DEep Submergence
Science Committee
Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution
11-12 June 2003
MEETING SUMMARY
REPORT
To download a pdf
version of this meeting report click: <200306desmi.pdf>
Executive
Summary
The
UNOLS DEep Submergence Science Committee held their spring meeting at Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution on 11-12 June
2003. The meeting included a variety of
reports including those from Agency and UNOLS representatives. A report from the National Facility
Operators was provided and included information on scheduling, operations, NDSF
archiving, vehicle upgrade plans and ATLANTIS improvements. Patty Fryer and Debbie Kelley provided
reports on their recent cruises using NDSF vehicles. Outreach and education efforts were discussed.
Deep Submergence Facility requests for 2004 and beyond were
reviewed. There are many ALVIN and ROV
programs that have already been funded for 2004. Some of these funded programs were deferred from 2003. Scheduling options for ALVIN operations
along with the vehicle’s required overhaul were considered. ROV maintenance time was also
addressed. WHOI would like to have four
weeks in the year dedicated for ROV maintenance (plus time for shipping). DESSC endorsed this request and recommended
that down time for ALVIN should not coincide with scheduled down time for
Jason2.
DESSC discussed
the annual request for upgrades to science sensors and operational capabilities
of the NDSF vehicles. Prior to the
meeting the biology community was asked to provide suggestions for system
upgrades. Their input was summarized at
the meeting. DESSC recommended that the
biology community prioritize their upgrade list. Additionally, DESSC recommended that a web page be developed to
provide an inventory of community assets and tools, as well as, tools available
through the NDSF.
Winter
DESSC meeting strategies were discussed.
To better engage the non-G&G community, the
agency program managers have requested DESSC to hold
their winter meeting in Portland, OR.
They would like the Portland meeting to be modeled after the
tradition DESSC meeting held each year in San Francisco. The UNOLS Office and DESSC will work to
broadly advertise the meeting.
Alan
Chave, Chair of the UNOLS Working Group on Ocean Observatory Facility Needs,
made a presentation on the status of their study. The group was asked to identify facility support needs for ocean
observatories in terms of both ships and submergence vehicles. He reported that routine
access to ROVs for all observatories operations would be needed. Eventually, observatory intervention tasks
related to its infrastructure should become predictable and well defined,
therefore could be appropriate for commercial off-the-shelf (workhorse)
ROVs. Routine operations will require a
less capable, smaller crewed ROV.
However, observatory work will require deep diving ROVs and very few
commercial ROVs can go as deep as needed.
Observatories will likely generate much science work similar to the
conventional vehicle operations that are conducted with vehicles like
Jason2. These operations will continue
to be best served by a science facility such as what presently exists. With the introduction of observatories
additional ROVs would be needed.
There
was a lengthy discussion on the National Academy of Science (NAS) Ocean Studies
Board (OSB) study on Future Needs for Deep Submergence Science. Dan Walker (NRC) reported on the status of
the OSB study and plans for their upcoming meeting. The OSB Committee has been
working with the Navy, NSF and NOAA to change/clarify their tasking. DESSC was encouraged to provide input to the
OSB study both on an individual, as well as, on a group level. DESSC discussed the information that should
be included in their response. They
will work to identify the science drivers for future research.
Bob
Brown reviewed the status of the New Alvin design
effort. The project is in the
Concept Development Phase. Various hull
forms and view port arrangements are being evaluated. WHOI has submitted a
request to ONR for the new vehicle to be Navy inspected and certification. They are waiting for a reply.
Recommendations/Endorsements
·
WHOI
would like four weeks in the year dedicated for ROV maintenance, plus time for
shipping. DESSC endorsed this request
and also recommended that scheduling of maintenance time should be coordinated
so that ALVIN down time should not conflict with down time for Jason2.
· DESSC recommended that a web page be developed to provide an inventory of deep submergence community tools, as well as, tools available through the NDSF.
