TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Recognizing the need for
coordinated use of federally supported oceanographic facilities, the community
of academic oceanographic institutions, that uses and operates those
facilities, by virtue of this Charter, does hereby establish an organization of
academic oceanographic institutions. The organization shall be named the
University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS). UNOLS is solely an
advisory body.
Execution and enforcement
of its recommendations are matters for member institutions and for agencies,
which fund the construction and operation of UNOLS facilities.
An objective of UNOLS is to
coordinate and review the access to and utilization of facilities for academic
oceanographic research, and the current match of facilities to the needs of
academic oceanographic programs. UNOLS makes appropriate recommendations of priorities
for replacing, modifying or improving the numbers and mix of facilities for the
community of users. Another objective is to foster federal and other support
for academic oceanography, thereby continuing and enhancing the excellence of
this nation's oceanographic program. Emphasis is placed on ships and other
seagoing facilities.
a.) Eligibility: Membership in UNOLS is open to those institutions that use, or operate
and use, sea-going facilities and maintain an academic program in marine
science. It is intended that UNOLS institutions make substantial contributions
to the national oceanographic program. Both individual institutions and
consortia of such institutions may be members of UNOLS for purposes of
attending UNOLS meetings, receiving UNOLS information, and other non-voting
UNOLS activities. However, on any matter requiring a vote of the UNOLS
membership either the member consortium may cast a ballot or individual member
institution(s) within the consortium may cast ballot(s), but not both. In the
event that any consortium and one or more of its constituent institutions
disagree as to the voting option to be exercised in any matter, only the
ballots of individual institutions within that consortium shall be accepted on
that matter. The choice of individual or consortium voting may be exercised
independently on each voting matter and by each consortium and its constituent
institutions. In the remainder of this charter the word "institution"
means "individual member institution or member consortium" except
where otherwise noted. Each UNOLS institution shall designate a representative
with authority to speak and act for the institution in UNOLS matters. UNOLS
representatives may authorize alternates. Addition of members shall be by
application to and majority action by the existing membership. Membership may
be voluntarily terminated by any member on written notice to the Chair. In
extraordinary instances, an institution's membership may be involuntarily
terminated by two-thirds vote of the UNOLS membership. The UNOLS Council
periodically shall review the list of UNOLS institutions. It shall recommend to
UNOLS additions, status changes, and terminations. Changes shall be considered
at a regular UNOLS meeting and require a vote of the UNOLS membership present
or by proxy if absent.
b.) Operator Institutions: All institutions, having satisfied the criteria for
membership and having been selected, are designated as UNOLS institutions.
Those UNOLS institutions that operate UNOLS vessels or National Oceanographic
Facilities (Annex II) are, in addition, designated as operator institutions.
UNOLS vessels and National Oceanographic Facilities are designated by the UNOLS
Council. UNOLS vessels are those United States research vessels generally
operated in support of national oceanographic research programs, by academic or
other non-profit institutions and are significantly funded by the federal
government. They are operated in accordance with UNOLS safety standards,
subject to regular, recognized ship inspection programs, scheduled by
established UNOLS procedures and meet cruise reporting, cruise assessment, cost
accounting and performance standards according to UNOLS uniform practices.
UNOLS vessels and National Oceanographic Facilities are regularly available to
users outside of the operator institution provided that funding is available
from the sponsor of the research or from the user. The list of designated UNOLS
vessels shall be reviewed regularly for additions or deletions by the UNOLS
Council giving consideration to the above criteria and taking into account the
objectives of UNOLS in section 2.
If the Council
denies an application for UNOLS vessel or National Oceanographic Facility
designation, the applicant shall be notified. They shall have the
opportunity to reapply in accordance with the procedures described in the
"Guidelines for Requesting/Becoming a UNOLS Vessel."
a.) Overview: The UNOLS organization shall include an elected Chair
and Chair-Elect, a UNOLS Council, and Committees for ship scheduling, fleet
improvement, research vessel operations, and other committees as required and
established by the UNOLS Council and the UNOLS Office.
b.) UNOLS Chair: The Chair represents UNOLS throughout the oceanographic community, calls
and presides over UNOLS meetings, chairs the UNOLS Council and Executive
Committee, in consultation with the UNOLS Council, appoints other committees
and provides direction and oversight to the Executive Secretary and the UNOLS
Office.
c.) Chair-Elect: The Chair-Elect supports the Chair in representing UNOLS throughout
the oceanographic community and acts, in the Chair's absence, in calling and
presiding over meetings, in the UNOLS Council and with regard to UNOLS
appointments, direction and oversight. The duties of the Chair-Elect shall
include preparing to assume the office of Chair under the schedule set forth in
section 5b.
d.) Immediate Past Chair: The office of Immediate Past Chair is to be occupied
by the previous Chair under the schedule set forth in section 5b. The post of
Immediate Past Chair is intended to bring the experience of that individual to
bear on UNOLS issues. The Immediate Past Chair participates in UNOLS activities
and meetings with the same rights and responsibilities as a regular Council
member.
e.) Council:
The UNOLS Council represents and acts on behalf of the UNOLS membership as the
operating and governing body of UNOLS. It monitors UNOLS activities, giving
attention to the effective use of available oceanographic facilities and
determining the performance of UNOLS institutions in providing access to
federally supported facilities for scientists from other institutions. It
evaluates the need for replacement and additional facilities and assesses
whether facilities are outmoded or in excess of current needs. It considers and
makes recommendations to funding agencies regarding the needs for specialized
facilities or new concepts in facilities and the balance between facilities and
funded research programs. It accepts charges from funding agencies for special
studies and reviews, and shall make recommendations based on its findings. It
assists funding agencies in efforts to obtain adequate and uniform financial
data and post-cruise reporting of ship operations. It counsels in the formation
of and appointments to UNOLS committees, and provides oversight to them. The
UNOLS Council shall fully and faithfully report to the UNOLS membership and to
sponsoring agencies on its actions, activities and plans. Reports shall include
an annual summary report delivered at the annual UNOLS meeting, reports of
Council meetings and special reports on important actions or activities.
The UNOLS Council consists
of ten elected members, including the UNOLS Chair, Chair-Elect, Immediate Past
Chair, two members from UNOLS operator institutions, two from UNOLS
institutions other than facility operators, and three from among candidates
affiliated with any UNOLS institutions. The Chairs of the Ship Scheduling
Committee, the Fleet Improvement Committee, the DEep Submergence Science
Committee, the Research Vessel Operators' Committee, the Research Vessel
Technical Enhancement Committee, the Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee,
the Scientific Committee for Oceanographic Aircraft Research, Marcus Langseth
Science Oversight Committee, and the Ocean Observing Science Committee (Annexes
I-X) serve, ex-officio, as fully participating, voting members of the Council.
No more than one elected member of the UNOLS Council shall serve from any one
institution. If, during an elected member's term, that individual's status
changes so that the eligibility criteria are no longer satisfied, that
individual shall lose membership on the Council. If any elected member of the
UNOLS Council misses three consecutive meetings, that individual shall lose
membership on the Council.
The
UNOLS Council shall meet in-person as well as by web/phone conferencing. A quorum for the UNOLS Council meetings
(in-person and web/phone) requires one more than half of all Council members
and must include at least five elected members. Council decisions are reached
by majority vote of members voting, provided a quorum is represented at the
time of the vote.
If
a matter requires a discussion and vote by the Council but sooner than the next
scheduled meeting, a discussion and vote of the matter by correspondence (e.g.,
electronic mail) may be held. A vote taken by correspondence will require a
quorum (as defined in the previous paragraph) and will be in accordance to the
same voting rules as for regular votes except that the motion introduced for
voting will not require a second to the motion. Ballots may be submitted by
correspondence, fax or email to the UNOLS Office, where the count shall be
compiled by the Executive Secretary and reported to the Council.
f.) Unexpired terms: If a Council member fails to complete his/her term for any reason, a
replacement member meeting the same eligibility requirements shall be appointed
by the Chair, subject to approval by a majority vote of the Council, with a quorum
participating. This vote may be conducted by correspondence unless a scheduled
Council meeting is to take place within one month of the vacancy arising, in
which case the vote shall be conducted at that meeting. Should the unexpired
term be that of the Chair, the Chair-Elect shall become Chair for the remainder
of the Chair's term and shall then appoint a new Chair-Elect under the
foregoing procedure. Persons filling an unexpired term shall not have the
duration of the unexpired term counted toward any term limits specified
elsewhere in this charter.
g.) Committees:
Committees are established for such special purposes as decided by the UNOLS
Council. These Committees address issues as set out in their terms of
reference. Their recommendations to funding agencies shall be delivered through
the UNOLS Council or Executive Committee. All such committees are UNOLS
committees. Permanent or standing committees shall be established by vote of
UNOLS members, and then formed by the UNOLS Chair in consultation with the
UNOLS Council. Special purpose or temporary committees may be established and
formed by the UNOLS Chair and Council on their own authority. Committees
function under terms of reference adopted by the Council. Committee Chairs and
members are appointed by the UNOLS Chair with approval of the Council, unless
otherwise specified in a Committee's terms of reference. Terms of reference for
permanent or standing Committees are adopted as annexes to the Charter.
