FISHERIES-OCEANOGRAPHY COORDINATED INVESTIGATIONS
NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN
1.0 STANDARD OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
2.0 PROGRAM OVERVIEW
3.0 OPERATIONS
3.1
Responsibilities
3.1.1
Commanding Officer
3.1.2
Chief Scientist
3.1.3
Scheduling
3.2.1
CTD/Water Sample Operations
3.2.1.1
CTD Calibration
3.2.2
MARMAP Bongo Tows
3.2.3
Bongo Larval Condition Tows
3.2.4
Live Zooplankton Net Tows
3.2.5
MOCNESS Tows
3.2.5.1
Deck Machinery
3.2.5.2
Electronics
3.2.5.3
Launch, Fishing, and Recovery
3.2.6
CalVET Net Tows
3.2.7
Methot Trawls
3.2.8
Midwater Trawls
3.2.9
Tucker Trawls
3.2.10
Chlorophyll Sampling Operations
3.2.11
ARGOS Satellite-Tracked Drifter Buoy Deployments
3.2.12
SIMRAD EK 500 Scientific Echosounder Monitoring
3.2.13
Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) Operations
3.2.13.1
ADCP Observations
3.2.13.2
ADCP Data Collection
3.2.13.3
Scientific Computer System (SCS) Data Logging
3.2.13.4
ADCP Underway Operations
3.2.13.5
ADCP Configurations
3.2.13.6
Data Dispensation
3.2.13.7
Dedicated ADCP Transects
3.2.13.8
ADCP Backtrack-L Calibration
3.2.13.9
ADCP Absolute Backscatter
Calibration
3.2.14 Radiometer Operations
4.0 DISPOSITION OF DATA AND REPORTS
4.2
Electronic Marine Observation Abstract (E-MOA)
4.3
Electronic Navigation Plot
4.4 Navigation
5.1
Definition
5.2
Scientific Computer System
5.3
Seachest and Uncontaminated
Seawater
5.4
Ultra-Cold
Freezer Requirements
5.5
Pre- and Post-cruise
Meetings
5.5.1
Pre-cruise Meeting
5.5.2
Post-cruise Meeting
5.6 Ship Operations Evaluation Form
7.0 COMMUNICATIONS
7.2.1
INMARSAT Mini-M
7.2.2
INMARSAT-B
7.2.3
INMARSAT Standard C
7.5
Ship’s Mail
7.6
Methods and Progress
Report
7.7
Receiving
Scientific Status Reports
8.0 MISCELLANEOUS
8.2
Medical Forms and Emergency
Contacts
8.2.1
Medical Forms
8.2.2
Emergency Contacts
8.3
Shipboard Safety
8.4
Port Agent Services/Billing
8.5
Wage Marine Working Hours and Rest Periods
FISHERIES-OCEANOGRAPHY COORDINATED INVESTIGATIONS
NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN
1.0 STANDARD OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS
- These
instructions are a basis for Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations
(FOCI) field operations aboard NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN. They describe usual and customary
procedures for shipboard scientific investigation of the marine ecosystem. The Standard Operating Instructions
plus the specific instructions for each individual cruise constitutes a
complete directive of the science mission. Any changes to procedures described in the Standard
Operating Instructions are set forth in the specific instructions for that
individual cruise.
2.0
PROGRAM
OVERVIEW - FOCI is an effort by
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and associated academic
scientists. At present, FOCI
consists of a Shelikof Strait (western Gulf of Alaska) walleye pollock project
and a NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCCOR)/Coastal Ocean
Program (COP) project: Southeast Bering Sea Carrying Capacity (SEBSCC). FOCI also supports associated projects,
such as the Arctic Research Initiative (ARI), United States Global Ocean
Ecosystems Dynamics (GLOBEC), and North Pacific Marine Research Program (NPMRP)
that address scientific issues related to FOCI's mission. 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.
3.1.1
Commanding
Officer - The Commanding
Officer shall be in sole command of the vessel and shall be responsible for the
welfare of all personnel on board.
The Commanding Officer shall be the final authority in matters relating
to the safety, proper navigation, stability, and sailing condition of the
vessel.