Action Items
|
Task |
Assignment |
|
Review
WHOI archiving policies and guidelines –Send comments to Dan Fornari |
DESSC and Agency Reps |
|
Jason
2 maintenance - Endorsement of WHOI’s request to schedule Jason2
maintenance time (4 weeks) and include it on the vehicle’s operation
schedule. |
DESSC |
|
Equipment
and tool Inventory –
Develop a web page that will provide an inventory of PI owned equipment/tools
as well as NDSF tools. DESSC could
provide some examples to start the inventory. Request input from the community. The inventory could reside on
the UNOLS server with a link to the WHOI/NDSF website. Patty and Annette will
also follow up on getting information regarding progress on the LINK
inventory effort |
Annette, Patty, Dan, and DESSC |
|
Navigation
– Provide training
session at one of the winter conferences |
WHOI with assistance from UNOLS and
DESSC |
Winter Meeting – The traditional
DESSC meeting will be held on Sunday, January 25, 2004 in Portland, OR. Broadly advertise the meeting.
|
UNOLS Office with assistance from DESSC |
|
Special
Session - Patty will
work with members of DESSC and the community to arrange a special session at the
Fall AGU meeting. [A special session
has been accepted for the Fall AGU in San Francisco (OS33 Recent Advances in
Understanding Submarine Biosystems and the Future of Submergence Research) |
Patty Fryer and DESSC |
|
OSB Committee on Future Deep Submergence
Facility Needs – DESSC
should continue to remind the community that their input is needed. Input should be provided before the
committee’s last meeting in August. |
DESSC |
|
DESSC
Response to OSB Committee –Provide
the OSB committee with DESSC input and responses to their questions that are
posted on the web. |
DESSC with lead from Patty |
|
IMAX film publicity - IMAX will be released in the
fall. DESSC volunteered to help
publicize it for educational purposes.
Consider publicity strategies and spread the word. [Patty has established contact with IMAX
distribution offices in California for Hawaii and West Coast and arranged
with SOEST to provide tickets to the presentation as prizes associated with
activities during SOEST Fall Open House.] |
DESSC -
Patty will contact other Marine institutions to raise awareness and encourage
similar activities. Patty will write an article for the next UNOLS news
letter regarding these efforts |
Long-Range Planning Issues – Post the 2004 NDSF request
maps on the DESSC homepage and advertise that they are available. Contact the major programs (RIDGE and
Margins) with this information.
|
Annette –
this has been completed. <http://www.unols.org/dessc/
maps/ndsf_maps04.html> |
DESSC
membership
- Mark Chaffey will complete his first term.
Determine his interest in serving 2nd term.
|
Patty |
|
Upgrades – Compile and edit the input received
from the biology community regarding upgrade needs. Resend the list to the community for input and broaden the call
to all upgrades (not just biology). |
Tim Shank –
biology upgrades |
Index of Appendices
II.
Attendance List
III.
UNOLS Report
IV.
Debbie
Kelly Cruise Summary
V.
National
Deep Submergence Facility Reports
g.
Vehicle Schedules, 2003 and Beyond
VI.
NDSF Requests Summary
and Maps
VII.
Ocean Observatories
Working Group
VIII.
HBOI Report
Proceedings of
Meeting
Day One: Wednesday, 11 June 2003
Introductory
Remarks, Meeting Logistics, Introductions – Patty Fryer, DESSC Chair, opened the meeting
at 0830. Meeting participant introductions
were made. The meeting agenda is included
as Appendix I
and the attendance list is included as Appendix II.
National Science Foundation (NSF) – Mike Reeve provided a very
brief NSF report. Optimistic projections call for a doubling of the NSF budget
in the future. NSF needs to have plans
in place that identify the items an increased budget could support. Submergence research and facilities should
be considered in this planning. Mike
also commented that a procedure for post-cruise NDSF assessment should be
considered.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – Barbara Moore reported
that there is a lot going on in NOAA.
RADM Lautenbacher conducted a top-down review of the agency. They are just beginning to learn about the
impacts of the recommendations. The
most significant changes will be in the realignment of programs along thematic
lines. Some matrix management is
planned.
NOAA received their FY03 budget in March. The agency was level funded, but internally,
Ocean Exploration (OE) was decreased by $1M from the FY02 budget and NURP was
decreased by approximately $300K. The
FY04 is unclear at this time. NOAA/NURP
will work to meet their annual ALVIN funding commitments.