UNOLS Committees shall
remain in effect for no longer than three years, after which time they shall be
dissolved unless they are reaffirmed by the UNOLS Council. The Council shall
review all Committee's terms of reference and activities as a basis for
affirmation, change or dissolution.
h.) UNOLS Office and Executive Secretary: A UNOLS Office shall be established for the purposes
of providing staff support and secretariat services to UNOLS, the UNOLS Chair,
Council, Executive Committee and other Committees as directed. The Office shall
serve as a focal point for UNOLS correspondence and for central files on
facilities, schedules, user requirements and related information. The Office
shall advertise, arrange, support and report on UNOLS, Council and Committee
meetings. It shall arrange and manage contracts for blanket services to the
UNOLS fleet and UNOLS institutions under guidance from the Chair and Council,
and at the behest of sponsoring agencies.
The UNOLS Office shall
normally be established at a UNOLS operator institution. It is expected that
the UNOLS Office will rotate among UNOLS institutions. The UNOLS Chair, with
the UNOLS Council, shall review UNOLS Office performance and activities prior
to the completion of the first five-year term (or at intervals controlled by
the duration of funding grants or agreements). Based on this review, the
Council shall recommend whether or not to renew the host institution for a
second term. The Office may, if so suggested by review, be moved after five years. The Office should not remain at
a single institution for more than ten years, except under extraordinary
circumstances.
The UNOLS Office shall be
headed by the Executive Secretary, an employee of the institution hosting the
UNOLS Office. The Executive Secretary, while administratively an employee of
the host institution, shall act under direction from the UNOLS Chair and
Council. If it is necessary to select or replace the Executive Secretary, open
competition for a host institution shall be held concurrently. The Executive
Secretary is responsible for all UNOLS Office functions and other UNOLS duties
as directed by the UNOLS Chair and Council. It is expected that the Executive
Secretary will be thoroughly familiar with the operation and scheduling of
academic research vessels and with UNOLS and Federal policies related to
research vessel and facility operations.
Selection of an institution
to host the UNOLS Office and of Executive Secretary shall be by open,
competitive process. These selections ordinarily will be made concurrently. The
UNOLS Chair shall invite all UNOLS institutions to submit letter proposals
identifying their candidate for Executive Secretary and advancing their
capabilities for hosting the Office. The Chair, with advice from the UNOLS
Council, shall appoint an Evaluation Committee, organized with due regard for
UNOLS institutions' interests, for the purpose of recommending the best
proposals for host institution and executive secretary. The recommendation from
the Evaluation Committee, with the review and consent first of the Council and then
of the UNOLS membership, shall be transmitted to the agencies administering the UNOLS Office
cooperative agreements and grants. It shall then be necessary for the
institution recommended as UNOLS Office host to submit a proposal to the
administering agencies. Contractual obligations between the UNOLS institution
hosting the UNOLS Office and the funding agencies shall be the responsibility
of those organizations.
Costs of operating the
UNOLS Office will be federally funded and should be prorated among the funding
agencies in accordance with their participation in contract and grant programs
with the institutions, or by such other arrangements as may be agreed to by the
Federal agencies.
a.) Membership Voting: Election of UNOLS Officers and UNOLS Council members
shall be on the basis of one vote for each UNOLS institution represented. On
issues coming before the membership for vote, each UNOLS institution shall also
exercise one vote. Except as otherwise specified (e.g., for involuntary termination
of membership), matters voted on shall be decided by a simple majority of UNOLS
institutions casting votes in person or by proxy. Voting by the membership will
ordinarily take place at UNOLS meetings. Two-thirds of the UNOLS operator
institutions must be represented to establish a quorum. Because of the option
for consortia or their member institutions to vote as in section 3a, the number
that constitutes a quorum may be different for different votes. In
extraordinary circumstances, matters may be submitted for vote by the
membership at times other than UNOLS meetings. These matters will be submitted
by mail or electronic mail, and shall be governed by the same rules for
decision and quorum that apply at meetings.
b.) Officers:
The UNOLS Chair-Elect shall be elected from among candidates affiliated with
any UNOLS member institution. Election for the Chair-Elect shall be for a
single term of two years. At the completion
of the two-year term, a new
Chair-Elect shall be elected; the outgoing Chair-Elect shall become Chair; and
the outgoing Chair shall become Immediate Past Chair.
c.) Council:
Members of the UNOLS Council shall be elected for three-year terms, staggered
so that two or three terms begin each year. Individuals may serve not more than
two consecutive terms. Two members shall be elected from among designated
representatives of UNOLS operator institutions, two from designated
representatives of UNOLS institutions other than operators, and three shall be
elected from among candidates affiliated with any UNOLS institution.
d.) Nominations: A slate of candidates shall be prepared for distribution at least 30
days in advance of elections consisting of at least two candidates for each
position being considered. This slate of candidates shall be formed by a
Nominating Committee, appointed and announced by the UNOLS Chair. The
Nominating Committee members shall consist of three members, one from a UNOLS
operator institution, one from an institution other than an operator and one
from any UNOLS institution.
The Nominating Committee
shall issue a call for nominations enumerating the positions to be filled and
summarizing the qualifications required for each position. Nominations for the
slate may be submitted by anyone affiliated with a UNOLS institution, in
writing, to the UNOLS Office or the Nominating Committee. In forming the slate,
the Nominating Committee shall give due consideration to the qualifications
required for each position, as having different kinds of facilities.
Individuals should be chosen to achieve a balance among scientific user
disciplines. The Nominating Committee shall also choose individuals who have
experience in research at sea, and they will seek to maintain an even
representation of scientific user disciplines on the Council. Nominations of
additional candidates may also be made from the floor during meetings. Such
nominations may be made only by designated representatives of UNOLS
institutions, and must be accompanied by the nominee's concurrence and
qualifications.
e.) Elections:
Ballots for each office on a slate shall be marked by voters in priority order
with 1 for first choice, 2 for second choice, etc. If an individual is shown in
#1 position on a majority of votes cast, that person is elected. If no
individual gains such a majority, the name(s) with the smallest number of #1
marks is eliminated, ballots showing that name in #1 position are renumbered
with #2 shifted to #1, #3 to #2, etc., and the entire set of ballots is then
recounted. This renumbering and recount process shall be repeated as often as
necessary to determine that an individual appears in #1 position on a majority
of votes cast. At any iteration of this process, any ballots from which all
names have been dropped shall be set aside and not counted as votes cast for
purposes of determining the majority. A tie shall be broken by toss of a coin.
The Chair shall designate two persons in attendance at the meeting, neither of
them a candidate for any office at that election, one to toss the coin and the
other to call it in the air.
f.) Meetings: The UNOLS Chair shall convene
an annual meeting of UNOLS institutions. The Chair shall form and distribute 30
days in advance an agenda to include annual reports of UNOLS Council and
Committee activities and other issues and matters of importance to UNOLS.
The UNOLS Council shall
meet in conjunction with each UNOLS meeting and at least one other time
annually.
Other UNOLS Committees
shall meet as specified in their terms of reference or as necessary to conduct
their business within the limitations of available funding.
Notwithstanding any
statements specifying numbers and types of meetings in this article of the
charter or in other articles or annexes thereof, the UNOLS Council, under its
regular voting procedure, may authorize the Executive Secretary to fund a
larger or smaller number or extent of meetings of the Council or of any UNOLS
Committee in any given operating year in order to operate within available
funds, to respond to support of specific meetings by one or more funding
agencies, or to accommodate other such fiscal constraints or opportunities. If
in any given year the Executive Secretary finds that the set of meetings
enumerated in the charter and its annexes will require more support than is
likely to be available, the Secretary shall alert the Council to this situation
and recommend appropriate cost reductions or supplemental funding efforts for
Council consideration and approval.
Notification of UNOLS,
Council and Committee meetings shall be given broad, advance distribution
sufficient to assure open response and participation.
g.) Reports: Reports shall be made of the
proceedings of all UNOLS, Council and Committee meetings and shall be
distributed to UNOLS institutions, Council and Committee participants and
funding agencies.
Recommendations and
decisions by UNOLS or any sub-organization thereof are not binding on any
member or interested participant thereof. No legal, fiscal or contractual
authority is intended, granted or implied under the terms of this Charter.
a.) Amendments:
This Charter may be amended, or operative annexes added or deleted, by a vote
of two-thirds of UNOLS institutions voting on the matter provided that a quorum
as defined in 5a is present or, in case of mail or e-mail votes, submits votes
by those methods. The voting matter shall have been submitted to the membership
at least thirty days prior to the vote.
b.) Termination: This Charter shall remain in effect for a period of three years after
which time it shall be dissolved unless modified or readopted by vote of the
UNOLS institutions.
