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
·
Main
Breaker maintenance
·
Hydro
Winch maintenance as required after assessment in Bermuda – There was some
discussion on the winches. The winches
are new (not cross-decked).
·
Clean
Generators (if funds available) – Al commented that they would make sure that
they have a rotation plan to clean the generators.
·
Hurricane
Mooring Plan
A
supplemental proposal will need to be submitted to support some of these items.
Deep Submergence Scheduling: 2004
and Beyond – Jon Alberts reviewed the 2003 schedules for ALVIN and the ROVs. Jon’s charts are included in Appendix Vg.
ATLANTIS began the year with a shipyard period and INSURV inspection.
Science operations began in April at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with Debbie
Kelley’s program. After work in the
Atlantic, operations continued in July in the Gulf of Mexico. In August, operations moved to the Pacific
with a program at the Galapagos Rift. Work
continued in the Pacific for the remainder of the year with operations off
California, at Juan de Fuca and at the East Pacific Rise. There were six ROV programs in 2003, all from
THOMPSON. Operation areas included
the Western Pacific, off Hawaii, and at Juan de Fuca.
Jon reviewed the 2004 requests for ALVIN operations. There are many programs that have already
been funded. Some of these funded
programs were deferred from 2003. Jon
also showed 2004 ROV requests. Again,
there are many programs that have already been funded. Demand is high.
Jon discussed the timing of ALVIN’s overhaul, which will need to
be factored into the 2004 or 2005 schedule.
Jon provided charts showing two overhaul options. The first option would schedule the 6-month
overhaul over the end of 2004 and beginning of 2005. The second option schedules the overhaul during the end of 2005
and beginning of 2006. DESSC members
discussed the options. Dan remarked
that from a RIDGE 2000 perspective, they would need ALVIN in the near term, so
the option for a later overhaul is preferred.
Debbie Kelley agreed that for work at the Endeavor site, a later
overhaul is better. Barrie Walden
commented that the later overhaul would stretch the period between overhauls
longer than normal, but there haven’t been as many dives as during past
years. Barrie stated the from a funding
perspective, it is best to schedule the overhaul during the fall/winter since
housing is more affordable in Woods Hole for the ALVIN team during that
time. Also, this divides the overhaul
cost over two operating years.
ROV maintenance time was also addressed. WHOI would like to have four weeks in the year dedicated for
maintenance, plus any time needed for shipping. DESSC endorsed this request and additionally recommended that
scheduled maintenance time for ALVIN and Jason2 should not conflict with each
other, both for budgetary reasons and time series work.
Jon provided a chart showing 2005 ROV and ALVIN requests. There are quite a few requests and some are
already funded.
Review of facility requests and identification of funded programs – Annette DeSilva continued
by provided maps showing geographic areas of interest for work with ALVIN
and ROVs in 2004 and beyond. The maps
are included as Appendix VI.
In 2004 there are 92 funded days for ALVIN and include operations
at the North East Pacific Rise, Costa Rica/Galapagos, Vancouver Islands, Juan
de Fuca, off California and in the South Pacific. There are 236 funded days for Jason2 and include operations at
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, off Hawaii, Costa Rica/Galapagos, Aleutians, Vancouver
Islands, Juan de Fuca, off California, Lau Basin, and in the South
Pacific. There are 58 funded days for
DSL120A and include operations at the Lau Basin and in the South Pacific.
There are 63 pending ALVIN days and 78 Jason2 days for 2004.
Requests for 2005 indicate 37 funded ALVIN days and 52 funded Jason2
days. Pending days is high with 64
ALVIN days and 185 Jason2 days.
Annual request
for upgrades to science sensors and operational capabilities of NDSF vehicles –
Lauren Mullineaux
summarized input received from the Biology community prior to the meeting
regarding upgrade suggestions:
·
Improved
capabilities for sampling in the water column (such as for plankton
sampling). This may require a lot of
power. The community needs to decide if
this is a high priority.
·
Sterile
recovery capability for plankton sampling
·
Samplers
that maintain in situ conditions (pressure and temperature)
·
Sampling
capability for microbes in the sediment.
This requires undisturbed samples, sterile samples, and high volume
sampling.
·
Butterfield
samplers
·
Large
samplers with lids and bio boxes with lids
·
Bushmaster
tool
·
Variable
ballast capability
·
The ability
to approach animals without disturbing them.
