.
The purpose of this report is to provide a final review of the objectives met regarding the above referenced grant. The time line being referenced is from 2009 through 2011. This grant provided funds for the operation of the NSF owned Research Vessel R/V WECOMA to support oceanographic and atmospheric research in the Pacific Ocean as well as instruction of graduate students in oceanic and atmospheric sciences. During the course of this grant the R/V WECOMA provided a total of 459 operational days including 277 days at sea which were in direct support of NSF funded research. The remaining operational days supported research funded by the NAVY and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NSF supported research included scientists and graduate students from a variety of academic institutions in the United States and overseas as well as federal agencies. Work conducted off R/V WECOMA included biologic, chemical, physical and geological oceanographic investigations along with atmospheric science studies. This research provided data which enhances the understanding of various oceanic and atmospheric processes, contributes to ecologic knowledge in the study areas and has resulted in various papers published in the peer reviewed literature. The at sea operations have also provided opportunities for graduate students in atmospheric and oceanic science to gain research experience at sea as part of their education. R/V WECOMA at-sea research support has also provided opportunities for the general public and others not normally involved in oceanographic research to occasionally participate in at-sea research. Such opportunities have included near real time web pages maintained by the Marine Technician Group as well as scientists while at sea on R/V WECOMA (www.stccmop.org/), providing berths for teachers to go to sea (e.g., adult basic education instructors though the Teacher at Sea project of the Oregon Ocean Science and Math Collaborative program and public tours of the vessel while in port (e.g. OSU’s annual HMSC SeaFest held in June of when approximately 600-1000 people toured the vessel.) In addition to the operations described above Oregon State University has maintained and upgraded the R/V WECOMA in accordance with the NSF/OSU Cooperative Agreement.
