A request is made to fund additional and back-up instrumentation on the R/V Atlantic Explorer, a 168? general purpose research vessel operated by Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science (BIOS) as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) research fleet. The request includes one item:
1) Ultra Low Freezer and shipping
Broader Impacts: 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.
– NSF Award #1013157 Oceanographic Instrumentation 2010 I. Project Activities and Findings: a) Research Oceanographic Instrumentation awards for the R/V Atlantic Explorer support scientific research and technology development that improves scientific knowledge of societal relevant environmental issues. Many of the major research projects that use the R/V Atlantic Explorer are oceanographic time-series efforts (www.bios.edu/research/time_series.html). For example, the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) is an oceanographic time-series project funded by NSF. The BATS program, begun in 1988, is now in its 23rd year of and focuses on low frequency variability of the ocean (www.bios.edu/research/bats.html) over annual to decadal timescales. This is a truly unique program and our understanding of the Sargasso Sea ecosystem is continually improving due to this research. Time-series measurements are a major focus of U.S. and international ocean science research plans and ocean-observing networks supported by NSF. The two NSF-funded stations (Bermuda and Hawaii) are central to national and international plans for a network of ocean time-series stations and are being used as models for time-series research efforts by others. In addition, these two sites are important training and testing grounds for both the national and international efforts to study biogeochemical cycles in the ocean. The Hydrostation "S" sampling program has been conducted at roughly biweekly intervals for the past 54 years (www.bios.edu/research/hydrostation.html). This is the longest continuously running ocean time-series program in the world. This long-term record has proved to be immensely valuable, showing a clear increase in sub-surface temperatures of nearly 1°C over the past half century. Vertical profiles of temperature, salinity and oxygen are available for the entire period; the data from the first 30 years are available at the BIOS website (www.bios.edu). Another important time series program in the waters near Bermuda is the Ocean Flux Program, which measures the sinking flux of particles at several depths below 500 m, has been ongoing for three decades (http://ecosystems.mbl.edu/conte/ofp/). In conjunction with the surface tethered particle interceptor traps (PITS) that are deployed monthly at BATS, this is a one of a kind dataset on particle fluxes in the Sargasso Sea. These major time-series programs have spawned numerous ancillary research projects and process-oriented studies in the past and this number looks to grow substantially in the future. Since the R/V Atlantic Explorer took over servicing these time-series programs in April of 2006, there has been a steady increase in the number of requests for berths on the core BATS cruises and other process cruises in the region. This, in a very positive sense, has increased the demand for improved and upgraded ship equipment and instrumentation. b) Education The R/V Atlantic Explorer operations are important contributors to education, training and public outreach. Given the proximity of Hydrostation "S" and BATS to Bermuda, these cruises serve an important educational role in training future generations of potential oceanographers. At a time when fewer and fewer new scientists are going to sea, the importance of recruiting these new scientists and providing sea-going training experience is critical. The R/V Atlantic Explorer also contains the only classroom in the UNOLS fleet that has been designed primarily for undergraduate education. II. Justification and Cost NSF Award #1013157 in the amount of $8,760 was used to purchase a VWR 14230 -80°C, Ultra-Low temperature chest freezer for storage of scientific samples aboard R/V Atlantic Explorer. This -80°C chest freezer was needed for the storage of samples that require colder storage temperatures (DNA, RNA, Bacteria, Plankton, Virus). There are currently five time-share labs that use liquid nitrogen for at-sea storage of their cruise samples during the monthly BATS cruises. There are also various visiting scientists and other cruises that require Cryo-Storage of samples, especially those doing molecular work. Previously, samples were stored in liquid nitrogen and up to three 50 liter dewars were used per cruise. This took up lab space and the liquid nitrogen posed a potential hazard. The Ultra-low Temperature freezer will reduce the need for liquid nitrogen on the ship. Cryo-storage is an essential need on most cruises.