·
Investigate
potential new energy sources (including in situ energy sources)
·
Work toward
miniaturization of sensors and tools (to reduce energy requirements)
·
Develop
means to determine orientation of samples
·
Larva
samplers
In addition to the
biology recommendations, it was suggested higher resolution and better
arrangement is needed for imaging
DESSC
recommended that the biology community prioritize their upgrade list. Lauren indicated that it would be useful to
have an inventory of individually owned equipment that can be used with NDSF
vehicles. The community would be better
informed of the tools that are available.
The
following tasking was recommended:
Develop a web page that provides an inventory of community tools as well
as tools available through the NDSF.
Annette will work with Patty and Dan to establish the inventory and
request input from the community. The
database can reside on the UNOLS website
Status of Rock
Drill Proposal – The
proposal received favorable reviews, but exceeds the available
budget. Two types of drills were
proposed. Hopefully it will be funded
at some level.
Tool Sleds and
Third Party Tools – Andy
Bowen discussed the issue of interchangeability of tool sleds between various
ROVs (i.e. MBARI and Jason2). WHOI took
a serious look at an interchangeable capability, but came to the decision early
on that this would not be practical.
Telemetry compatibility is possible, but it is unlikely that they will
be able to share tool sleds easily.
There was
discussion on third party tools and the general issue of interchangeability
between platforms. In the future, as
more ROVs come on line to support general science as well as observatory needs,
there will be an increased need for interchangeability. This should be kept in mind in future
development efforts.
Navigation – There was a lengthy discussion on the
issue of navigation. Patty commented
that having 3-D maps of the research area prior to her cruise was
beneficial. There is an improvement in
efficiency in having the areas mapped at high resolution and the maps available
in the sub or control van. It also
improves the sampling ability. The
availability of navigation data for bathymetry is very useful, however,
requires manpower and coordination between the navigator and science
users. There is an issue regarding the
workload on the pilots. It was
suggested that a half-day workshop on navigation would be useful. New, state-of-the-art, navigation equipment
is needed, as well as education of users.
Winter
Meeting Strategies – The
DESSC and agency representatives discussed winter meeting plans. There will be no agency funding to support a
DESSC meeting at the San Francisco Fall AGU meeting. There are three winter meetings scheduled:
·
Fall
AGU – 8-12 Dec 2003, San Francisco, CA
·
2004
Ocean Sciences Meeting, AGU – 26-30 Jan 2004, Portland, OR
·
2004
Ocean Research Conference, ASLO – 15-20 Feb 2004, Honolulu, HI
Patty
reported that special session requests have been submitted for all of the
meetings. We should know in July if the
sessions are accepted. DESSC members
pointed out there are creative ways to have DESSC activities at the various
meetings at very low cost.
Dolly Dieter stated that the agency program managers want DESSC to
hold their 2003/2004 Community meeting in Portland, OR. The objective is to get the biology
community better engaged.
Dan Fornari expressed concern about disenfranchising the G&G
community. The G&G community will
attend the Fall AGU meeting. He asked
the agency reps if there could be an ad-hoc DESSC meeting at Fall AGU (in
addition to a special session).
Dolly emphasized that the meeting in Portland should be modeled
after the tradition DESSC meeting held each year in San Francisco. Program managers feel that they need the
same following as the Fall AGU. Also,
DESSC should only have one winter meeting and that will be in Portland. There should be no DESSC sponsored events at
the other two winter meetings (San Francisco and Honolulu).
UNOLS
Working Group on Ocean Observatory Facility Needs - Alan Chave, Chair of the UNOLS Working
Group on Ocean Observatory Facility Needs, reported on the group's activities.
His viewgraphs are included as Appendix VII.
The working group was formed early in the year by the UNOLS Council.
The group membership and full task statement is included in Appendix
VII. The group was asked to identify
facility support needs for ocean observatories in terms of both ships and
submergence vehicles. “What requirements
can be met with currently available academic assets (vessels and submergence
vehicles)? For those observatory facility
needs that cannot be met by currently available facilities, the working group
should: a) Identify what facilities should be added
to the available suite of academic assets, b) Identify commercially available
assets that could be used to meet observatory needs, and c) Address the effectiveness,
both in terms of cost and practicality, of adding academic assets, using commercial
assets, or a combination of both.”