Dick Pittenger commented that it has been difficult to schedule
the NOAA programs due to the late funding decisions. DESSC agreed and encouraged further efforts in this regard.
UNOLS
Report – Peter Wiebe,
UNOLS Chair-Elect, provided the UNOLS Report.
His viewgraphs are included as Appendix III.
His report covered the following topics:
fleet renewal
implementation, marine mammals and acoustic permitting issues, UNOLS wires
and cables, quality of service, ship scheduling, and annual meeting plans.
UNOLS
ship time use is increasing and as a result ship scheduling is becoming more
challenging. Peter showed figures from
the FOFC Long-Range planning report.
The report calls for the construction of Regional and Ocean Class
vessels over the next decade. Science
Mission Requirements (SMRs) for both ship classes have been drafted. NSF has funded the Naval Architect firm,
JJMA, Inc., to conduct a Regional Class Phase II study. The study will estimate
construction costs as well as the feasibility of meeting the SMRs. Preliminary findings show that a Regional
monohull design can meet all desired SMRs and stay within budget (~$28M). The
Regional Class construction will be funded from the NSF Mid-Size Infrastructure
budget. The Ocean Class SMRs are in
place, but construction support has not been identified.
Other
design efforts underway include EWING midlife or replacement. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) is
investigating the feasibility of acquiring an EWING replacement vessel suitable for 3D
MCS and conversion for general-purpose capability. The Alaska Region
Research Vessel (ARRV) is well along in its design effort. Funding for construction of the ARRV will be
requested from NSF
senior management for MRE consideration in a budget beyond FY05. Replacement plans for CAPE HENLOPEN are progressing. The specifications and drawings will be
complete by 6/20/03. They plan to begin
construction in Spring 2004 and complete construction by fall 2005.
Other
facilities are also under consideration.
These include the need for new deep submergence vehicles including a
Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV). The USCG
Polar Icebreakers are in need of refit at an estimated cost of $400 M (without science
improvements). Finally, ocean
observatories are coming on line and being proposed. Their facility support requirements will need to be considered.
Marine
mammals and acoustic permitting issues have been an important concern this
year. Permitting issues have disrupted
EWING and NEW HORIZON operations.
Various options to assist in the permitting are being considered and
include hiring a UNOLS expert or possibly
retaining consulting services.
Specifications
for new UNOLS wire and cables have been under consideration. Mike Prince will draft a performance
specification for community review and input.
In an effort to improve UNOLS quality of service, a Council subcommittee has been formed to evaluate Post Cruise Assessment (PCA) recommendations. Additionally an RVTEC subcommittee has been making progress is their efforts to establish definitions of technical services.
There
was DESSC discussion regarding the assessment process and RVTEC effort. Dolly commented that ship users should all
submit their PCAs electronically. She
also indicated that they would like to see some standardization of services and
equipment support across the fleet. She
hopes that the RVTEC effort will address this area. Dick Pittenger remarked that he thinks that the PCAs for NDSF
operations should be distributed to the DESSC.
Annette explained that distribution of the PCAs is limited and this
would need to be brought before the UNOLS Council.
Ship
time demand for large ships is high in 2004.
Many programs were deferred in 2003.
This was due to a variety of issues including acoustic permitting,
clearance problems, funding shortfalls, and scheduling conflicts.
The
UNOLS Annual Meeting is scheduled for 19 September 2003. RADM West (CORE President) will be the
keynote speaker. Nominations are needed
for various UNOLS Council positions.
Science Reports – Patty Fryer and Debbie Kelley provided reports on their recent
cruises using NDSF vehicles.
Patty used Jason2 and DLS-120A from R/V
THOMPSON in a cruise that began on 17 March and ran through 4 May. Operations were at the South Mariana Arc to
study deep-sourced mud volcanism. The
cruise included a visit to an ODP site to support Geoffrey Wheat’s borehole
instrument recovery.
Patty reported that they were able to obtain detailed imaging
using DSL-120A and EM300. Patty
displayed the images using 3-D glasses.