Originally adopted: September
22, 1971, Palisades, NY
Amended: July 13, 1973, by
mailed ballot
Amended and readopted: May
17, 1974, Washington, DC
Amended: May 26, 1976,
Washington, DC
Amended and readopted: May
13, 1977, Washington, DC
Amended: May 18, 1979,
Washington, DC
Amended: May 29, 1981,
Washington, DC
Readopted: October 21, 1981,
Washington, DC
Amended: October 26, 1983,
Washington, DC
Amended and readopted: May
25, 1984, Washington, DC
Amended: October 23, 1985,
Washington, DC
Amended and readopted: October
23, 1987, Washington, DC
Revised and adopted: October 28,
1988, Washington, DC
Readopted: September 15,
1989, Washington, DC
Readopted: September 17,
1992, Washington, DC
Readopted: September 14,
1995, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: February
8, 1999, Narragansett, RI
Amended and readopted September
21, 1999, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: September
22, 2000, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: November
15, 2001, Washington, D.C.
Revised and adopted: October
15, 2004, Arlington, VA
Amended (added Annex IX):
October 14, 2005, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October
12, 2007, Arlington, VA
Revised, amended (added Annex
X) and adopted: October 15, 2010, Arlington, VA
1. INTRODUCTION
An important facet of the UNOLS' activities is the
provision of a mechanism to coordinate the use of available facilities. The
coordination of ship schedules is the most obvious area where immediate
benefits might be gained. An underlying principle of UNOLS is that control of
facility operations and scheduling remain the responsibility of the operating
institution, with the understanding that UNOLS and UNOLS operating institutions
shall make serious efforts to assure that ships and facilities are fully
available to all federally-funded users. To assure that ships and facilities are
broadly available and that their use is effectively scheduled and coordinated,
it is critically important that records of ship-time requests, ships and
facilities available, the funding status of proposed ship use and tentative
schedules be broadly disseminated in a timely fashion. Ship schedulers and
agency representatives shall review the tentative schedules to identify and eliminate
double bookings, assure accommodation of all funded science, enhance the effectiveness
of facility support and improve the efficiency and economy of the overall fleet
schedule. It shall be a responsibility
of the UNOLS Council to assess and report on the effectiveness of facility
utilization. The Ship Scheduling Committee (SSC) shall serve as the focal point
for this coordinating role of UNOLS.
2.
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Committee is to serve as a
mechanism for the development and coordination of ship schedules in order to
assure the most effective, efficient and economic utilization of ships and
associated facilities. The Ship Scheduling Committee has its own terms of
reference.
3. ORGANIZATION/MEMBERSHIP
The Ship Scheduling Committee membership consists of
representatives from each UNOLS operator institution. Representatives of NSF,
ONR, NOAA and other sponsoring agencies shall participate in the SSC meetings
(in-person and web/phone meetings).
Nominations for the SSC Chair
and the SSC Chair-Elect will be reviewed and voted on by the standing SSC. The
standing SSC will select one nominee for each open position and forward the
nomination to the UNOLS Chair. The UNOLS
Chair, with the endorsement of the UNOLS Council, shall appoint the SSC Chair
and SSC Chair-Elect from the nominations put forward by SSC. Normally the Chair and Chair-Elect will be
from opposite coasts (Atlantic/Gulf and Pacific). Terms of office shall be for
three years. Under normal circumstances the Chair-Elect will serve one
three-year term and then serve one three-year term as Chair for a total of six
years maximum. If either cannot fulfill
their duties, a substitute will be appointed to finish the term.
The Ship Scheduling Committee Chair, Chair-Elect,
UNOLS Executive Secretary and funding agency representatives comprise the
membership of the Schedule Review Group.
The Ship Scheduling Committee may establish
subcommittees to meet and function on a regional basis, reporting then to the
main committee.
4.
SPECIFIC TASKS
The Ship Scheduling Committee, supported by the UNOLS
Office shall pursue an annual process of schedule development. The process is
executed so as to assure effective ship and facility support to
federally-funded investigators, efficient and economic operating schedules for
individual ships and the UNOLS fleet and to provide timely information for
fleet management to funding agencies, UNOLS ship operators and the research
vessel user community. Procedures for schedule development include:
·
Collection of
ship-time requests both at the operating institutions and at the UNOLS Office
·
Exchange of
ship-time requests and summaries among all UNOLS institutions and the UNOLS
Office
·
Development of
tentative ship schedules by operating institutions and dissemination among all
institutions and the UNOLS Office and the sponsoring agencies
·
Meetings to
consolidate knowledge of science project and funding status, to compile
institution estimates of operating costs, to coordinate ship and equipment
schedules and to assure all funded science programs are scheduled
a. Ship-time requests should be submitted electronically
using the form available on the UNOLS homepage < http://www.unols.org >.
This permits automatic distribution to the appropriate operator(s), funding
agency and the UNOLS Office. An e-mail copy shall be returned to the PI
submitting the request. This form can be printed from the Web and appended to
research proposals requesting ship time. Ship-time requests must be completed
for all science requiring ship time and submitted as a part of their research proposals
to NSF or to notify ONR, NOAA or other sponsoring agencies of their ship time requirements.
Whenever practical, requests are filled using the ship requested by the
investigator. Institutions encourage submission of ship-time requests as early
as practical, hopefully in January or February, prior to the operating year.
Electronic filing of the ship-time request form will enter the submitted data
into a centralized UNOLS database. Requests in the database can be filtered by
geographic area, year, ships, agencies, and ancillary facilities
and instruments requested, helping to facilitate scheduling and permitting
investigators to collaborate with other programs that might be compatible. The database of ship-time requests shall be
the principal mechanism for the exchange of ship-time information.
b. Tentative schedules are generated by each UNOLS
institution for their ships. Tentative schedules are generated as soon as
operators have a basis for credible ship-time requests (routinely in the
spring). These schedules are posted on the UNOLS homepage to permit
coordination with other ship operators and to prompt negotiations for
eliminating double bookings, assure accommodation of all funded science,
enhance effectiveness of facility support and to improve the efficiency and
economy of the overall fleet schedule. These negotiations are a critical part
of the UNOLS scheduling process.
5. MEETINGS/REPORTS
Meetings of the Ship Scheduling Committee are held as
necessary, at least annually.
Practically, the timing for meetings is dictated by the flow of
ship-time requests and of their science funding decisions and by the submission
date for Ship Operations Proposals.
Regional meetings and phone/web conferences may be necessary to refine
schedules. Schedules should be as firm as possible by early summer, after
agency funding decisions have been made.
One or more meetings of the full Ship Scheduling Committee may be
necessary to optimize ship operating schedules and to accommodate fleet
operating costs to the total funding available and to the needs of sponsored
science projects.
The Ship Scheduling Committee shall, as a part of each
meeting report, with the input of the Federal sponsoring agencies, make
comprehensive recommendations regarding effective utilization of the UNOLS
fleet based on criteria for ship scheduling, the ship needs of sponsored
science programs and other aspects of ship management. Recommendations should
include the need for additions to or deletions from the UNOLS fleet, temporary
periods out of service for individual ships, or modification to schedules for
individual ships or groups of ships. Recommendations should be reached through
an open process and transmitted to the UNOLS Council.
6. DOCUMENT
HISTORY
Originally adopted: September
22, 1971, Palisades, NY
Amended and readopted: May
16, 1974, Washington, DC
Amended and readopted: May
13, 1977, Washington, DC
Readopted: October 21, 1981,
Washington, DC
Readopted: May 25, 1984,
Washington, DC
Amended and readopted: October
23, 1987, Washington, DC
Readopted: October 28, 1988,
Washington, DC
Readopted: September 15,
1989, Washington, DC
Amended: October 17, 1991,
Washington, DC
Readopted: September 14,
1995, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: February
8, 1999, Narragansett, RI
Readopted: October 15, 2004,
Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October
12, 2007, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October
15, 2010, Arlington, VA
1.
INTRODUCTION
In addition to regular institutional UNOLS facilities,
there may be identified National Oceanographic Facilities, defined as those
facilities, specialized and otherwise, that are made available for the use of
qualified scientists from any institution and the use of which shall be
recommended by a UNOLS Advisory Committee.
2.
PURPOSE
The purpose of National Oceanographic Facilities is:
·
To provide
oceanographic vessel and other facility support to scientists who do not
operate or have available the required facilities.
·
To provide for
the support and use in academic research of specialized and unique facilities.
3.
DESIGNATION
A research vessel or other research facility may be
designated a National Oceanographic Facility upon the approval of the UNOLS
Council, with the concurrence of the owner and operator of the facility and
with reasonable assurance of support. National Oceanographic Facilities may be
multi- or special-purpose facilities and may be designated for the entire
annual operating period or any significant period thereof.
If the Council
denies an application for UNOLS designation, the applicant will be notified as
to the specific reasons for the denial.
They would then have two options:
OPTION
1: The applicant may reapply to the Council after addressing the specified
deficiencies.
OPTION
2: If the applicant so desires, they may submit their modified re-application,
along with the Council’s notification, for reconsideration by the UNOLS
membership. Designation would then be determined by a vote at the next annual
meeting in accordance with the procedures described in Section 5a of the UNOLS
charter.