They met once in February. Since that time they have been
gathering information and drafting their report.
The deep ocean seafloor observatories will require:
Alan showed slides demonstrating two baseline repair scenarios for
seafloor observatories. Both options
require ROVs.
He showed a slide of a typical cable repair ship. The ship is approximately 100m in
length. It is equipped with a large
cable drum, a heavy-duty a-frame, and open deck space. It includes an aft chute to guide the cable
away from the propellers.
Alan
discussed moored-buoy observatories.
There will be an associated high maintenance cost. It is estimated that approximately one ship
year will be needed for servicing all of the buoys. Many of the planned locations for buoys are at high
latitudes. And some are moored in water
that is at depths of up to 3000 m. Under the existing distribution plan, but
even deeper locations may be decided after future planning meetings. Alan showed a picture of the spar buoy
design. The spar buoy is very large,
approximately 40m long with a diesel generator. These will be difficult to service and fuel. Installation and buoy maintenance will not
be feasible with the largest UNOLS vessels.
Servicing is required on an annual basis. Installation and instrumentation maintenance will require an ROV.
Alan reviewed some possible solutions. One option might be to modify the UNOLS Class I vessels to
increase deck-space to allow for larger deck gear. Another option is to lease or acquire a commercial,
multi-purpose, heavy-lift vessel. Alan
showed a slide of a commercial ship that might be appropriate. The ship would be equipped with an ROV as a
tool. Potential applications for the
ship include NEPTUNE servicing, long coring, high latitude buoy installation
and maintenance (1/2 time), as well as other missions.
Alan next addressed the role of ROVs in observatory support. Observatory intervention tasks related to
its infrastructure will 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 systems like
Jason2. These operations will continue
to be best served by a science facility such as what presently exists. Since there might be science users that want
to go on the maintenance cruises to do science, Jason 2 can do a lot of the
maintenance operations. Currently,
demand for Jason2 is high. With the
addition of observatory work at least one or two additional ROVs would be
needed.
Coastal
observatory needs are also being studied and additional information is
needed. Preliminary findings indicate
the need for:
·
Better access to vessels for observatory research
·
Ten Local or Regional vessels distributed on east and west
coast
·
Need for coordination of multiple-vessel operations
·
Need for rapid response capability
·
Long duration glider-type AUV will be a key observation
platform
·
Aircraft Facility
Alan concluded by commenting that there are many safety issues
involved with operations around the observatories. There does not appear to be an advantage in using HOVs over ROVs
for observatory work. Debbie Kelley
asked if there are any issues involved with operating ALVIN near a cable. Barrie replied that they prefer to stay a
tree-length away.
Bill Ryan remarked that the scientific community should to be in
the approval process for establishment of observatory locations. Locations that are of interest for ALVIN
research need to be recognized in the planning process. Foreign collaboration in this area would be
beneficial. DESSC should keep
this issue in mind and keep the community aware of the situation.
OSB Committee on Future Deep Submergence Facility Needs - Meeting
review and tasking of DESSC for responses (This topic will be revisited on 6/12) - Patty
Fryer sent the DESSC a message prior to the meeting indicating that a DESSC
response to the OSB questions are needed.
She has received some comments.
These will be discussed as well as coordination of the response. Dan Walker commented that the OSB committee
would like to see responses from individual scientists as well as groups.
Archeology - David Mindell reported on archeology efforts that are underway
or planned that use deep submergence assets.
Bob Ballard has an expedition to the Black Sea in July and August. Centimeter scale mapping is planned for
localized areas. The ROV Hercules
will be used for these operations. The
vehicle has three high-definition cameras and has a depth capability of 3000
m. The system is designed for precision
manipulation, surgical level intervention.
The issue of state clearances for antiquity research was
discussed. These clearances are very
critical and Dave commented that many of the countries without robust
antiquities programs might be difficult to work with. The UN is looking at this issue.
RIDGE Lectureship Program – Dan Fornari reported that a few years back,
various DESSC members discussed the possibility of having a lectureship program
for deep submergence research. R2K has
taken this on as part of their education program. JOI USSAC has helped by providing information on their
lectureship program. The RIDGE program
has been funded and will happened in 2004.
NDSF DVD - Dan Fornari made a presentation on the NDSF at NSF in the
spring. His PowerPoint presentation is
being finalized and will be available to the community. It also will include an audio portion that
provides a synopsis of the presentation.
