Proposal Number: 0918422 Institution: Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences PI: W. Wilcock Co-PI: R. Harelstad
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The proposal requests numerous Shipboard Scientific Support (SSSE) items for the vessel operated by the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences; namely the R/V ATLANTIC EXPLORER. The requests specifically include items that have been recommended from past NSF inspections, Navy INSURV's, or Post-Cruise Assessments (PCA's) and have been otherwise deferred by the operators due to cost. All of the items requested will either improve safety, enhance science support capability, or extend vessel service life. Due to the nature and timing of these requests, the vendor quotation standards normally required by the SSSE Program were waived out of necessity with many of the figures provided as estimates for budgetary purposes and based mainly on past experience of the vessel operators for similar work.
Broader Impacts: The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences vessel supports federally funded scientific research throughout the Atlantic basin to expand human knowledge of the ocean environment. The ATLANITC EXPLORER is the vessel that also routinely services the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) stations. During operations, the vessel routinely exposes graduate and undergraduate students to seagoing oceanography through real-time satellite connectivity from ship to shore, and open house events. All told, the ATLANTIC EXPLORER is scheduled to complete nearly 140 NSF sponsored days in 2009.