4. ADVISORY COMMITTEE/ORGANIZATION
An Advisory Committee is established to provide
recommendations for each facility or for a group of facilities of similar
mission. The Chair and members of the Committee are appointed by the UNOLS
Chair, from nominations made by the Committee, and in consultation with the
UNOLS Council. Members serve for terms of three years on a rotating basis, for
no more than two consecutive terms. Each institution operating a National
Oceanographic Facility may designate an ex-officio member (or members) in
addition to those members appointed by UNOLS.
5. FACILITY SCHEDULING
Operational scheduling of the facility is the function
of the operating institution. The time frame for scheduling generally is in
accordance with Annex I of the UNOLS Charter.
Receipt, acknowledgment, collating and structuring of
requests for facility use shall be the function of the operating institution in
consultation with the UNOLS Office.
6. FACILITY INFORMATION
Information and announcements advertising the
availability of a National Oceanographic Facility are a joint function of the
operating institution and the UNOLS Office.
7. REPORTS
An annual report on the use of each National
Oceanographic Facility is prepared by the appropriate institution in
cooperation with the Advisory Committee and the UNOLS Office.
8. FACILITY FUNDING
Requests for funding the operation of the facility are
the responsibility of the operating institution.
9. FACILITY DESIGNATION REVIEW
If a National Oceanographic Facility ceases to meet
the criteria above, especially with respect to being specialized or unique, a
recommendation may be made by the UNOLS Council to the funding agencies that
such designation be discontinued.
10.
UNOLS NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC FACILITIES:
a. The name of the Advisory Committee for National
Deep Submergence Facilities is the DEep Submergence Science Committee (DESSC)
and its Chair serves as an ex-officio member of the UNOLS Council.
b. The Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted
Aircraft Studies is designated as a National Oceanographic Aircraft Facility
under Annex II of the UNOLS Charter. The name of its Advisory Committee is the
Scientific Committee for Oceanographic Aircraft Research (SCOAR) and its Chair
serves as an ex-officio member of the UNOLS Council.
c. The
Advisory Committee for the National Oceanographic Seismic Facility, R/V Marcus Langseth, is the Marcus Langseth
Science Oversight Committee and its Chair serves as an ex-officio member of the
UNOLS Council.
11. DOCUMENT HISTORY
Approved & adopted: May
5, 1972, College Station, TX
Readopted: May 17, 1974,
Washington, DC
Amended and readopted: May
13, 1977, Wash., DC
Readopted: October 21, 1981,
Washington, DC
Amended: October 26, 1983,
Washington, DC
Readopted: May 25, 1984,
Washington, DC
Readopted: October 23, 1987,
Washington, DC
Readopted: October 28, 1988,
Washington, DC
Readopted: September 15,
1989, Washington, DC
Readopted: September 14,
1995, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: February
8, 1999, Narragansett, RI
Revised and approved: September
27, 2002, Arlington, VA
Revised and readopted:
October 15, 2004
Revised and adopted: October
12, 2007, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October
15, 2010, Arlington, VA
1. INTRODUCTION
The Research Vessel Operators' Committee (RVOC),
having been established and operative since 1962, and having interests and
goals in common with UNOLS, is, by mutual consent of both organizations, made
part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System. The RVOC functions as a UNOLS Committee.
2. ORGANIZATION/MEMBERSHIP
a. The Research Vessel Operators’ Committee elects its
own officers. The RVOC Chair is appointed by the UNOLS Chair as an ex-officio
member of the UNOLS Council. The terms
of office for the RVOC Chair and Chair-Elect shall be three years.
b. Membership
in the RVOC is based on representation from UNOLS operator institutions.
Membership is also open to all UNOLS institutions or non-UNOLS institutions
that operate research vessels for purposes similar to UNOLS, and in accordance
with RVOC bylaws. Each UNOLS operator institution shall designate a
representative to RVOC. Institutions other than operators may designate
representatives in accordance with RVOC bylaws.
c. Ex-officio representation on the RVOC by a
RVTEC representative is encouraged.
3. REPORTS
The Research Vessel Operators' Committee shall prepare
a report of its activities for the annual UNOLS meeting.
5. SPECIFIC TASKS.
The Research Vessel Operators' Committee shall enact
its own bylaws:
BYLAWS OF
THE
RESEARCH
VESSEL OPERATORS’ COMMITTEE
D. OFFICERS
E. WORKING GROUPS AND PANELS
1. Upon the recommendation of the Chair, and with a
majority vote of the Committee at the Annual Meeting, various working groups,
subcommittees, or panels, as necessary to the work of the Committee, may be
constituted. The duration of action of such working groups and panels shall be
stipulated at the time of inception.
2. Special working groups or panels may be established if
required between the Annual Meetings, but they must be confirmed by vote.
1. UNOLS will provide limited funding when approved as
part of the UNOLS budget for the Committee to include the following:
a. Travel expenses for the Chair to attend UNOLS
Meetings.
b. Meeting facilities, when required.
c. Travel and meeting expenses for panels, workshops or
the Annual Meeting when appropriate.
H. DOCUMENT
HISTORY
Approved and adopted at the RVOC Meeting in New
Orleans, Louisiana on 9 October 1990--As amended, 15 January 2004.
Approved and adopted: May 16,
1974, Washington, DC
Readopted: May 13, 1977,
Washington, DC
Readopted: October 21, 1981,
Washington, DC
Readopted: May 25, 1984,
Washington, DC
Readopted: October 23, 1987,
Washington, DC
Revised and readopted: October
28, 1988, Washington, DC
Amended and readopted: September
15, 1989, Washington, DC
Readopted: September 14,
1995, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: February
8, 1999, Narragansett, RI
Revised and readopted:
October 15, 2004
Revised and adopted: October
12, 2007, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October
15, 2010, Arlington, VA
One UNOLS objective is to assess the match between seagoing
academic oceanographic facilities and the needs of oceanographic research
programs, and then to make recommendations for replacing, modifying or
improving the number and mix of facilities. It has long been recognized that
maintenance of a fleet of modern, capable research vessels is essential to the
outstanding success of the U.S. program in academic oceanographic research. A
Fleet Improvement Committee (FIC) is established to address this UNOLS
objective.
The Fleet Improvement Committee works to assure the
continuing excellence of the UNOLS fleet, to improve the capability and
effectiveness of individual ships and to assure that the number, mix and
overall capability of ships in the UNOLS fleet match the science requirements
of academic oceanography in the U.S.
The FIC membership shall be
comprised of a Chair and seven additional members. Applications/nominations
for membership on the FIC and the FIC Chair will be reviewed and voted on
by the standing FIC members. The standing
FIC will select one nominee
for each open position and forward the nomination to the UNOLS Chair.
The UNOLS Chair, with the endorsement
of the UNOLS Council, shall appoint the FIC members and FIC Chair from the
nominations put forward by FIC. Those
appointed should be experienced in ship operations or in shipboard science
activities, and from institutions, which are either operators or users of
UNOLS research vessels. At least three members shall be from UNOLS operator
institutions, at least three members shall be from institutions or organizations
other than operators, and two members may be from any UNOLS institution. Ex-officio
representation on FIC by RVOC and RVTEC representatives is encouraged. The
FIC Chair is an ex-officio member of the UNOLS Council. Terms for all members
are three years, for no more than two consecutive terms. Demands on the Fleet
Improvement Committee may be intense, and the development of ship plans may
require significant financial management. With the approval of the UNOLS Chair
and UNOLS Council, the FIC may arrange for staff and financial support for
their activities. Proposals and grants for such support may be through the
UNOLS Office or a UNOLS institution, as appropriate.
4.
SPECIFIC TASKS.
The Fleet
Improvement Committee serves as a liaison and planning body as well as an
information source for federal agency representatives and the scientific
community concerning long range planning, and funding for design, construction
or renovation of vessels for the UNOLS fleet.
The FIC may also provide
oversight and make recommendations for improvements of specialized fleet
capabilities such as load handling systems, seismic facilities and long coring.
To communicate its findings the FIC works to maintain a
current, informative and forward-looking UNOLS Fleet Improvement Plan. The plan,
updated periodically and made available through the UNOLS Office and website includes:
·
Assessment of the
number and mix of ship capabilities needed in the UNOLS fleet,
·
Description of
future science mission requirements for all size/capability-classes of research
ships
·
Definition of
roles and the need for innovative research platforms including contributions to
oceanographic education and outreach
·
Assessment of the
number and mix of UNOLS facilities required for support of ocean observing
facilities
·
Consideration of
means for acquiring the needed vessels, including new construction,
modification to existing UNOLS ships, conversions, private acquisition and
leasing
·
Development of
conceptual or preliminary plans for ships to fill the needs identified
·
Development of a
schedule for improvement and replacement of vessels so as to assure continuing
fleet excellence
The FIC may also be called upon to review and make
recommendations concerning design and outfitting specifications of new and
future vessels.