IMAX
- Peter Rona has reported that the IMAX deep submergence film will be released
in the fall 2003. DESSC
volunteered to help publicize the IMAX film for educational purposes. Patty plans to help publicize the
film when it comes to Hawaii. [Note - Unfortunately, the IMAX Theater in
Waikiki closed one month before the film’s release.]
Dan
reported that another IMAX film is planned.
James Cameron has been working with members of the science community to
make a film at the vent sites. Dives
are planned in the summer at the MAR and in the fall in the Pacific.
WHOI Reports – Jim Luyten reported on the NDSF and WHOI
Marine Operations Committee report recommendations and the status of the NDSF
Chief Scientist Replacement. The
committee’s report was provided to DESSC members at the meeting.
The
report studied the integration of the ALVIN operations and ROV groups and
recommends the need for long range planning.
There is need for a detailed plan to:
-
Delineate
an overall organizational infrastructure
-
Address the
issue of sea-time expansion resulting from growing demand of ROV ops. The plan must address the issue of personnel
retention.
-
Detail a
means for standardizing sea time rates
-
Identify
budgetary implications of the above.
The report addressed the issue of Chief Scientist and recommended the formation of a committee that would include Jim Luyten as chair, Dick Pittenger, Barrie Walden, and one member from each of the science departments to conduct a search for a new chief scientist. Other committee members will include Tim Stanton, Lauren Mullineaux, Maurice Tivey, Jim Seewald, and Mike McCartney. They will hold their first meeting on June 9, 2003 and their first task will be to develop a job description. Jim commented that they would like to fill the position from within, but would be willing to go outside of the institution. It would take at least a year if the position were to be filled from outside WHOI.
The
report recommended that there should be improved implementation of new
instrumentation and technology on ALVIN.
The
study also recommended the reactivation of WHOI’s Deep Submergence Advisory
Committee in accordance with their existing charter. The Committee consisted of the chief scientist and five members
of the WHOI research staff. They
provided technical and science-requirement advice to the DSOG at WHOI for
matters relating to ALVIN and the ROVs.
Fred
Sayles and Bob Weller joined the DESSC meeting and offered to answer any
questions.
Mike
Reeve asked if there is a role for the agencies to provide input on the report
and the Chief Scientist position. Jim
explained that the Chief Scientist is a WHOI contribution to the NDSF. Unless the agencies want to support the
position, WHOI will work independently to fill the position. Dolly commented that she was surprised by
the study’s finding that the DSL and ALVIN groups need integration. The agencies funded WHOI to integrate DSL
and ALVIN years ago. The operation
groups have only been integrated on a few cruises. WHOI indicates that the cultural issues between the two groups have
interfered.
Patty
requested that the committee provide a draft of the Chief Scientist position
description to DESSC. Patty continued
by asking why WHOI thinks they would be able to find a Chief Scientist now,
after they have been trying to fill the position for over a year, with no
success. Jim thinks that perhaps the
responsibilities can be split up a bit.
They hope to have the position description advertised by August if needed.
The person must be tenured. This
would be a year minimum. Patty emphasized
that the position should be filled by an individual, as opposed to a
group. The users need to have someone
to call for input.
DESSC
members were encouraged to read the report.
Jim Luyten also encouraged the DESSC to provide written comments and can
be send them to him.
1430 Break
Operational Summary of Other Deep Submergence Activities – Reports were invited from
other deep submergence facilities prior to the meeting.
Patty Fryer summarized the material received from SIO/MPL. The Advanced
Tethered Vehicle (ATV) is operating.
SIO will put together a list of equipment spares. They are confident that ATV can be operated
as a 6000 m vehicle for science.
Barbara gave an update on the NURP and Ocean Exploration 2003
operations and plans for 2004. They
will be using a variety of vehicles.
Descriptions about the 2003 Ocean Exploration programs and vehicles used
are provided on the NOAA website at http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/explorations.html. In 2004, Ocean Exploration work is planned
at Juan de Fuca using ALVIN. Jason II
NURP operations are planned in the Aleutians.
The HBOI operations will be reported on 6/12 when Shirley
Pomponi is present.
Long-Range
Planning Issues – There
was a brief discussion on the Vehicle request maps that were presented earlier
in the meeting by Annette DeSilva. It
was recommended that the maps be made available to the community so that the geographic
areas of interest will be known.