The Commanding Officer
shall inform the Chief Scientist as soon as possible of any changes in the
program necessitated by events. In
the case of emergency, nothing in these instructions shall be construed as
preventing the Commanding Officer from taking the most effective action which,
in the Commanding Officer’s judgment, will rectify the situation causing
the emergency, and; thereby, safeguard life, property, and the ship.
The Commanding Officer
will have the authority to abort operations temporarily on the basis of clear
and present danger to life and property at sea, and will inform the Chief
Scientist as soon as safe conditions permit. Full details of the action taken, rationale, and
recommendations will be provided at the earliest opportunity. Under normal operating conditions, the
Commanding Officer shall not take any mission-aborting action without
consultation with the Chief Scientist.
3.1.2
Chief
Scientist - The Chief Scientist is responsible for executing the
technical portion of the scientific mission specified by these Standard
Operation Instructions and by specific instructions for each cruise. Responsibilities also include:
1. Comportment
of visiting scientists and technicians,
2. Disposition
of data, feedback on data quality, and archiving of data and specimens
collected,
3. Administration
and physical handling of all scientific party hazardous materials,
4. Assignment
of berthing for the scientific party,
5. Cleanliness
of all berthing, laboratory and storage spaces used by the scientific party,
6. Delivery of
medical and emergency contact forms for the scientific party,
7. With the
Commanding Officer, safe, efficient and economical use of shipboard resources
to support the embarked mission.
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, or
4. Alter the general intent
of these project instructions.
3.1.3
Scheduling
-
Scheduling of individual activities will depend upon weather conditions and
progress of scientific work.
Therefore, firm advance scheduling of events will not be possible, and a
continual dialogue between scientific and ship's personnel will be important. To insure fulfillment of all scientific
objectives, the ship is asked to steam at maximum cruising speed allowable by
weather and sea state whenever time in transit, or between stations, is greater
than one hour.
3.2
Procedures
for Operations - The following is a
comprehensive list of FOCI operations including gear and procedures for
collecting data. A listing of
specific operations to be conducted on each cruise is listed in the FOCI Cruise
Instructions. Changes or
alterations to these standard procedures will be noted in the Cruise
Instructions.
3.2.1 CTD/Water Sample
Operations - A Sea-Bird
Electronics’ SBE 911plus Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD)
profiler with dual thermistor and conductivity cells will be the primary
system. The primary system will be
provided and maintained by Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). A backup SBE 9plus CTD is required and
will be provided by the vessel.
When available, and where possible, FOCI’s fluorometer and light
meter should be mounted on the CTD stand for all casts; however, these
instruments cannot exceed the following depths:
·
WET
Labs’ WETStar fluorometer cannot exceed 600 meters,
·
Biospherical
Instruments’ QSP-200L4S light meter cannot exceed 1,000 meters, and
·
Sea-Bird
Electronics’ SBE 911plus CTD cannot exceed 3,000 meters.
On selected casts, biological samples
will be collected. Water for
microzooplankton samples will be collected using 10-liter Niskin bottles;
however, when only nutrient or chlorophyll water samples are required, smaller
Niskin bottles may be used.
Once the CTD has
been deployed, it should be lowered to 10 meters, and then the deck unit
should be turned on. One minute
after the pumps have been turned on the CTD can be returned to just below the
surface. Then the data acquisition
program and program provided Video Home System (VHS) cassette CTD tape backup
system should be started. The CTD
should descend at a rate of 30 meters per minute for the first
200 meters and 40-45 meters per minute below that. The ascent rate should be
40-45 meters per minute. One
exception to the descent rates occurs on the Bering Shelf in water less than
150 meters. In this case, the
CTD should descend at 10-20 meters per minute during the entire cast. An entry in the Electronic Marine
Observation Abstract (E-MOA) should be made for each CTD cast at the maximum
cast depth. The PMEL CTD
Weather Log will
be completed by the scientific complement and should be filled out either
during the cast or immediately following the completion of the cast.
CTD data will be
acquired on a PMEL provided computer using SBE’s SEASOFT
application. Aboard NOAA Ship MILLER
FREEMAN,
the capability to display archived CTD data on the ship’s Scientific
Computer System (SCS) from a designated computer station will be made
available. Survey technicians and
scientists will keep the CTD Cast Information/Rosette Log. Pressure, primary salinity, secondary
salinity, primary temperature, secondary temperature, fluorescence, and light
levels will be recorded on the CTD Cast Information/Rosette Log for all water bottle
samples.