4. DOCUMENT HISTORY
Adopted: October 28, 1988,
Washington, DC
Readopted: September 15,
1989, Washington, DC
Readopted: September 14,
1995, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: February
8, 1999, Narragansett, RI
Readopted: October 15, 2004,
Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October
12, 2007, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October
15, 2010, Arlington, VA
The Research Vessel Technical Enhancement Committee
(RVTEC) held their first organizational meeting in October 1992. The RVTEC provides a forum for discussion
among the technical support groups of the National Oceanographic Fleet. The Committee’s by-laws were adopted in 1993
as Annex V to the UNOLS Charter and revised in 2007.
The purpose of the Research Vessel Technical
Enhancement Committee (RVTEC) shall be to promote the scientific productivity
of research programs that make use of research vessels and oceanographic
facilities and to foster activities that enhance technical support for
sea-going scientific programs.
a. Membership -
Membership in the RVTEC shall be extended to UNOLS member institutions.
Participation shall be open to technical and
scientific personnel at UNOLS and non-UNOLS organizations.
Ex-officio representation on
RVTEC by RVOC representatives is encouraged.
1) Each
institutional UNOLS representative may designate a representative to RVTEC.
2) Each
UNOLS member institution shall be entitled to one vote on matters at RVTEC
meetings. However, the Chair may submit matters for vote at other times. These
matters shall be voted on by mail or electronic mail, and votes shall be
collected for a period of two weeks.
3) A
simple majority of all UNOLS operator institutions must be represented to
establish a quorum.
1)
Research Vessel Technical Enhancement Committee shall have a Chair and Vice
Chair/Chair Elect. Nominations for
the RVTEC Chair and Vice Chair/Chair- Elect will be reviewed and voted on by
the standing RVTEC members. The standing
RVTEC will select one nominee for each open position and forward the nomination
to the UNOLS Chair. The UNOLS Chair,
with the endorsement of the UNOLS Council, shall appoint the RVTEC Chair and
Vice Chair/Chair-Elect from the nominations put forward by RVTEC. Under
normal circumstances the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect will serve one three-year term
and then serve one three-year term as Chair for a total of six years
maximum. Date of office shall commence
at the close of the Annual Meeting.
2) The
Chair shall represent the Committee in all matters stipulated in the purpose of
these bylaws and in all matters deemed necessary in the interest of the
Committee. The Chair shall implement the programs enumerated by the Committee
and shall conduct the Annual Meeting and whatever special meetings are deemed
necessary by the Chair or the members.
3) The
Vice Chair/Chair-Elect, who shall function as Chair in the absence of the
Chair, shall be responsible for recording the business of the Committee and for
dissemination of information as stipulated in these bylaws to all members of
the Committee.
4) If
the Chair or Vice Chair/Chair-Elect is unable to fulfill their duties of
office, the Chair shall appoint a successor to act with authority until the
succeeding Annual Meeting.
d. Working
Groups and Panels - Upon the
recommendation of the Chair, and with a majority vote of the Committee, various
working groups and panels, as necessary to the work of the Committee, may be
constituted. The charge and duration of action of such working groups and
panels shall be stipulated at the time of inception.
e. Liaison
with other UNOLS committees – RVTEC
will establish and maintain liaisons with other UNOLS committees such, but not
limited to RVOC, the safety committee, AICC, SCOAR, MLSOC and FIC.
4. SPECIFIC TASKS
a. Promote the exchange of technical information.
b. Enhance the technical skills of available technical
support personnel in the UNOLS community.
c. Review new instrumentation development and
application of new technologies
a. A general meeting of the Committee shall be held at
least once yearly. The Chair shall preside over this Annual Meeting. The
business of this meeting shall encompass reports of any active working groups
and panels, and discussions of project and actions of the Committee. Research
scientists and others from the marine community may also be included on the
agenda. Workshops for projects of general interest are encouraged.
b. Passage of projects and actions shall be by vote,
in accordance with the voting procedures set forth in Section 3.b,
Representation, paragraph 2.
c. The various working groups and panels shall each
meet in person or electronically as necessary to accomplish their task at least
once yearly.
d. Suggestions for the place
and time of the next RVTEC annual meeting shall be identified at the close of
the previous RVTEC meeting and formalized shortly thereafter. The Annual Meeting location shall be rotated
among the various UNOLS member Institutions, preferably at alternating coasts,
in order to better facilitate the purpose of the committee as outlined in
Section 2 of this Annex.
UNOLS shall provide limited funding for the Committee
to include the following:
a)
Travel expenses
for the Chair to attend UNOLS meetings;
b)
Meeting
facilities, when required;
c)
Travel and
meeting expenses for panels, workshops, or the Annual Meeting when appropriate.
d)
Travel support
for RVTEC representatives to other UNOLS committees.
Approved and adopted on 18
October 1992 at the RVTEC Organizational Meeting in Washington, DC.
Amended and Readopted: September
19, 1996, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: February
8, 1999, Narragansett, RI
Readopted: October 15, 2004, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October 12, 2007, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October 15, 2010, Arlington, VA
The U.S. Coast Guard, NSF and UNOLS have established a UNOLS Committee
that shall address research support for U.S. academic science investigators
carrying out arctic research aboard U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers. Particular
concerns of this Committee are the USCG icebreakers Polar Sea, Polar Star and Healy.
It is envisioned that these vessels shall represent the major focus of the
Committee.
The Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee shall operate pursuant to
appointment by the UNOLS Chair with approval of the Council and in accordance with
the UNOLS Charter. This annex shall be incorporated as Annex VI to the Charter.
The purpose of the AICC is to provide polar science projects with
planning assistance and to liaise and facilitate communications between
scientists, funding agencies and facility providers. Specifically, the AICC is
to provide oversight and advice to the U.S. Coast Guard for the purpose of
enhancing facilities and science aboard their icebreaker fleet. Incumbent in
this is the requirement that AICC solicit, synthesize and present the needs of
the arctic science community to the Coast Guard, fulfilling an ombudsman role
when necessary, to facilitate efficient and effective utilization of U.S.
icebreakers. It is also the responsibility of the AICC to promote new technology
for arctic assets in order to maintain cutting edge capability for these
facilities.
The purpose of AICC is also to promote the best utilization of arctic
icebreaker facilities, provide sufficient lead time for planning purposes, and
provide information to the scientific community to organize research projects.
The AICC shall work with the user community, Federal sponsors and the operators
of other polar facilities to encourage expeditions using U.S. Coast Guard
icebreakers in a phased manner that meets the needs of a wide spectrum of
arctic scientists. Additionally, the AICC shall encourage the advancement of
cooperative international programs for the enhancement of multidisciplinary
arctic science throughout the academic community.
The Committee shall include eight polar scientists with diverse disciplines serving three year-terms. Applications/nominations for membership to the AICC and the AICC Chair will be reviewed and voted on by the standing AICC. The standing AICC will select one nominee for each open position and forward the nomination to the UNOLS Chair. The UNOLS Chair, with the endorsement of the UNOLS Council, shall appoint the AICC members and the AICC Chair from the nominations put forward by the AICC. Individuals may not serve more than two consecutive terms. Representatives from agencies including, but not necessarily limited to, the USCG, NSF, ONR, NOAA and the Arctic Research Commission shall be expected to participate in the Committee's meetings and activities. The Chair of this Committee shall be an ex-officio member of the UNOLS Council and shall keep the Council and the UNOLS membership informed of its activities.
Specific tasks of the Committee shall be:
5. MEETINGS
The AICC shall meet no less than twice annually to discuss issues
within its charge. Funding for these meetings shall be administered similar to
that of other UNOLS standing committees.
AICC membership shall include representatives from the UNOLS Fleet
Improvement Committee, the UNOLS Research Vessel Technical Enhancement
Committee and the UNOLS Research Vessel Operators' Committee.
7.
DOCUMENT HISTORY
Originally adopted: September 20, 1996, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: February 8, 1999, Narragansett, RI
Revised and adopted: October 15, 2004
Revised and adopted: October 12, 2007, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October 15, 2010, Arlington, VA
TO THE UNOLS CHARTER
Deep
Submergence Science Committee (DESSC)
Terms of Reference
1.
INTRODUCTION:
The DEep Submergence Science Committee (DESSC) is an
advisory committee established in accordance with Annex II of the
University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) Charter. This
Committee shall provide recommendations and advice to the operator of and
supporting funding agencies of the UNOLS designated National Deep Submergence
Facility (NDSF). The DEep Submergence
Science Committee shall operate pursuant to appointment by UNOLS and in
accordance with the UNOLS Charter. This annex is the DESSC Terms of Reference
and shall be incorporated as Annex VII to the Charter.
2. PURPOSE:
The DEep Submergence Science Committee provides
oversight responsibilities in the use of Alvin,
the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Jason
2, and the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Sentry that are assets of the National Deep Submergence Facility.
Incumbent in this is fulfilling an ombudsman role for the deep submergence
community, insuring maximum participation in the utilization of these deep
submergence assets. It is also the responsibility of the DESSC to promote new
technology for Alvin, ROVs and AUVs to maintain cutting edge capability
for the National Facility.
