This proposal is awarded support for the first of five years of operation under a renewal of the NSF Cooperative Agreement, OCE-0612072, for operations of R/V Hugh R. Sharp. Ship awards will be renegotiated each year and is based on the number of days of ship time in support of NSF funded research program. The R/V Hugh R. Sharp is a state-of-the-art, coastal research vessel that is owned and operated by the University of Delaware. The vessel can carry fourteen to sixteen scientists on cruises up to eighteen days in duration and supports projects from all disciplines of oceanography. The vessel is a regional asset, serving researchers from many institutions throughout the United States. The vessel typically operates in the coastal waters from Long Island, New York, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, as well as the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays. Projects occasionally require the vessel to work as far north as the Gulf of Maine, as far south as Florida, and as far offshore as Bermuda. Operational funding for the R/V Hugh R. Sharp is provided primarily by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as well as other scientific users. In 2012, the R/V Hugh R. Sharp is scheduled for approximately 196 days at sea. Projects funded by the National Science Foundation account for approximately 46% of the total days.
Intellectual Merit: The R/V Hugh R. Sharp provides direct field support to NSF funded science programs, the intellectual merit of these programs being determined by the peer review process within the National Science Foundation. In 2011, the National Science Foundation funded 55% of the ship days on the R/V Hugh R. Sharp. These cruises included 3 Delaware Bay projects and 3 Chesapeake Bay projects.
Broader Impacts: The science projects supported by the R/V Hugh R. Sharp will directly improve scientific understanding of the marine environment, which may in turn improve the health and well being of people living in the mid-Atlantic and beyond. To provide exposure to this important role, the R/V Hugh R. Sharp is an integral part of the public outreach program at the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment. From 2009 through 2011, the R/V Hugh R. Sharp was a focal point on the waterfront during the annual Coast Day, an open house at the College which draws over ten thousand people. The ship has participated in the ?Teachers at Sea? program for three years during its NOAA Scallop cruises. This program allows educators an opportunity to work on a research vessel while assisting the science party by providing extra hands on deck. Many cruises have a scientific compliment made up of undergraduate and graduate students. The R/V Hugh R. Sharp and crew have been available for several tours of the ship by high school ROTC groups, science classes and middle school groups from the local community as well as from neighboring states.