The surveys were done in very high relief areas.
Jason2 performed well throughout the cruise. This was the first cruise that the vehicle
was operated at its full depth capability of 6500 km. The dive was due south of Guam.
Rocks were collected. Transit to
the bottom was approximately 4 hours long and the dive was one day.
Patty raised a few issues regarding recovery operations. On THOMPSON, recovery is from aft A-frame
and aft port side crane. In Patty’s
opinion it would have been better from starboard. Andy commented that this is a good point. Since the system is portable, operational
limits depend on the launch configuration options on the support platform. There are things that can be done to broaden
the vehicle’s weather window, but it will come with a price.
Debbie Kelley reported on her recent ATLANTIS/ALVIN cruise on 21 April to 22 May 2003. Her program was to investigate a new class
of hydrothermal system at the Lost City Hydrothermal Field, an off-axis system
at 30°N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The cruise involved ALVIN dives, a SeaBeam
survey, CTD operations at full depth, ABE operations, rock dredges, and one
mooring rescue operation. Debbie’s viewgraphs are included as Appendix
IV.
ABE was used at night to
characterize the bathymetry and water column around the Lost City and for
exploration of possible fields less than 80 km away. ABE
worked very well. ABE was tethered to
the sea floor and did a spin. It got
stuck a couple times, but it was able to get unstuck. They are able to image very small features.
ALVIN was used during the day.
During the ALVIN
dives, the vents were sampled for fluid, microbes, and chimney material and the
surrounding geology and tectonic setting was characterized. They estimate that
the venting has been going on for 30,000 years. Some of the chimneys are the size of a 15-story building. This was the first
cruise using ALVIN since its overhaul.
Approximately 30,000 images were collected using Dan Fornari’s
cameras. About 25,000 frame grabs were
taken with ALVIN. The new frame
grabbing system could be processed immediately after a dive. This was very useful for planning next
dives.
The cruise included a lot of students in the science party and the
users required a lot of learning. The
pilots are very busy.
Debbie reported that there were some navigation issues during the
cruise involving set up of the transponders.
Dana Yoerger reprocessing the data at the end of the cruise. Additionally, ALVIN computers were a problem
and sometimes the screens went blank.
There were also some issues with the pan and tilt caused by
condensation. Sonar was not available
until last dive, but this wasn’t a problem because they had ABE survey data.
In summary, there were 19 Alvin dives averaging 5.7 hours in
length. The science party included 19
scientists and students. There were 17
ABE missions lasting 127 hours, and approximately 200 km of seafloor was surveyed. They produced a map with resolution of 2 km
x 1 km of Lost City. One ALVIN dive was
lost because of variable ballast problem.
All in all it was a successful cruise.
DESSC discussed the issue of navigation and transponders. Patty commented that transponder placement
was a problem during her cruise due to the high relief terrain and strong and
variable currents both at the bottom and in the water column. There was concern in getting tangled with
transponder cables.
National Facility Operators Report – Dick Pittenger (WHOI) welcomed everyone
to the meeting. They have been very
busy since the start of the year. Al
Suchy has replaced Joe Coburn (who retired) as the Marine Superintendent.
NDSF Vehicle Operations
Summary - Rick Chandler
provided the NDSF vehicle operation summary. His viewgraphs are included as Appendix Va.
Since the start of 2003, four NDSF cruises have been completed.
WHOI completed
construction of the ROV ISIS for the Southampton Oceanographic Center. It was dedicated in March 2003. Sea trials for the vehicle were conducted
off the Bahamas. The full ISES system
is 100,000 lbs and of these 80,000 lbs is the handling system.
Two ROV science
cruise have been conducted, one for Patty Fryer in the Western Pacific and one
for Alan Chave off Hawaii. As of June
2003, Jason2 has had 24 lowerings, for 339 hours in the water. DSL-120A has had 10 lowerings and 319 hours
on the bottom. Jason2 successfully was
used to its full depth capability of 6,500 m.
Three more Jason cruises are scheduled for this year.