The DESSC shall continue to work with the user
community, federal sponsors and the operator of the NDSF to encourage deep
submergence research in traditional (North Pacific, North Atlantic, and Gulf of
Mexico) areas and expeditions to remote geographic regions. Additionally, DESSC
shall also encourage the advancement of cooperative international programs for
the enhancement of multidisciplinary submersible science throughout the
academic community.
3.
MEMBERSHIP/NOMINATION OF DESSC:
The DESSC membership shall be comprised of
individuals who can represent the various oceanographic disciplines required to
advise on the effective use of submersible assets. Nominations to the DESSC and
for the DESSC Chair shall be open to the research community. Vacancies shall be
announced in various weekly journals and other venues as appropriate, and
candidates shall be asked to submit their vitae and letters of interest.
Applications for membership to the DESSC and the DESSC Chair shall be reviewed and
voted on by the standing DESSC. The standing DESSC will select one nominee for
each open position and forward the nomination to the UNOLS Chair. The UNOLS Chair, with the
endorsement of the UNOLS Council, shall appoint the DESSC members and the Chair
from the nominations made by DESSC. Members of the DESSC shall be appointed for
three-year terms, staggered so that two or three terms begin each year.
Individuals may serve not more than two consecutive terms. The operating
institution may designate an ex-officio member(s) in addition to those members
appointed by the UNOLS Chair. With the Council's concurrence, standing
committees of UNOLS may also designate ex-officio members as appropriate to
DESSC.
4.
SPECIFIC TASKS FOR THE DEEP SUBMERGENCE SCIENCE COMMITTEE ARE AS FOLLOWS:
a. The UNOLS DEep Submergence Science
Committee shall operate pursuant to appointment by UNOLS and in accordance with
Annex II to the UNOLS Charter. In addition, each funding agency shall be
invited to designate an official observer to the Committee.
b. Advise Regarding Proposals for Use of
National Facility Assets: Proposals for the use of the National Facility deep
submergence assets are regularly submitted for peer review through the three
principal funding agencies NSF, ONR and NOAA. DESSC no longer reviews
proposals. DESSC shall however provide advice regarding optimum use of the
assets to maximize operational strategy for the deployment of these assets.
Deliberations shall consider whether the proposed research might be enhanced by
the use of ROVs, AUVs and/or other undersea research tools, or be better
accomplished using other occupied or unoccupied submersibles. The committee shall work with agency representatives
and staff from the operating institution to develop schedules that will most
effectively utilize deep submergence assets.
c. Deep Submergence Assets Planning:
1).
Annual Scheduling. Ship scheduling is based on funded projects and is done in
part in consultation with the DESSC at the summer DESSC meeting. A preliminary
scheduling discussion is conducted in an open forum for the user community at
the winter (Dec. AGU) meeting. At that time the community is provided with an
indication of the potential areas in which deep submergence assets could
feasibly operate well in advance of proposal submission deadlines.
2).
Global Expeditions: The DESSC shall work with the user community, federal
sponsors and the operator to determine the feasibility of organizing deep
submergence science expeditions to remote geographic regions. DESSC shall work
with the federal funding agencies to provide timely information regarding
funded projects so as to enable potential users to better evaluate the
appropriateness of submission of proposals for work in remote areas.
d. Deep Submergence Science
Tools: The DESSC shall, on a continuing basis, maintain awareness of new
scientific tools and the needs of the users for new sensors and equipment to
address important scientific questions and provide this information to the NDSF
Operator, UNOLS, and the federal agencies. The technical capabilities of the
deep submergence research assets shall be formally reviewed by the DESSC, with
the assistance of selected outside experts, at least once every two (2) years
and the results of the review shall be provided to the NDSF operator, UNOLS and
the federal funding agencies. DESSC should encourage development and promote
acquisition of new deep submergence sensors and tools as warranted by the
scientific needs of the user communities. Some of this new equipment may have
multidisciplinary use and could be considered, with appropriate resources, for
inclusion into the standard suite of scientific equipment provided with NDSF
vehicles. Other types of sensors may be task or research-specific and should be
considered Third Party Tools. DESSC has formulated guidelines for Third Party
Tool development, which have been approved by the federal agencies and UNOLS.
The UNOLS Third Party Tool Guidelines can be found at the following URL: http://www.unols.org/committees/dessc/3rdpartytool.html.
e. User Concerns: On a yearly basis, the
committee shall review and assess comments from scientific users of deep
submergence assets and identify key areas that warrant attention by the
operator and recommend remedial actions as appropriate.
f. Undersea Technology: With regard to
undersea technology in the broader sense, the DESSC should monitor and promote
the development and application of appropriate new submersible technologies,
both manned and unmanned, shallow and deep, for use in undersea scientific
research. The DESSC should coordinate their efforts with the science user
community, technology developers and facility operators. The DESSC shall advise
NSF, ONR, NOAA and other federal agencies on submersible technology, its
evolution and applications. Additionally, the committee shall include a
representative(s) with expertise in the areas of undersea engineering and
technology.
In carrying out this task the DESSC may need to organize special workshops.
5.
MEETINGS / REPORTS
The DESSC shall meet no less than twice annually.
Funding for these meetings shall be administered similar to that of other UNOLS
standing committees.
Reports of activities shall be made to UNOLS.
6. DOCUMENT HISTORY
Revised and
Accepted: June 2001
Revised and adopted:
October 15, 2004
Revised and adopted:
October 12, 2007, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October 15, 2010, Arlington, VA
TO
THE UNOLS CHARTER
Scientific Committee for Oceanographic Aircraft Research (SCOAR)
Terms of Reference and Operating Procedures
1. INTRODUCTION
The Scientific Committee for Oceanographic Aircraft
Research (SCOAR) is an advisory committee established in accordance with Annex
II of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) charter.
This Committee shall provide recommendations and advice to the operators and
supporting funding agencies of any aircraft facility designated by UNOLS as a
National Oceanographic Aircraft Facility. The Scientific Committee for
Oceanographic Aircraft Research shall operate pursuant to appointment by UNOLS
and in accordance with the UNOLS Charter. This annex is the SCOAR Terms of
Reference and shall be incorporated as Annex VIII to the Charter.
2.
PURPOSE
This Committee shall
provide advice and recommendations to the National Oceanographic Aircraft Facility
managers and supporting federal agencies on aspects of operations, sensor
development, fleet composition, utilization and data services as
appropriate. In addition, SCOAR and the
UNOLS Office shall provide the ocean science user community with valuable
information and advice concerning experiment design, facility usage, scheduling
and capabilities.
The Committee shall also promote
collaborations and cooperation between facility operators, funding agencies and
the scientific community to improve the availability, capabilities and quality
of aircraft facilities supporting the ocean sciences. By promoting
collaboration between the ocean science community, the atmospheric science
community and other science communities using aircraft in support of their
research, the Committee shall work to improve utilization and capabilities for
all of these communities.
The SCOAR shall also
recommend the designation of aircraft facilities as National Oceanographic
Facilities to the UNOLS Council and membership as described in paragraph 4
below.
3. MEMBERSHIP /ORGANIZATION
The SCOAR is composed
of individuals who can represent the various oceanographic disciplines with
broad-based research experience in the ocean and atmospheric sciences including
experience with projects that coordinate the use of aircraft with other oceanographic
facilities such as research vessels and that can
represent the various oceanographic disciplines required to advise on the
effective use of aircraft assets in support of the ocean sciences. The
composition of the Committee shall consist of a Chair and four members. The Committee
may recommend additional members with the approval of the Council and the
funding agencies. Appointed members will normally come from institutions other
than the operating institutions of the aircraft facilities and in no case would
there be more than one person from any individual institution, not counting the
ex-officio representatives.
Nominations to the SCOAR and for SCOAR
Chair shall be open to the research community. Vacancies shall be announced in
various weekly journals or other venues as appropriate, and candidates shall be
asked to submit a vita and letter of interest. Applications for membership to
the SCOAR and the SCOAR Chair shall be reviewed and voted on by the standing
SCOAR. The standing SCOAR will select one
nominee for each open position and forward the nomination to the UNOLS Chair. The
UNOLS Chair, with the endorsement of the UNOLS Council, shall appoint the SCOAR
members and SCOAR Chair from the nominations made by SCOAR. Members of the
SCOAR shall be appointed for three-year terms, staggered so that one or two
terms begin each year. Individuals may not serve more than two consecutive
terms.
The operating institution of each National
Oceanographic Aircraft Facility may designate ex-officio member(s) of SCOAR to
represent the operational aspects of the facility. With the Council's concurrence,
other standing committees of UNOLS may also designate ex-officio members to
SCOAR.
4. NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC AIRCRAFT FACILITIES
A National Oceanographic Aircraft Facility
is an academic organization or institution that operates one or more aircraft
in support of oceanographic research or education and that is made available to
qualified scientists from any institution with funding for the use of the
facility. The purpose is to provide access to aircraft facilities to scientists
that do not operate or otherwise have available the required aircraft
facilities. UNOLS institutions that operate designated National Facilities
shall be designated as UNOLS operator institutions in accordance with the UNOLS
charter.
