September 1, 1998

FINAL CRUISE INSTRUCTIONS
CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier

Cruise No: LA-98-02

Area: Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska

Itinerary: Dates are approximate

October 1,1998: Nome, Alaska
October 11, 1998: Kodiak, Alaska

Participating organizations:

NOAA - Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL)
University of Alaska
IOS

CRUISE DESCRIPTION:

Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (FOCI) is an effort by NOAA and associated academic scientists. At present, FOCI consists of a Shelikof Strait (western Gulf of Alaska) walleye pollock project, and a NOAA Coastal Ocean Program project: Southeast Bering Sea Carrying Capacity. FOCI also supports associated projects, such as the Arctic Research Initiative, U.S. GLOBEC, and NSF Inner Front Study that address scientific issues related to FOCI's. FOCI's goal is to understand the effects of abiotic and biotic variability on ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea in order to discern the physical and biological processes that determine recruitment variability of commercially valuable finfish and shellfish stocks in Alaskan waters.

CRUISE OBJECTIVES:

1. The completion of 1998 FOCI operations in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.

1.0. PERSONNEL:

The Chief Scientist has the authority to revise or alter the technical portion of the instructions as work progresses provided that, after consultation with the Commanding Officer, it is ascertained that the proposed changes will not: (1) jeopardize the safety of personnel or the ship; (2) exceed the overall time allotted for the project; (3) result in undue additional expenses; (4) alter the general intent of these project instructions.

1.4 Program Contacts:
Dr. Phyllis Stabeno
NOAA/PMEL
7600 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 526-6453
stabeno@pmel.noaa.gov

2.0. OPERATIONS:

2.1. SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES:

LA-98-02 cruise will conduct mooring and CTD operations as described:
1. South of Nunivak Island (Innerfront); recover eight moorings (surface,subsurface).

2. Site 2: recover three moorings (surface & subsurface) and deploy three moorings (subsurface).

3. Site 3: recover two moorings (subsurface) and deploy one mooring (subsurface).

4. Gulf of Alaska: recover one mooring (subsurface).

5. Shelikof Strait: recover three moorings (subsurface).

Mooring calibration CTD casts will be completed before each mooring recovery and after each mooring deployment.

Mooring Operations: (see Appendices)

CTD lines are planned between mooring sites 4 and 2, 2 and 3, 3 and 6, Unimak Pass and Shelikof Strait.

In the event that conditions prohibit mooring deployments/ recoveries, operations will focus on CTD lines to be selected by the Chief Scientist.

PMEL/FOCI requests that the mooring equipment recovered on LA-98-02 remain on the Laurier until the ship's return to Victoria in October,1998.

2.2 PROCEDURES FOR OPERATIONS:

The following are operations to be conducted on this cruise:

Mooring calibration CTD casts will be completed before each mooring recovery and after each mooring deployment.

Details and estimated times of these operations are specified in the Appendices.

The PMEL operations will begin in the Bering Sea south of Nunivak Island with the CTD and recovery of eight Innerfront moorings (surface, subsurface). After completing mooring operations at Nunivak, the Laurier will transit to site 4 and begin the CTD line running from site 4 to site 2. At site 2 , a surface mooring and two subsurface moorings will be recovered. Three subsurface moorings will be deployed before leaving the area to begin the CTD line to site 3. At site 3 we will recover two subsurface moorings. This will complete the Bering Sea mooring operations.

The remaining Bering Sea operations consist of the CTD line from site 3 to site 6 and the three Unimak Pass CTD lines (two PMEL,one IOS).

After passing through Unimak Pass, the Laurier will proceed to the Pavlof Bay mooring site for a calibration CTD cast.

The recovery of subsurface mooring F-98-8 south of Kodiak Island will begin the last set of mooring recoveries. After the mooring recovery , CTD line 8 in Shelikof Strait will be completed before the recoveries of the three moorings on line 8.

Mooring diagrams will be provided to ship by the Chief Scientist before cruise .

3.0. FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT:

The following systems and their associated support services are essential to the cruise. Sufficient consumables, back-up units, and on-site spares and technical support must be in place to assure that operational interruptions are minimal. All measurement instruments are expected to have current calibrations, and all pertinent calibration information shall be included in the data package.

3.1 Equipment and Capabilities to be Provided by the Ship:
Capstan or winch system for recovery of moorings

Oceanographic winch for CTD casts

EK-500 or suitable water depth indication to 1500 meters

Wire speed indicators and readout for quarterdeck

Meteorological observations

Laboratory space, sink, lab tables and storage space

Adequate deck lighting for night-time operations

Navigational equipment including GPS and radar

Safety harnesses for working on quarter deck and fantail

3.2 Equipment to be Provided by the Project:

Sea-Bird SBE-19 Seacat system

PMEL PC with SEASOFT software for CTD data collection and processing

Subsurface moorings

Miscellaneous scientific sampling and processing equipment

Discrete Sample Data Base software and forms

4.0 MISCELLANEOUS:

4.1. Hazardous Materials:

1. The Chief Scientist shall be responsible for complying with NC Instruction 6280A, Hazardous Waste; policy, guidance, and training, dated February 4, 1991, paragraph 7.g and paragraph 9. By federal law, the ship may not sail without a complete inventory of MSDS, and appropriate neutralizing agents, buffers, and/or absorbent in amounts adequate to address spills of a size equal to the amount aboard.

5.0 COMMUNICATIONS:

5.1 Important phone numbers, fax numbers and e-mail addresses:

PMEL/CARD Fax: (206) 526-6485
PMEL/ADMIN Fax: (206) 526-6815

6.0. APPENDICES:

1. CTD and mooring locations and schedule

2. CTD and mooring plot