3.2.1.1
CTD
Calibration - Salinity samples will
be taken on every cast, or as specified by the Chief Scientist. No reversing thermometers will be
required. The CTD systems will be
equipped with dual thermistors. If
requested, a Survey Technician will run Autosal salinometer analyses during the
cruise and record the readings on an Autosal log.
3.2.2 MARMAP Bongo Tows - A 60-cm aluminum bongo frame with 0.505‑mm mesh
nets (or 0.333‑mm before mid-May), hard plastic cod-ends, and a 40-kg
lead weight for a depressor will be used in standard Marine Assessment
Monitoring and Prediction (MARMAP) Bongo tows. The nets will be deployed at a constant wire speed of 40-45 meters
per minute to a maximum depth of 100 meters (or 200 meters before
mid-May), or 5-10 meters off bottom in shallower waters. However, at stations on Lines 8, 16,
and 17 in Shelikof Strait and for egg collections, nets will be towed from
10 meters off bottom to the surface.
In addition, one side of the 60‑cm bongo will be changed to 0.333‑mm
mesh net. Furthermore, the 20‑cm
bongo with 0.150‑mm mesh nets will be attached to the wire one meter
above the 60‑cm bongo frame at Line 8 and at selected other stations.
The winch should be one of the
ship’s Markey oceanographic winches equipped with slip rings and at least
2,000 meters of 0.322, 2-layer, 3-conductor oceanographic wire. A Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 19 SEACAT
Profiler or SBE 39 Temperature and Pressure Recorder will be attached to the
wire above the bongo frame(s) to provide real-time tow data. The Pacific Marine Environmental
Laboratory (PMEL) will provide the primary SEACAT or SBE 39, and the ship will
provide the backup SEACAT. Before
the SEACAT is terminated on the wire by the ship’s electronic technician
and the survey technician, a PMEL scientist will note the identification number
of the unit and provide the proper calibration file for the computer when the
SEACAT from PMEL is used; however, if the ship’s equipment is used,
current calibrations should be available.
Personnel from PMEL will provide the acquisition computer and
monitor. There is no requirement
for the SEACAT data to be displayed on the Scientific Computer System (SCS).
After the bridge gives
permission, the survey technician and one or two scientists will deploy and
recover the bongo array. A
scientist will be stationed in the ship’s DataPlot compartment to monitor
the SEACAT and to inform the ship’s survey technician and winch operator
when the desired gear depth is reached.
The bridge will then be instructed either by the scientist in DataPlot
or by the survey technician to enter the position in the Electronic Marine
Observation Abstract (E-MOA).
Afterwards, the winch operator is instructed from DataPlot to retrieve
the nets at a wire speed of 20 meters per minute. The ship’s speed should be
adjusted to maintain a wire angle of 45° during the entire tow, which is
accomplished by the survey technician relaying wire angles to the bridge by
radio. When the nets reach the
surface, they are brought aboard and hosed with saltwater to wash the sample
into the cod-end. The sample is
preserved as specified in the FOCI Field Manual or sample collection
request forms. In some cases,
larvae are sorted and preserved separately. Flow meters in the nets record the amount of water filtered,
and the SBE 19 SEACAT, or SBE 39, records the depth history of the tow. The scientists on watch are responsible
for recording times, maximum depth, wire outs, and flow meter counts on the
Cruise Operations Database (COD) forms.
Tows not meeting specifications (i.e., hit bottom, poor wire angles,
nets tangled, etc.) may be repeated at the discretion of the scientific watch.
3.2.3
Bongo
Larval Condition Tows - A larval condition
tow, launched by the ship’s Survey Technician and a scientist on watch,
requires that the 60-cm bongo be equipped with either0.333-mm or 0.505-mm mesh
nets, flow meters, and taped cod-ends so that live larvae may be obtained. The selection of the mesh size will
depend on the time of field collections, larval size, and amount of algae, to
name just a few of the conditions, and will be decided by the Chief Scientist.