The SCOAR shall recommend to the UNOLS Council and
membership, the designation of aircraft facilities as National Oceanographic
Aircraft Facilities under Annex II of the UNOLS Charter. An aircraft facility
may be designated a National Oceanographic Aircraft Facility upon the approval
of the UNOLS membership after review by the UNOLS Council, with the concurrence
of the owner and operator of the facility and with reasonable assurance of
ongoing support by one or more funding agencies. National Oceanographic
Aircraft Facilities may be multi- or special-purpose facilities and may be
designated for the entire annual operating period or any significant period
thereof. Opportunity for review and input from Federal funding agencies other
than the owner of a facility should be included as part of the designation
process.
Each National Oceanographic Aircraft
Facility approved for designation by the UNOLS membership shall be described
and listed in Section 6. Section 6 lists the dates of approval, renewal and
expiration for this designation.
5. SPECIFIC TASKS FOR SCOAR
The focus of SCOAR’s responsibilities in
terms of providing advice and recommendations to the National Oceanographic
Aircraft Facility manager and supporting funding agencies shall include but not
be limited to:
Information sharing
and advising National Oceanographic Aircraft Facility managers and supporting funding agencies
The focus of SCOAR responsibilities as
they relate to promoting collaborations and cooperation between facility
operators, funding agencies, and the scientific community shall include but not
be limited to:
6.
NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC AIRCRAFT FACILITY
The
Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) is
designated a National Oceanographic Aircraft Facility. CIRPAS is operated by a mix of Naval Postgraduate
School and contractor personnel. All activities are managed by the NPS staff
based at the CIRPAS facility in Marina, CA.
The CIRPAS primary aircraft for oceanographic support includes the
CIRPAS UV-18A 'Twin Otter.' Information
about the facility is available at <http://web.nps.navy.mil/~cirpas/>.
CIRPAS was designated as a National Oceanographic Aircraft Facility under Annex II of the UNOLS charter by vote of the UNOLS membership at Arlington, Va. on September 27, 2002.
7. MEETINGS / REPORTS
The SCOAR shall meet according to a schedule proposed
by the committee and approved by the supporting funding agencies as part of the
annual UNOLS Office proposal and budget. Typically the Committee should meet at
least two times a year depending on the number of designated National
Oceanographic Aircraft Facilities. The SCOAR Chair shall set the agenda for
meetings in consultation with the Committee, the UNOLS Office, facility
managers, funding agencies and others as appropriate.
SCOAR recommendations and reports shall be prepared
with the assistance of the UNOLS office and shall be made through the UNOLS
Council and Chair.
8. IMPLEMENTATION, AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION
These terms of reference shall be reviewed, amended
and readopted by the Committee with the approval of the UNOLS Council as
necessary and at least every three years. The Committee can be dissolved by
vote of the UNOLS membership, by the UNOLS Council, due to lack of fiscal
support or in the event that there are no designated National Oceanographic
Aircraft Facilities. The establishment of this committee and the designation of
National Oceanographic Aircraft Facilities shall be renewed every three years
by vote of the UNOLS membership.
6. DOCUMENT HISTORY
Originally Adopted: September 27, 2002 at Arlington,
VA
Revised and adopted: October 15, 2004
Revised and adopted: October 12, 2007,
Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October
15, 2010, Arlington, VA
TO
THE UNOLS CHARTER
Marcus Langseth Science Oversight Committee (MLSOC)
Terms of Reference
1.
INTRODUCTION
The R/V Marcus Langseth will
provide the U.S. academic community with the resources to acquire
state-of-the-art, two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) marine
seismic-reflection data. No other ship in the UNOLS fleet approaches the
seismic acquisition capabilities of this vessel, and consequently the Langseth represents a unique national
resource. Furthermore, the Langseth provides
capabilities in addition to those already available in the UNOLS fleet for
marine geophysical data collection and general oceanographic research. The
Marcus Langseth Science Oversight Committee (MLSOC) is charged with overseeing
the scientific operation of this vessel as a National Oceanographic Facility
(NOF). First and foremost, MLSOC fulfills an ombudsman role for all scientific
groups in need of high-quality geophysical images, with the goals of providing
state-of-the-art seismic acquisition capabilities, lowering the threshold of
expertise needed to use the facility, and increasing the quality and
accessibility of archived data. Second, the MLSOC is charged with maintaining
and enhancing the Langseth’s
capabilities for general geophysical and oceanographic research, thereby
insuring the most cost-effective operation of this unique asset.
The efficient operation of the Langseth
in its capacity as the premier UNOLS seismic vessel involves some unique
challenges. In overseeing the operations, outfitting and utilization of the Langseth, the MLSOC will need to factor
in environmental and regulatory issues on account of concerns over the impact
of artificial sound sources on marine mammals. The task of setting the schedule
for the Langseth will be more complex
than most UNOLS vessel. Scheduling challenges arise from the usefulness of the Langseth’s airgun array for seismic
refraction experiments, which requires coordination with both the marine Ocean
Bottom Seismograph Instrumentation Pool (OBSIP) and land-based Program for
Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere (PASSCAL) seismometer
facilities. The MLSOC will be capable of providing expertise and advice during
the process of coordinating these activities.
The technological capabilities of the seismic exploration industry
evolve rapidly. MLSOC will therefore need to identify and recommend hardware
and procedure upgrades that will ensure that this national facility remains at
the cutting edge of exploration capability. MLSOC will need to be proactive
with the user community, federal sponsors and the operator of the national facility,
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory/Columbia University (LDEO), to encourage
geophysical research worldwide. Additionally, MLSOC will also encourage the
advancement of cooperative international programs for the enhancement of
multidisciplinary geophysics-based science throughout the global academic
community.
2.
AUTHORITY
The MLSOC shall operate pursuant to appointment by UNOLS and in
accordance with Annex II to the UNOLS Charter. In addition, each funding agency
will be invited to designate an official observer to the Committee. The MLSOC
is empowered to identify and establish subcommittees to explore and advise the
committee on specific issues relating to the operation and use of the Marcus Langseth. These subcommittees may
draw on expertise outside of the Committee itself.
3.
MEMBERSHIP
The MLSOC membership shall be comprised of up to nine individuals who
can represent the various oceanographic and geologic disciplines required to
fulfill the committee tasks as outlined below. For example, in addition to
members of the academic geophysical community, the Committee shall include
individuals with significant technical background in seismic data acquisition
and one or more (industry) representative(s) with expertise in the areas of 3-D
geophysical surveying (including related permitting and navigation issues),
borehole imaging, and related technologies. The MLSOC will also need to include
a representative with expertise in marine mammal biology and permitting and at
least one non-seismic, general oceanography representative. The Facility
Operator, LDEO, may only be represented by non-voting ex-officio
representatives. Ex-officio representatives of the UNOLS RVTEC and RVOC
committees may serve on the Committee and under normal circumstances the LDEO
members of these committees can serve in this role.
4.
NOMINATIONS
Nominations to the MLSOC and for the MLSOC Chair will be solicited from
the research community and other organizations with relevant expertise, such as
the offshore exploration industry. Vacancies will be announced in various
weekly journals and other venues as appropriate, and candidates will be asked
to submit a vita and letter of interest. Applications for membership to the
MLSOC and the MLSOC Chair will be reviewed and voted on by the standing MLSOC. The standing MLSOC will select one nominee for each
open position and forward the nomination to the UNOLS Chair. The UNOLS Chair, with the
endorsement of the UNOLS Council, shall appoint the MLSOC members and the MLSOC
Chair from the nominations put forward by MLSOC. Members of the MLSOC will be
appointed for terms up to three years, staggered so that two or three terms
begin each year. Individuals may serve not more than two consecutive terms. The
operating institution may designate non-voting ex-officio member(s) in addition
to those members appointed by the UNOLS Chair. With the Council's concurrence,
other standing committees of UNOLS, such as RVOC and RVTEC may also designate
ex-officio members as appropriate to MLSOC.
5.
MEETINGS
It is expected that the MLSOC will typically meet twice per year. One
meeting should allow for an open forum with the user community to get broad
input for long-range planning, user concerns, etc. The second meeting will be
generally devoted to equipment and procedural improvements, advice on
scheduling, permitting, or specific programs, and other near-term issues, and
should occur in the spring or early summer when plans and schedules for the
next year are being formulated.
6.