Annette was tasked will posting the maps on the DESSC website and sending a short message to the community to let them know
that the material is available.
It was also suggested that there be links to the other major
programs, such as, RIDGE and Margins
Southern EPR - Dan Fornari reported that there is interest from
RIDGE 2000 for work at the Southern EPR, but logistically it is difficult to
get there without a lot of proposal pressure.
South Atlantic - There is some interest for work in the South
Atlantic. This is an interesting area
that has been relatively unexplored.
Some mapping data exists, but not a lot. The UK cruise with ISIS in 2004 might catalyze a lot interest.
Western Pacific – There is interest from the Margins Program for
work in the Western Pacific. There is
multi-channel seismic data for the IBM region as well as data from EWING and by
JMASTEC. It would be of interest to
revisit this area. Bob Embley has been
funded for work in the Back Arc Basin area.
The Mariana system is more mature in terms of available data. The Japanese plan to revisit this area with
their assets. This will become an area
of mature research. RIDGE 2000 has
designated the Lau Backarc Basin as a focus site and Jason2 work has been
funded for fall 2004.
Patty Fryer commented that a proposal
has been submitted to IODP create a cabled network off Guam. As part of a complex drilling program
request, there is a cable available to the area. It would allow real-time modeling. They would like to instrument the flanks and summits of mud
volcanoes. There is potential for the
area to become a regional observatory.
High latitude work – Dan Fornari
reported that detail mapping was conducted in the high Northern latitudes two
years ago. There have been some
requests for ROV work in high latitude areas.
However, operation in the ice is a major concern. They are studying what assets could operate
in the ice. A workshop is planned later
in the month at Southampton where they will look at the interest to go to
Gakkel Ridge. AUVs will be explored,
but there is an issue on vehicle retrieval and ice movement. Autosub has been used under the ice. No current US icebreakers, with the
exception of PALMER have a center-well.
All of the Gakkel Ridge vent sites are at 4000m. The Canadians are looking into acquiring a
new vessel with a new ROV. The ODEN may
be sent to the Arctic for operations.
The potential for use of the HROV was mentioned by Andy.
Peter Wiebe commented that he plans to
bring an AUV to the Antarctic for operations.
He is working with Al Bradley (WHOI).
Discussion of replacements on the DESSC - Mark Chaffey is completing
his first term on DESSC. Patty Fryer
will contact Mark to determine his willingness to stay on the Committee. Suggestions for replacements were made in
the case that Mark wishes to step down.
Day Two: Thursday, 12 June 2003
MEETING BEGINS AT
8:30 AM
WHOI, Clark 509
Review
of Day-One Discussions – Patty Fryer reopened the meeting at 0830. The WHOI Sayles report was revisited. Patty emphasized that the NDSF Chief
Scientist should be an ex-officio member of the DESSC.
They discussed the status of the WHOI Deep Submergence Advisory
Committee (DSAC). Dan explained that
part of the reason that the committee disbanded was because Dan found it more
effective to deal one-on-one with the science and facility personnel. Fred
Sayles’ committee has recommended that the DSAC be reinstated. Dan indicated that that he agrees since it
would be useful for a new Chief Scientist to have the DSAC in place to help
transition into the position. Dan also
explained that earlier in the year an operations meeting was convened that
included DSL, Marine Operations and other departments. They met for an afternoon and discussed a
variety of management areas as well as did brainstorming. It was a very useful meeting and Dan
encouraged the group to meet on a more regular basis.
Bill Ryan commented that the report is good in identifying areas
of concern. He suggested that the
Committee review the Spiess report (10+ years ago) and provide a list of the
things that have been accomplished since that time.
There was a DESSC comment that the report does not address
safety. Dan explained that the
committee was aware of safety issues.
There is a constant attention by the operation groups regarding safety.
Debbie Kelley pointed out that there may only be two ALVIN pilots
in 2004 and there are 11 funded programs.