This is a vertical tow,
with the ship's speed used only to maintain a near vertical wire angle. The telemetering Sea-Bird Electronics
SBE 19 SEACAT will be used on the wire to determine the depth, stopping at 70
meters, or 10 meters off bottom in the case of shallow water, and to obtain
environmental data that will be saved for each haul. A scientist will be stationed in Data Plot to monitor the
SEACAT and to inform the ship’s survey technician and winch operator when
the desired gear depth is reached.
The primary SEACAT will be provided by the Pacific Marine Environmental
Laboratory (PMEL) and the backup SEACAT will be provided by the ship. Before the SEACAT is terminated on the
wire by the ship’s electronic technician and the survey technician, a
PMEL scientist will note the identification number of the unit and provide the
proper calibration file for the computer when the SEACAT from PMEL is
used. Personnel from PMEL will
provide the acquisition computer and monitor. There is no need for the SEACAT data to be displayed on the
SCS.
The bongo is lowered at
25‑30 meters per minute to the specified gear depth using the starboard
Markey oceanographic winch outfitted with a 2-layer, 3-conductor, 0.322"
oceanographic wire. During retrieval, the wire haul back speed will be 10
meters per minute. The tow will be
timed starting when the net is being retrieved. The nets will not be rinsed when they return to the deck to
prevent damage to live larvae.
Each cod-end should be held vertical in a clean 5-gallon bucket so that
when the cod-ends are detached from the bongo net the water and larvae will
spill into the buckets. The
contents of the cod-ends and buckets are then carefully poured into a bowl over
ice and sorted quickly for live larvae.
The larvae are then preserved immediately, as specified in the FOCI
Field Manual or
sample collection request forms.
Flow meters in the nets record the amount
of water filtered. If there are no
live larvae found, or few larvae are found in the cod-ends, then the Chief
Scientist may request another live tow.
Once the required number of larvae is obtained, the nets and cod-ends
should be rinsed to prevent contamination of a quantitative bongo tow. At the end of the survey, the Chief
Survey Technician will provide the Chief Scientist with a copy of the acquired
data from the SEACAT and the scientists on watch are responsible for recording
times and maximum depth on the Cruise Operations Database (COD).
3.2.4
Live
Zooplankton Net Tows - Tows to collect
experimental animals for secondary productivity experiments will be taken
during large-scale surveys and patch studies. These collections use a 0.8-meter diameter ring net with a
150- or 200-µm mesh net and a large polycarbonate cod-end that minimizes
damage to the organisms. The net
will be deployed using the ship’s starboard Markey oceanographic winch
equipped with at least 200 meters of 2-layer, 3-conductor, 0.322"
wire. The ship will be asked to
keep station and maintain a near vertical wire angle during the tow. The ring net and cod-end are "book
clamped" to the wire and the Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 19 SEACAT is
shackled to the wire. The net will
be lowered at a rate of 20 meters per minute to near the bottom. It is important that the winch be able
to maintain a slow, constant retrieval speed, less than or equal to 10 meters
per minute.
3.2.5.1
Deck
Machinery - The Multiple
Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS) is deployed
whenever possible from the stern platform using the A-frame and the
ship’s Rowe winch equipped with 600 to 1,500 meters of single conductor
wire of at least 0.375” diameter.
On cruises where the trawl ramp is used, the MOCNESS may be carefully
lowered and retrieved over the ramp under calm sea conditions. In addition, a set of slip rings is
requested for the winch. The manufacturer
states that the maximum drag observed on a 1-m2 MOCNESS system was
3,000 pounds.
3.2.5.2
Electronics - The MOCNESS telemeters, in real time,
conductivity, temperature, depth, and flow meter data to the surface. FOCI owns two separate electronic
systems for the MOCNESS frame. The
older system consists of two 6-inch outer diameter (OD) pressure cases that sit
in separate cradles on the net frame.
This system telemeters data to the ship at one frame every four
seconds. The signal is received in
the ship’s DataPlot compartment by a data acquisition deck box that
simultaneously routes the data to a computer and a program provided Video
Cassette Recorder (VCR) for analog signal backup. A dot matrix printer is used to print data from every other
scan. RS-232 serial input from the ship’s scientific Global Positioning
System (GPS) receiver is required to obtain continuous position data for the
data stream. The Data Acquisition
System (DAS) software requires an NMEA-0183 $GPGGA Sentence Set for input to
the computer’s COM2 serial port.
