The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography proposes to continue operations of the research vessel Savannah in support of NSF-funded scientific research at sea in the year 2005. The ship works primarily in the coastal area of Georgia. This is a five-year cooperative agreement, and funding for the years 2006-2009 will be renegotiated and will depend on the number of days at sea in support of NSF-funded research programs requiring the use of an Oceanographic platform.
Intellectual and Technical Merit The R/V Savannah is a new 92-foot coastal research vessel, which was delivered from Washburn and Doughty shipbuilders in September 2001. This ship is one of the most capable platforms for conducting oceanographic research and education activities in the continental shelf, estuarine, and riverine environments of the Southeastern U.S. The primary use of the ship to date is supporting federally funded research. The vessel has been used to examine rates of benthic primary production on the West Florida Shelf and South Atlantic Bight, to assess microbial diversity in environments ranging from coastal estuaries to the Gulf Stream, to examine the biogeochemical dynamics within the Long Term Ecosystem Research (LTER) study sites and to develop a regional coastal observing system. In addition, the Savannah has been and will be used for a multibeam survey of the Savannah River. The deck space, a large hydraulic A-frame, which maximizes the cable bend radius necessary to deploy acoustic packages, and generally quiet vessel operations make this vessel ideal for these kinds of projects.
Broader Impacts The R/V Savannah is increasing its at-sea educational and outreach activities for 2005 and beyond with greater high school, undergraduate and graduate student participation as well as more opportunities for the public to view the vessel. With a design capacity to sleep 20 scientists plus crew the ship can accommodate a professor and class of students. The NSF-funded CIRE2 program provides opportunities for minority students to experience oceanographic research on board a well-equipped ship with the goal of drawing a greater diversity of researchers into the study of ocean sciences. NSF programs of Taillefert and Sautter will support 18 students going to sea for oceanographic research on each cruise. For many this will be their first experience at sea. Armstrong Atlantic State University students will also be provided at-sea experience as a part of their Introductory Oceanography class. In an effort to inform and educate the public about advances in ocean sciences the R/V Savannah will be open for public tours 8 to 10 times during 2005.
The R/V Savannah is a 92-foot coastal research vessel, which was delivered to the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography from Washburn and Doughty shipbuilders in September 2001. This ship is a most capable platform for conducting oceanographic research and education activities in the continental shelf, estuarine, and riverine environments of the Southeastern U.S. The primary use of the ship to date has been to support federally funded research. During the period of this award (2005-2011), the vessel supported 860 days of research cruises. Typical research projects included those to examine factors that influence the rates of benthic primary production in the South Atlantic Bight, to assess microbial and zooplankton diversity and productivity in environments ranging from coastal estuaries to the Gulf Stream, to examine biogeochemical dynamics, to support fisheries research, and to support a variety of educational programs, including a graduate education program for coastal ocean-science and engineering. All of the aforementioned projects were federally funded by NSF and NOAA. The deck space, a large hydraulic A-frame, which maximizes the cable bend radius necessary to deploy acoustic packages, and generally quiet vessel operations make this vessel ideal for these kinds of projects. The R/V Savannah has been increasing its at-sea educational and outreach activities with greater high school, undergraduate and graduate student participation as well as more opportunities for the public to view the vessel. With a design capacity to sleep 19 scientists plus crew the ship can accommodate a professor and class of students. Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts Over 90% of the projects supported by the Savannah are federally funded. These projects, which are competively awarded to scientists around the region, cover a wide range of disciplines, from biology to physics. A significant proportion of cruises aboard the R/V Savannah are utilized for educational purposes. For the project period, approximately 20% of the cruises were educationally based, demonstrating oceanographic methodologies to college undergraduate and graduate students, grade school teacher groups, and visiting international students and/or scientists. The joint (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and Georgia Tech-Savannah) graduate program in coastal science and engineering began in 2008 and continued through the end of the award period (Sanders/Work, GEO 0807387). In addition, research and training cruises were carried out throughout the award period to support projects held jointly with Savannah State University. These programs and others continue Skidaway Institute of Oceanography’s collaborations with minority serving institutions. To better inform and educate the public about advances in ocean sciences the R/V Savannah was open at least once per year for public guided tours. Over 2,000 people toured the vessel during each annual open house conducted during the award period.