Is there any way to facilitate the retention of these people? Barrie explained that they continue to try
to retain pilots. When pilots spend
time ashore, they often realize that they like it there. There is a lot of repetition with ALVIN operations. This is part of the reason why ALVIN
operates safely; they do the same thing over and over again. The institution has many pilots who have
stayed on in other positions. Unlike
ship’s crew, many of the pilots did not plan this as their life direction. They are often engineers by training. Barrie noted that over the years as the
replacement ships got bigger and more modern, personnel retention got better. There is one thing that could improve
retention and that is providing single staterooms for pilots. Shirley Pomponi agreed that this is a big
issue. HBOI provides single staterooms
and it proves to make a difference in retention.
Dave Mindell asked if retention of the ROV team would also become
an issue over time. Andy answered that
for some operations, when they are short on ROV team members, they can use
contract workers as needed. But as the
expeditions get longer this option won’t be economical.
Dolly reminded WHOI that the report is in reference to the
National Facility and there is an MOU between the agencies for operation of the
facility. Before any of the study’s
recommendations are acted on it would be a good idea to have a dialog with the
agencies.
To conclude the discussion, Dan ended by remarking that the study
provides a positive review with constructive comments.
Shallow
Submergence Science Committee Update - Shirley Pomponi reported
that the committee has not met over the past year, but she has spoken to some
of the committee members. They would like
to look into the funding situation for use of shallow submergence assets. Options will be explored with the agencies.
Other Facilities:
HBOI report - Shirley
Pomponi reported on Harbor Branch Oceanographic Facility and Johnson-Sea-Link
I and II operations. Her viewgraphs
are included as Appendix VIII. In 2002 the
vehicles operated for a combined total of 169 days. Work areas included the Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas,
Atlantic, South Atlantic Bight, Monitor NMS, and New England Canyons.
Shirley showed a summary of dives by depth.
The greatest number of dives (104) was in the 2000-3000 fsw range.
Projected operations for 2003 include 131 JSL-I and JSL-II combined
days. Operation areas included the
Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, Atlantic, South Atlantic Bight, and New England Canyons.
Lastly, Shirley provided a chart showing
the facility funding by entity in 2002 and 2003. NSF funded 138 days of ship time in 2002 and will fund 91 days in
2003. There is no NSF support for
submersible operations. NOAA OE or NURP
funded 45 days in 2002 and will fund 40 days in 2003.
Ocean
Studies Board (OSB) Committee tasking from the Future of Deep Submergence
Science study - Dan
Walker reported on the status of the OSB study. Information about the study is
contained on the NAS website at
<http://dels.nas.edu/deepsubmergence/>.
He began by reviewing the OSB Committee’s task statement and remarked
that they have been working with Navy and NSF and NOAA to change/clarify the
tasking. This includes:
·
Remove
reference to retirement of ALVIN (if a new ALVIN was brought on-line then ALVIN
would be retired). Jim Yoder has
indicated that if no new HOV were constructed, NSF would continue to support ALVIN. This study would not recommend the
retirement of the HOV.
·
The
committee will be asked to assess current and projected capabilities of manned
and unmanned vehicles.
·
Cost of
operations – not more than a modest increase in funding should be considered. The intent is for the committee to not make
recommendations to expand the capability (2 HOVs) so that it would no longer be
feasible to operate. Mike Reeve explained
the mid-size infrastructure budget concept and what that budget will allow.
They
revised statement of task has been approved and will probably be posted on the
OSB site by the end of the week. The
committee is working to structure a report that identifies the key drivers for
deep submergence science and indicates how these science needs be met.
Dan
reviewed the committee membership. The Chair is Dr. John Armstrong. He has been on the NAS Board and has served
on the National Academy of Science.
They have tried to balance the committee between designers, ROV users
and HOV users. It is a diverse group.
DESSC
will be of most value in helping to identify science drivers. Dan Walker indicated that the committee
would like to hear from individuals as well as groups. Dave Mindell asked if the committee has
interest in hearing about how new technologies open new opportunities for
science. It was commented that the
questions that are being asked by the committee are looking at the past. It is often new technologies that have
enabled new discoveries. Dan Walker
indicated that they could perhaps ask a third question, regarding future
science needs and emerging technologies.
Dan W. indicated that the committee is working to identify the science
drivers and the best mix of assets required to meet these needs.
Dan
W. showed the draft agenda for the next OSB committee meeting on June 25th. Presenters include Tim Shank (WHOI) who will
discuss biology and Jason. Peter Brewer
(MBARI) will address geochemistry and the MBARI ROV TIBERON. Mark Zumberge (SIO) will address geophysics
and ROVs. Mid-water column work will be
presented by Edi Widder (HBOI). Patty
Fryer (UH and DESSC) has been asked to discuss marine science needs for depths
in excess of 4500m.