All acquisition programs are written in Borland TurboPascal version 5.0
and exist as both source code and compiled executable code. All DAS hardware components sit in the
electronics rack in the DataPlot compartment; however, if space availability is
limited, please notify the Chief Scientist so that alternative arrangements may
be made for mounting components.
The newer system
consists of two 4-inch OD pressure cases that sit in the same cradle on the
MOCNESS frame and telemeter data to the ship as fast as one frame per
second. The signal is received in
DataPlot by a serial modem and is routed to a Pentium-based personal computer
located under the bench on the starboard bulkhead. With this newer system, the signal from the underwater unit
is digital instead of analog. The
MOCNESS acquisition station shares a monitor with the Sea-Bird Electronics SBE
19 SEACAT data acquisition system.
Serial input of GPS data is required, as for the older system. The data acquisition software is
written in Microsoft Visual Basic running under Windows 3.1; however, we will
only have the compiled executable file on board the ship. Data scans and tow summaries require a
color printer.
3.2.5.3 Launch, Fishing,
and Recovery - The movable MOCNESS
support frame (cart) will be used, as in the past. On cruises not using trawl gear, the MOCNESS is launched and
recovered from the stern grating.
We request that the deck crew construct a 4-foot by 16-foot plywood
platform with 2" x 4" side rails to attach to the stern platform. On these non-trawl cruises, the support
frame will be secured to the deck near the net reel when not in use. On cruises where trawling occurs, the
MOCNESS is launched just forward of the trawl ramp and stored off the trawl way
between the crane and sorting table.
For safe, efficient
launch and recovery of the MOCNESS, the survey technician is asked to lead
those events, giving orders to the trawl house while the scientific watch
handles the tag lines. When the
weather is rough, a member of the fishing crew may be requested to assist in
the deployment and recovery.
A scientist designated
as the MOCNESS pilot in the ship’s DataPlot compartment will relay
instructions to the winch operator and the bridge to control the descent and
ascent rate of the net system. It
is essential that the ship maintain a constant speed through the water during
the tow. Wire payout and haul back
rates must be available to the winch operator and should be displayed in
DataPlot as well. The MOCNESS is
deployed and recovered while under way cruising at 1.5 knots. Height off
the bottom should be 10 meters in the Gulf of Alaska and 5 meters on the Bering
Sea shelf. Wire is paid out
at a rate of 5-25 meters per minute and is retrieved at 5-20 meters per minute
under the direction of the pilot.
If a GPS signal is not available to the DAS, then the MOCNESS pilot will
inform the bridge as each net is closed and request that the bridge record the
position in the Electronic Marine Observation Abstract (E-MOA). After recovery, the MOCNESS nets are
washed down on the aft deck. It may
be necessary to remain on a course that minimizes waves coming up the stern
trawl ramp during net washing.
3.2.6 CalVET Net Tows - California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigation
(CalCOFI) Vertical Egg Tow (CalVET) net tows to collect microzooplankton and
free-floating copepod eggs will be conducted, sometimes in conjunction with
Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) profiler and Niskin water bottle
casts. Scientists
will require the assistance of the ship’s survey technician for deploying
and recovering the CalVET net. The
CalVET is clamped to the 2-layer, 3-conductor, 0.322" wire on the starboard Markey oceanographic winch. A “book clamp” is placed on the wire where the
cod-ends hang to keep the net taut.
When used with a Sea-Bird Electronic SBE 19 SEACAT, the SEACAT is placed
below the cod-ends. The ship is
requested to maintain a near constant vertical wire angle during the entire
cast. After descent to the
desired depth, usually 60 meters, the net will then be retrieved at a rate not
to exceed 60 meters per minute.
The samples will be washed into the cod-ends, and then preserved in
32-ounce jars with Formalin for later analysis.