As of June 2003,
ALVIN operations have included two engineering dives off Barbados, Debbie
Kelley’s cruise at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and Jess Adkins/Dan Scheirer cruise
at the NE seamounts. Thirty dives have
been completed with 130 hours of bottom time.
Some dives have been lost due to rough weather and Navy clearance
problems. The engineering dives
included science equipment checkout, testing of the Sidus pan and tilt, testing
of the Kraft manipulator, and lighting experiments. ATLANTIS will transit through the Panama Canal for work in the
Pacific. Six more science cruises are
planned. This year Pat Hickey marked
his 500th dive. ALVIN is
approaching 40 years of operation.
NDSF Archiving
- Dan Fornari provided
a status report on the archiving of deep submergence data in the WHOI archives.
His viewgraphs are included as Appendix Vb.
To begin he reviewed the new shipboard data archiving/sign-off
sheet. The form and Appendix Vc) is for use as a sample and data log sheet.
Dan and Barrie would like DESSC comments regarding the form. This is to be used both for frame grabs as
well as digital images.
The question was
asked, “Is there is a way to log non-consecutive dives by a PI.” Dan replied that hopefully The Chief
Scientist would be able to manage this logging issue, as NDSF cruises often
involve multi-PI. Perhaps there can be
more than one form on a cruise.
Mike Reeve
commented no additional text is needed after Statement 4. He also suggested that the word “intended”
be removed. Dan explained that
Statement 4 is included in case there is to be access to the data prior to
two-year release date. The distribution
prior to two years can be limited and password protected on the WHOI archive
server. After two years data will be
available to all.
The question was
asked if past track-lines that have been re-navigated and corrected, can be
revised and corrected in the archives.
It was explained that WHOI is addressing this and they are looking at
DVL and LBL data. Louis Whitcomb
explained that he is working on the renavigation project. In the short term they plan to renavigate
the Doppler track. John Howland will
train and provide this service. Bill Ryan
asked if those who hold their data for the first two years should be required
to renavigate it before submitting it to the archives. Patty suggested that perhaps there should be
a standard established. There should be
a requirement to provide the best data available into the archives. There was concern on the burden this might
place on the PI.
Dan discussed
archiving of the Frame-grabber data.
The frame grabber has been implemented on both ALVIN and Jason2. Examples and practical approaches to
providing useful data and metadata on a real-time and archiving basis, as
well as, a template for migration of legacy data are available at
<file:///Users/dfornari/Desktop/ARCHIVING STUFF/framegrabber/Alvin-
D3874/html/S0364.html>. The frame
grabs are produced in about
an hour after the dive on ALVIN and in real-time for J2. It is very convenient for someone to review
the data that has been collected.
Dan
reviewed the WHOI archives/data website and suggested improvements. They are improving the information access to NDSF vehicles, see
http://www.whoi.edu/marops/vehicles/index.html. Other vehicle imagery is being included besides
ALVIN. They are prototyping moving
the visual data migration scheme using EPR and Endeavour Ridge2000 Integrated
Study Site data, http://www.whoi.edu/marine/ndsf/vehicles/alvin/photos/epr/1996_EPR-webgallery/. The ALVIN ‘Best
Hits’ collection has been completed and is available at http://www.whoi. edu/marops/vehicles/deep_submerge.html.
Lastly,
Dan provided a summary of income from NDSF vehicle imagery/data and WHOI
outreach efforts. Underwater still and video images from
NDSF vehicles have appeared in seven popular books, 16 textbooks, three
exhibits (such as the current Dive and Discover exhibit at the Museum of
Science in Boston), three magazine articles and eight television productions
(including Australian Broadcasting, Discovery Channel, Korean Broadcasting, and
Chedd-Angier). Total 2003 income
received to date is $8,101. This does not include dozens of still images or
video footage that are supplied routinely to NSF or other funding agencies,
collaborating researchers and institutions, and internal requests. Also note
that some of those listed above were not charged, which is generally the case.
Upgrades
to National Facility Vehicles, Science Sensors, and ATLANTIS:
ALVIN
and ROV equipment and operations
- Barrie Walden reported on various ALVIN equipment and operational issues
that have been addressed over the past year.
