Meeting Minutes

DEep Submergence Science Committee
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Carriage House
Woods Hole, MA
May 30-31, 2007

A pdf version of these minutes can be downloaded by clicking: <200705desmi.pdf>.

Executive Summary:

The Deep Submergence Science Committee (DESSC) met on May 30-31, 2007 at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).  The meeting included agency reports from NSF, Navy, and NOAA.  Representatives of the National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF) provided reports on:

·         Vehicle operation summaries

·         NDSF data and archives

·         Ship maintenance updates and vehicle improvements

·         Navigation and imaging upgrades

·         Deep submergence scheduling in 2008 and beyond

 

Summaries of the NDSF user debrief interviews were reported.  WHOI summarized proposed corrective actions to the issues raised by the users.

 

The meeting included status reports on new vehicle design efforts at WHOI.  The design and construction of the replacement Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) is moving forward and if all goes on schedule the sub would be ready for service in 2010.  Meeting participants toured the WHOI deep submergence facilities including the development labs for AUV Sentry, the replacement HOV, and the hybrid ROV, Nereus.

 

Action Items:

Tasks from the May 2007 Meeting:

1. NOAA Request for DESSC Input – DESSC will contact Barbara Moore and request a written task statement that will explain the NOAA’s request for community feedback regarding future deep submergence facility and technology needs.

2. New Control Van – Bill Chadwick will work with Chris German to develop a community survey on the design for a new ROV control van. DESSC recommends that WHOI create a full-scale mock-up van that will allow DESSC members to walk through and experience design options. WHOI is also requested to provide on-line schematic drawings of van lay-out options that could accompany the survey.

3. DESSC Biology Meeting – Deb Kelley, Craig Young, and Chris German will contact Phil Taylor (NSF) to discuss options for future DESSC/Biology meeting venues.

4. Pilot Retention and Career Advancement – DESSC recommends that WHOI prepare a document that addresses the institution’s strategies for pilot retention as well as the procedures for implementing exit interviews for those pilots who resign. DESSC recommends that WHOI management promote learning opportunities and career advancement opportunities for pilots.

5. DESSC Membership – Solicit nominations for a microbiologist to fill one DESSC member position. (Annette/DESSC)

6. Data Management – DESSC recommends that WHOI fill their NDSF data manager position as soon as possible.

7. Mode of Operation for Jason Watches – DESSC recommends that WHOI explore options for staggering the start and end times for Jason watches with the goal of achieving better continuity of the watches through a dive cycle.

8. OOI/DESSC Liaison – Deb Kelley will contact Holly Givens in the OOI office to establish a liaison process between OOI and DESSC.

9. Camera System – DESSC endorses WHOI’s Hybrid Imager/Sensor approach (see details on page 16 of these minutes).

Continuing Tasks:

10. NDSF Vehicle Debrief Interviews – In order to better track the status of vehicle and system performance, DESSC will conduct debrief interviews of PIs who use Jason, Alvin, and ABE/Sentry according to the pre-established procedures. The PIs will be informed on how the debrief information/reports will be used. Each report will be archived by the UNOLS Office. Debrief interviews will include the DESSC representative, the science user, and the NDSF Chief Scientist (Chris German). Agendas for future meetings will include summary reports of these debrief reports. DESSC representatives:

a. Jason – Bill Chadwick
b. Alvin – Michael Tryon
c. ABE/Sentry – Hedy Edmonds

11. Science Outfitting Survey for the Replacement HOV – A community on-line survey has been drafted. Annette will incorporate any changes. The survey will be available to the community in the fall. A summary of responses will be provided at the fall DESSC meeting.

12. Science Training Opportunities for Pilots – DESSC will formulate suggestions on workshop/training science sessions for pilots. The session(s) should demonstrate how the data from the vehicles are used for different research disciplines. DESSC will prepare an outline for different disciplines (e.g., geology, biology, chemistry) to indicate what elements of these programs would be beneficial to the pilots.

13. R2K Lectureship program – DESSC recommends that the R2K Lectureship program include an Alvin or ROV pilot as a distinguished lecturer. (Kelley)

14. Ocean Observatory ROV/Submersible Workshop – Organize an ROV-Submersible workshop for technology exchange and defining future facility needs. Participation should include ROV operators and engineers from WHOI, MBARI, and ROPOS. The workshop would be supported through UNOLS. DESSC, in collaboration with the agencies and UNOLS, will formulate the workshop description, objectives, and invitation list. (Kelley/DeSilva)

Appendices