The
question was asked whether the OSB committee would address observatory facility
needs. Dan W. replied that there are
two other OSB committees that are looking at ocean exploration and ocean
observatories. They will consider the
facility needs for observatories. The
OSB Committee on Future Needs in Deep Submergence Science recommendations will
be above and beyond the needs of those that will be recommended by the others,
so they will not address observatories.
DESSC
commented that it is important to consider the needs of observatories in future
planning. The observatories will allow
real time collection of data. As events
occur, access to ROVs and HOVs will be needed to conduct experiments. Specialized observatory operations will
require dedicated vehicles.
Observatories could greatly increase the already high demand on submergence
vehicles.
Peter
Wiebe commented that observatories would require a rapid response
capability. This needs to be
considered in future planning and scheduling paradigms.
Dan
Walker continued by further describing the June meeting plans. On the second day of their meeting, there
will be a report on the future of telepresence by Henry Fuchs (UNC). The future of underwater communications will
be presented by Dale Green (Benthos).
Dana Yoerger (WHOI) will make a presentation on augmenting ALVIN and Jim
Newman will discuss innovative design concepts. Dan W. expects the discussions to be lively and filled with
different perspectives. The committee
will consider the input received from speakers, written comments, and group
comments to come up with their recommendations. A draft will be reviewed by a select group of marine scientists,
engineers, and operators.
The
study should be complete at the end of September.
BREAK
After
the break Patty continued with a discussion on the content of the DESSC input
to the OSB study and response to their questions. She plans to extract the main science objectives from the DESSC
white paper and use them for her presentation.
She needs DESSC input to OSB’s second question – the mix of vehicles
that are needed. Hedy suggested that
the DESSC look at recent cruises and describe how they used the vehicles. Patty also suggested that they provide
information on the nested survey concept and how the suite of vehicles is used
together to maximize science. Dan
Fornari’s paper on this topic could be used.
In summary, Patty can provide input on Jason2 and DSL-120 operations and
the nested survey operations applied during her 2003 cruise. Debbie Kelley can provide input on ALVIN
operations from her cruise.
Dan
Walker asked the DESSC to provide input by June 23rd so that it
could be considered at their next meeting.
He also mentioned that there would be other opportunities for
input. The window for submitting input
will stretch into the end of July. He
thinks that the OSB committee would be interested to hear DESSC’s views on how
observatories will change the way their science is done, will change demand,
and the potential impact observatories might have on HOV operating areas.
Shirley said that the committee would be interested in learning what science can only be done with an HOV. They may try to identify these areas by reviewing the DESCEND report. It was suggested that input from the Margins Program would be useful (Julie Morris).
KAIKO
Loss - Keir Becker
joined the DESSC meeting. He was on the
recent JAMSTEC cruise that was cut short due to the loss of the 11,000 m ROV,
KAIKO. The nature of the incident was
briefly discussed. To date, the vehicle
has not been found.
New Alvin Construction Advisory Committee (NADAC) update – Bob Brown provided an update
on the New Alvin design project. The
project is funded by NSF and NOAA. A
committee meeting of the NADAC will follow the DESSC meeting. Information about the New Alvin design
project is posted on the WHOI web site at:
<http://www.whoi.edu/marine/ndsf/vehicles/newalvin/index.html>.
The
project is in the concept development phase.
Hull forms are being investigated. Maraged steel and titanium are being
considered. There is an existing
maraged steel hull (Lokomo) that is available from the Finnish. WHOI has requested a design review of the
Lokomo hull by ABS. ABS currently
requires a 4.04-inch hull thickness.
The hull under consideration is 2.9 inches thick. ABS has indicated that this falls within the
1979 ABS requirements and would probably be acceptable. ALVIN’s hull is 2.7 inches thick.
The
hull design includes consideration of five viewports. Various viewport arrangements and sizes are under
consideration. Sketches providing
fields of view comparisons between ALVIN and the new ALVIN viewports were
available for DESSC. The new
configuration would provide a view of about 25 feet from the sphere and give
about 250 degrees total field of view.
The
new vehicle will be designed to have lighter foam, increasing its payload
capability. The operating mode will be
similar to ALVIN’s with a crew of one pilot and two observers.
