This project will support NSF funded research programs by providing a safe, efficient and economical platform for studies conducted aboard R/V Blue Heron within the Great Lakes. This is a five-year cooperative agreement, and in CY2012, 38 days out of 70 will be used to support NSF sponsored research. For each year of the cooperative agreement, funding is dependent upon the number of days deployed on NSF research, and budgets are re-negotiated accordingly. The intellectual merit of the research programs being supported on R/V Blue Heron has been determined through review of those proposals. Although the Great Lakes dominate the northern boundary of the United States and constitute 20% of the world's freshwater, our understanding of these water bodies is limited.