CHARGE TO THE COMMITTEE
a. Provide advice on scientific programs. The MLSOC will not review
proposals, but rather provide advice to the facility operator and supporting
federal agencies regarding optimum use of the asset to further marine research
in a cost-effective manner.
b. Forecast future operations locations. The MLSOC will work with the
user community, federal sponsors and the operator to define general areas of
operations approximately two years in advance in order to promote and
facilitate geophysical expeditions to remote geographic regions. A preliminary
discussion on geographic areas of operations is conducted in an open forum for
the user community (e.g., at the December meeting of the American Geophysical
Union). At that time, the community is provided with an indication of the potential
areas in which the national geophysical asset could feasibly operate with
adequate lead time prior to proposal submission deadlines. MLSOC will work with
the federal funding agencies to provide timely information regarding funded
projects as that information becomes available, so as to enable potential users
to cluster proposals for work in geographic areas.
c. Help with short-term scheduling. Ship scheduling is based on funded
projects and is done by the UNOLS Ship Scheduling Committee (SSC), including
the federal agencies, for projects in the next two fiscal years. The committee
will provide feedback and advice to the UNOLS SSC, agency representatives and
staff from the operating institution to assist in developing efficient and
effective schedules that execute funded seismic imaging field programs in a
timely manner.
d. Address user concerns. On a yearly basis, the MLSOC will review and
assess comments from scientific users of the national geophysical asset. The
MLSOC will identify key areas that warrant attention by the operator and
recommend remedial actions as appropriate. As part of this activity, the MLSOC
will work with the user community to rethink and redefine the roles of the
science party and the technical support group provided by the operator. This
task may include reviewing options and recommending solutions for the
specialized technical support required for Marcus
Langseth operations, e.g., contractor vs. full-time staff for back-deck
activities, navigation staff, and marine mammal observers.
e. Review technical capabilities. The technical capabilities of the
national geophysical asset will be formally reviewed by the MLSOC, with the
assistance of selected outside experts, at least once every two (2) years. The
data quality should be compared against some minimum standard set by the MLSOC,
taking into account the challenges of working in remote marine environments.
The quality, accessibility and preservation of archived data and archival
procedures will be included in this review. The results of that review will be
provided to the facility operator, UNOLS and the federal funding agencies.
f. Monitor issues related to permitting. On a yearly basis or more
frequently, the MLSOC will review issues relating to permitting of seismic
activities and make recommendations to the operator and federal agencies for
improving the process.
g. Encourage technology expansion and upgrades. The MLSOC will, on a
continuing basis, maintain awareness of new geophysical imaging tools and the
needs of the user community for new geophysical equipment to address important
scientific questions. Relevant areas for tracking include, but not limited to,
sound sources/receivers for through-water/sea-floor - based surveying and
on-site (i.e., down hole/observatory-based) imaging. MLSOC will provide this
information to the facility operator, UNOLS, and the federal agencies. MLSOC
will encourage development and promote acquisition of new geophysical sensors
and tools, as warranted by the scientific needs of the user communities and as
deemed feasible by the pertinent funding agencies. Some of this new equipment
may have multidisciplinary use and could be considered, with appropriate
resources, for inclusion into the standard suite of scientific equipment for
this NOF. Other types of sensors may be task or research-specific and should be
considered Third Party Tools, as formulated by MLSOC, which have been approved
by the federal agencies and UNOLS. In carrying out this task, the MLSOC will
need to coordinate its efforts with industry oversight groups TBN (To Be Named)
as deemed appropriate, marine mammal permitting organizations like the National
Marine Fisheries Service, and may need to organize special workshops.
h. Reports of activities shall be made to the UNOLS membership on at
least an annual basis and to the UNOLS Council at regularly scheduled Council
meetings.
7. DOCUMENT HISTORY
Originally adopted: October 14, 2005, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October 12, 2007, Arlington, VA
Revised and adopted: October 15,
2010, Arlington, VA
Ocean Observing Science
Committee (OOSC)
Terms of Reference
1. INTRODUCTION
In response to the global
need to study the inter-connectivity of the ocean with the Earth system as a
whole, the ocean science community has planned and invested in the design,
deployment and operation of ocean observatories. Ocean observatories provide a research
platform to study many temporal and spatial scales using concurrent time-series
data and responsive capabilities. Compelling
science themes include climate variability, ocean ecosystems, turbulent mixing,
plate tectonics and sub-seafloor biogeochemistry. In addition, these observatories can be
critical to support tactical decisions in response to episodic events such
as oil spills, harmful algal blooms and tsunamis. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is
making a major investment in ocean observing capabilities with the Ocean
Observatories Initiative (OOI), a program that began its observatories
installation in 2010, will take 66 months to deploy, and will operate for 25
years. The observatories will require the use of other ocean science
infrastructure including the US Academic Research Fleet, AUV/ROVs and unmanned
systems such as gliders. Community input
and perspectives on current and future directions is needed by NSF in order to
effectively align the ocean science and research needs with technically sound
decisions and cost efficient operations.
The Ocean Observing Science Committee, (OOSC),
is charged with providing advice and guidance on decisions and plans from the
science perspective related to NSF observing investments such as the Monterey
Accelerated Research System (MARS) and OOI as well as other ocean observing
support systems. The OOSC will be an
essential element in the process of communicating the science user perspective
to the National Science Foundation and to the project teams involved in
developing, deploying and operating ocean observatories.
2. AUTHORITY
The OOSC shall operate
pursuant to appointment by UNOLS, and in accordance with the UNOLS
Charter. These terms of reference shall
be incorporated as Annex X to the Charter.
Due to the significant investment in the OOI construction project, NSF
will work closely with UNOLS to ensure the OOSC membership will represent a
balanced cross section of the bio/geoscience community. In addition, each federal agency providing
funding to the UNOLS Program Office will be invited to designate one official
observer to the committee. The OOSC is empowered to identify and establish
subcommittees to advise the Committee on specific issues relating to the
development, operation and use of the NSF supported ocean observatories and
support system infrastructures. These subcommittees are particularly important
for working emergent issues related to the construction of OOI and the OOSC
will work closely with NSF to determine the timing for their
establishment. The subcommittees may
draw on expertise outside of the committee itself, but shall not include
members of the teams receiving federal funding to construct and operate ocean
observing systems.
3. MEMBERSHIP
The OOSC membership shall be
comprised of up to seven individuals who will represent the various science
disciplines required to fulfill the Committee tasks as outlined below. The
Committee shall include individuals with significant expertise in scientific
research, as well as in ocean observing infrastructure and systems, and data
acquisition and management. The OOI Operator, Consortium for Ocean Leadership, may
only be represented by non-voting ex-officio representatives. The OOSC shall not include members of the
teams receiving federal funding to construct and operate ocean observing
systems.
4. NOMINATIONS
Nominations to the OOSC and
for the OOSC Chair will be solicited from the research community
and other organizations with relevant expertise. Vacancies will be announced in
journals and other venues as appropriate, and candidates will be asked to
submit a vita and letter of interest. Applications for membership to the OOSC
and the OOSC Chair will be reviewed and voted on by the standing OOSC. The
standing OOSC will select one nominee for each open position and forward the
nomination to the UNOLS Chair. The
UNOLS Chair, with the endorsement of the UNOLS Council, shall appoint the OOSC
members and the OOSC Chair from the nominations put forward by OOSC. Members of
the OOSC will be appointed for terms up to three years, staggered so that two
or three terms begin each year. Individuals may serve not more than two consecutive terms.
Given the potential impact of Ocean Observing Systems support
requirements on the US Academic Research Fleet, and with the Council's
concurrence, other standing committees of UNOLS, such as RVOC, RVTEC and FIC may also designate ex-officio members as
appropriate to OOSC.
5. MEETINGS
It is expected that the OOSC
will typically meet twice per year. One meeting will occur in the winter period
and will be generally devoted to a strategic review of the portfolio of ocean
observing assets and support systems. A
second meeting will be timed to occur concurrently or immediately after the
annual OOI Construction/Operations review in early summer. A subset of the OOSC and/or Subcommittees may
be asked to participate in additional periodic reviews of the OOI Subsystems.
The meeting logistics and travel arrangements shall be coordinated by the UNOLS
Office.
6. CHARGE TO THE
COMMITTEE
a. Provide advice on
decisions and plans from the science perspective related to NSF ocean
observatories (MARS, HOTS, BATS, OOI, and others) and ocean observing support
systems. These may include the US
Academic Research Fleet, AUV/ROVs, and other unmanned systems such as gliders.
The OOSC will not review proposals, but rather provide a research community
perspective on the strategic, tactical and prioritization issues that project
teams and agencies are addressing for the portfolio of ocean observatories.
b. Represent science user
perspectives. The OOSC will provide through the UNOLS process, the science user
perspective to the project teams and the federal agencies that are developing,
deploying and operating ocean observatories.
The OOSC will develop a process and structure for effectively
representing the community who use or who have interest in NSF ocean observatories
and supporting systems.
c. Provide technical
advice. The OOSC will be requested by
NSF to review technical decisions and trade off analyses to inform decisions
and provide advice as needed. This may require
establishing subcommittees.
d. Project Reviews. NSF will conduct periodic performance reviews
of the OOI construction project using personnel not associated with the OOI
Project Team. The OOSC will be requested by NSF to observe (1-2 OOSC members)
these reviews and provide science users perspectives.
e. Evaluate best practices
across Ocean Observatories. The OOSC
will identify and disseminate best practices for ocean observatories across
both technical and managerial regimes.
f. Reporting. Reports of
activities shall be made to the UNOLS membership on at least an annual basis
and to the UNOLS Council at regularly scheduled Council meetings.
7. DOCUMENT HISTORY
Originally adopted: October
15, 2010, Arlington, VA