Dolly
asked if WHOI plans to do destructive testing of the new hull. This would require the construction of more
than one hull. Bob Brown replied that
the plan is to build just one hull.
A
variety of batteries and battery manufacturers are being evaluated. NiCad and Lithium Ion batteries are being
studied. The new vehicle would be
designed so that the batteries could be switched while at sea. WHOI is also conducting an energy source
review.
WHOI
has submitted a request to ONR for the new vehicle to be Navy inspected and
certification. ALVIN is Navy
inspected. ONR will in turn forward this
request to NAVSEA, who currently conducts the inspections. NAVSEA will decide if this is something they
wish to do and if so, will provide a cost estimate to ONR. In parallel, WHOI is pursuing ABS
certification.
Bob
reviewed the project schedule. By 27
August they plan to complete concept definition and have a review meeting. They plan to complete community review, the
RFP package, and cost estimates by the end of September 2003. The RPF would be for construction of the new
ALVIN.
The proposed vehicle will be designed for a full ocean depth of 11,000m. The HROV will be able to operate in two modes: as an AUV for wide area surveys, and as a tethered vehicle for close-up sampling and other tasks. In the latter mode, it will use a fiber optic micro cable one thirty-second of an inch thick. The vehicle can be converted from one configuration to the next during the same cruise. The HROV will have new technologies such as ceramic housings for cameras and other electronic equipment to withstand the pressures at its full operating depths. Andy showed a schematic of the vehicle deployment and recovery operation.
In the HROV configuration, the vehicle is
launched using an armored fiber optic cable and depressor. Once clear of the
vessel, the HROV is released from the depressor at about 1,000 meters depth and
free falls to the seafloor using a descent anchor assembly. During the free
fall it pays out the fiber optic micro cable from two small canisters, one
mounted on the depressor and the other on the descent anchor assembly attached
to the vehicle. The HROV uses the fiber
optic cable to communicate with the support ship but not to supply power. Once the HROV reaches the bottom, the
descent anchor assembly is jettisoned and the vehicle continues its mission
while paying out up to 20 kilometers (about 11 miles) of micro cable from a
third canister mounted on the vehicle.
Via
the micro fiber, an operator on the surface vessel remotely controls the HROV.
Mission durations are planned to be as long as 36 hours. When the dive is complete, the HROV
jettisons the micro fiber and drops its ascent weights for the trip to the
surface. Untethered, it guides itself to the armored cable depressor near the
surface, latches onto the cable to the surface ship above and is recovered
aboard ship. The micro-fiber is then recovered for re-use.
The
AUV and HROV configurations were also shown.
The AUV configuration will be equipped with the standard suite of
sensors. The HROV configuration will
have a sample sled, electric manipulator, and sensors. It will not be equipped to the level of
Jason2, but will provide limited capabilities at full depth.
The
vehicle system is compact and should be able to be used from a coastal class
vessel. It will have a flyaway
capability and can be shipped in a single 20 ft van. They have already done a fair amount of design work on the
project.
Andy
provided a table showing the HROV summary
specifications:
|
Dimensions,
L×W×H |
3m x 2m x 2m |
|
Air
Weight |
2100 kg |
|
Payload
Capacity |
25 kg |
|
Battery |
Rechargeable Lithium Ion. 6 kWH in main
pressure housing, 6kWH in tool package housing |
|
Speed |
3 knots (1.5 m/s), 2 knots (1.0 m/s)
with work package |
|
Manipulator |
Electric, 5 DOF, 20kg lift at 1m |
|
Thrusters |
2 aft, 2 vertical, 1 lateral |
|
Lights |
Variable output LED array, strobes. |
|
Sonar |
Scanning sonar, forward look and profile,
675 kHz |
|
Sensors,
other |
Magnetometer, CTD |
Sampling capabilities
At
the time of the meeting, the proposal was under agency review and is
proprietary to WHOI.
Shirley
Pomponi asked the question of whether there would be a hybrid HOV/ROV
capability. Andy explained that the
plan is to test the fiber using ALVIN.
This would provide a real time link between the ship and sub. Such a capability could be exploited for
outreach programs as well as many other applications.
Tasking
Review – Patty reviewed
and discussed the various DESSC task items. The full task list is included at
the top of this report.
The meeting adjourned at 12:15 pm.