His viewgraphs are included as Appendix Vd.
-
Manipulator
- The Kraft manipulator will require additional testing. Kraft has been
very responsive in this process.
-
Pressure
Transducer - The pressure transducer failed on Jason2 while at 4000 meters.
-
Batteries
– There has been a lot of change in battery venders; they are not staying in
business. ALVIN battery performance is
not as bad as some may think. Power
demand as been increasing, resulting in shorter dives. Increasing use of equipment and
instrumentation during dives uses the available power more rapidly.
-
ALVIN
Video Cameras – there are many available at the NDSF. Everything seems to be working reasonably well. Performance is better.
-
HDTV
is big – space compromises need to be considered.
-
Computer
problems – They are still having some computer problems. Some have been identified and are being
addressed. Others are still being
troubleshot.
-
Computer displays - The flat panel displays
are difficult to see. They have decided
to purchase Dell laptops. Barrie showed
the Dell laptop to DESSC and demonstrated that it could operate off ALVIN’s
computer. A scientist would be able to
run his/her own software on the Dell, yet still have access to all of the sub
software.
Andy Bowen continued with a discussion on ROV improvements status.
His viewgraphs are included as Appendix Ve.
-
Manipulator
- WHOI continues to work on the manipulator.
-
They
are working to improve the tools and sensor inventory.
-
Upgrade
to the DVD, which includes a frame grab capability.
-
Forward
floatation has been added to increase payload capability.
-
Effer
crane pitch damper. – They are thinking about adding this to the knuckle boom.
-
SeaNet
- A SeaNet Virtual Van Link has been developed with funds from the Keck
Foundation. The virtual van is available on the ship and will soon be available
on shore. The bandwidth is variable and
the system can also be used for conferencing.
The SeaNet website gives estimates on operating costs. Support for SeaNet is an issue. It isn’t clear if support for use should be
included in the science budget or operations budget.
Andy provided the status of DSL 120A upgrades and planned
improvements:
-
A
bathymetry update is planned
-
Improve
the fish tow dynamics – the vehicle lacks the stability they would like to see
in towing.
-
Repair
foam – The foam sustained damage on the Tivey cruise. The glue failed. This
will take some effort to repair.
-
Return
sonar electronics to HMRG for further refinement
-
Dock
trials are planned at WHOI in fall 03
-
DVL
Navigation is implemented – Multibeam sonar and Doppler are to be added. They have been funded to do this. They will improve navigation data for
post-processing.
Other Deep Submergence Group ROV activity over the past year has
included development of a Jason2 clone, ISIS.
Sea trials were carried out on the McCartney cruise. They used the vehicle for mooring
recovery. This was significant as it
demonstrated that the ROV could work around moorings, typical of what might be
required by ocean observatory servicing.
Other efforts have included design of an 11km Hybrid ROV (HROV).
ATLANTIS Improvements status – Al Suchy provided a report on the status
of ATLANTIS improvements. His viewgraphs
are included as Appendix Vf.
He began by describing the bow thruster problems.
High vibrations were experienced after the ship’s yard period in Jacksonville,
FL. Three to four bolts had backed
out from anti-torque plates after maintenance.
The specs required that the bolts be tack-welded (they were not). The repairs required dry-docking in March 2003.
The only available dry dock was in Grand Bahamas Island and this resulted
in a ten-day delay. WHOI has filed a claim against Atlantic Dry
Dock to recover costs lost from the loss of six ship days
Al reported on plans for ATLANTIS’ port visit to Woods Hole in August to October 2003.
·
A-frame
maintenance
-
Replace
main cylinder block fasteners
-
Replace
wasted main cylinder 2” piping
-
Replace
main supply piping up A-frame leg
-
Replace
4-bolt flange on both sides of main hoist
-
Replace
anti-swing relief valves
-
Refurbish
tail winch
-
Perform
general corrosion maintenance
·
Install
Counterbalance sheave on port hydro boom
·
Hiab
crane maintenance (maybe)
·
Install
fire door magnets around galley
·
Switchboard
maintenance
·