3.2.7 Methot Trawls - The Methot trawl is deployed off the stern of the vessel,
with the stern platform removed, using the Marco winch equipped with at least
1,000 meters of 7/16” wire rope with a Safe Working Load (SWL) of 2
tons. A ScanMar Model S40
acoustical depth sensor with readout in the trawl house will be used to receive
real-time depth information. The
ScanMar transducer is mounted on the ship's centerboard. A scientist or survey technician in the
trawl house will relay orders for stopping and starting the winch to the winch
operator based on trawl depth; otherwise, deployment and retrieval will be the
responsibility of the ship’s crew.
The ship's speed should be 2.5 to 3.0 knots through the water. This trawl will be deployed at 30-40
meters per minute and retrieved at 20 meters per minute. Tows will be either oblique or stepped
oblique, generally from 100 meters to the surface. Methot trawls may be conducted in daytime or at night with
little or no advanced warning.
Where and when the trawl will be conducted depends on plankton catches
or acoustic sign. Therefore, the
trawl will need to be activated quickly with little time lost. Location and time of tows is at the
discretion of the Chief Scientist or Scientific Watch Leader.
3.2.8 Midwater Trawls - Marinovich, Rope, or Stauffer midwater trawls may be
requested for collecting fish.
Midwater trawls will be deployed using standard shipboard
procedures. The Chief Scientist or
Watch Chief will decide trawl locations, times and depths. Midwater trawls will be conducted day
or night, and may depend upon the results of other sampling, such as plankton
catches or acoustic sign seen on the SIMRAD EK500 Scientific Echosounder. When requested, the ship’s crew
will need to be activated quickly, with little time lost. Aside from orders
relayed from a scientist, deployment and retrieval of each trawl is the
responsibility of the ship’s crew. A Furuno wireless netsonde for
real-time monitoring of the headrope height is provided by the ship and is
usually mounted on the center of the headrope. A Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 39, provided by the scientists,
is mounted alongside the netsonde to provide a record of time, net depth, and
ambient temperature.
3.2.9 Tucker Trawls - The Tucker trawl may be used as the primary gear for
late-larval surveys, as a backup for the Multiple Opening/Closing Net
Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS), or for dedicated predator studies. When used for late-larval surveys, the
Tucker will be equipped with 0.505-mm mesh netting and be towed in a smooth
oblique fashion with one net open.
If the Tucker is to be used as a backup MOCNESS sampler, it will have
0.333‑mm mesh netting.
However, four Tucker tows are required to substitute for one oblique
MOCNESS tow. When used for
predator studies, it will have 0.505-mm mesh with a 1‑mm cod-end
bucket. When used for discrete
depth sampling, a Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 19 SEACAT or a SBE 39 Temperature
and Pressure Recorder will be attached on the main cable above the bridle. The messenger release is positioned on
the cable above the SEACAT.
The winch should be one
of the ship’s Markey oceanographic winches equipped with slip rings and
at least 2,000 meters of 0.322, 2-layer, 3-conductor oceanographic wire. A Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 19 SEACAT
Profiler or SBE 39 Temperature and Pressure Recorder will be attached to the
wire above the bongo frame(s) to provide real-time tow data. The Pacific Marine Environmental
Laboratory (PMEL) will provide the primary SEACAT or SBE 39, and the ship will
provide the backup SEACAT. Before
the SEACAT is terminated on the wire by the ship’s electronic technician
and the survey technician, a PMEL scientist will note the identification number
of the unit and provide the proper calibration file for the computer when the
SEACAT from PMEL is used; however, if the ship’s equipment is used,
current calibrations should be available.
Personnel from PMEL will provide the acquisition computer and
monitor. There is no requirement
for the SEACAT data to be displayed on the Scientific Computer System (SCS).
After the bridge gives
permission, the survey technician and one or two scientists will deploy and
recover the Tucker trawl. A
scientist will be stationed in the ship’s DataPlot compartment to monitor
the SEACAT and to inform the ship’s survey technician and winch operator
when each desired gear depth is reached.
While holding at depth, the first messenger is sent, usually by a
scientist, closing the drogue net and opening the first net. Then at the next desired depth, a second
messenger is sent, closing the first net and opening the second. The winch operator will be
instructed by the scientist from DataPlot to retrieve the nets at a wire speed
of 20 meters per minute. The
ship’s speed should be adjusted to maintain a wire angle of 45°
during the entire tow, which is accomplished by the survey technician relaying
wire angles to the bridge by radio.
When the nets reach the surface, they are brought aboard and hosed with
saltwater to wash the sample into the cod-end. The sample is preserved as specified in the FOCI
Field Manual
or sample collection request forms.
Flow meters in the nets record the amount of water filtered, and the SBE
19 SEACAT, or SBE 39, records the depth history of the tow. The scientists on watch are responsible
for recording times, maximum depth, wire outs, and flow meter counts on the Cruise
Operations Database (COD) forms.
Tows not meeting specifications (i.e., hit bottom, poor wire angles,
nets tangled, etc.) may be repeated at the discretion of the scientific watch.
3.2.10
Chlorophyll
Sampling Operations - Chlorophyll samples
will be collected from the 10-liter Niskin bottles filled during Conductivity,
Temperature, and Depth (CTD) profiler casts. The scientists will be responsible for collection,
filtration, and preservation of samples.
Sampling depths depend on the fluorescence or chlorophyll absorbance
meter (ChlAM) profile. A typical
strategy would be samples at 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 or 60 meters, depending
upon which of the latter two depths is closest to the fluorescence or
chlorophyll maximum. If the
maximum is deeper than 60 meters, sampling should be moved deeper with fewer
samples in the mixed layer.
When microzooplankton
samples are to be collected from the same Niskin bottle, 500 milliliters of
water is first removed from the water bottle using a graduated cylinder. Chlorophyll and nutrient samples are
obtained from the collected 500 milliliters in the graduated cylinder. See the FOCI Field Manual for sampling
collection, filtration, and preserving details. The -70° Celsius freezer is required for sample storage.
3.2.11 ARGOS
Satellite-Tracked Drifter Buoy Deployments - Two to three working days before deployment, the Chief
Scientist, or designee, will secure the drifter on the back deck. The drifter buoy is then turned on,
usually by removing the magnet, and an e-mail message will be sent by the Chief
Scientist, or designee, to Dr. Phyllis Stabeno at Phyllis.Stabeno@noaa.gov, stating the serial
number that is stamped on the drifter and the time that it was turned on. This lead-time is necessary to ensure
that telemetry from the buoy is being received and transmitted by the Advanced
Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS). The method of deployment of the drifter is dependent upon
the particular make of drifter and is to be directed by the Chief Scientist, or
designee.
3.2.12
SIMRAD
EK 500 Scientific Echosounder Monitoring - When requested, the SIMRAD EK 500 Scientific
38‑kHz and 120‑kHz echosounding system in the acoustics lab will be
turned on during scientific operations and should be monitored regularly for
the presence of unusual acoustic signals or heavy fish sign. The bridge should notify the scientific
watch on duty if any unusual sign appears on the bridge echo sounder.
Because of the vast
amount of data and paper generated by this system, the data logger and color
printer should only be turned on in an area of interest or when scientifically
interesting signals occur. A
trained scientist should be available on each watch to begin logging data and
to record station data and file names in the notebook provided. Files should be backed up onto optical
disks and magnetic tape before the end of the cruise following instructions in
the Acoustic Research Container (ARC) Manual. The printer pen cartridges and paper
should be replaced as needed. The
Simrad EK 500 settings will be set at the beginning of the cruise and remain
the same throughout the cruise.
When data are being logged, the printers need to be checked every hour
at a minimum.
3.2.13 Acoustic Doppler
Current Profiler (ADCP) Operations
3.2.13.1
ADCP
Observations - The purpose of the
150-KHz vessel mounted ADCP is to measure the ocean current velocity
continuously over the upper 300 meters of the water column, usually in 8-meter
depth increments. Current
velocities relative to the earth at this spatial and temporal resolution cannot
be measured by other methods: CTD sections, current-meter moorings, or drifting
buoys. Additionally, ADCP data are
used to estimate the abundance and distribution of biological scatterers over
the same depth range and in the same depth increments.
3.2.13.2
ADCP
Data Collection - ADCP measurement
requires four instruments working in concert:
1. The ADCP,
2. The ship's gyrocompass,
3. A Global Positioning
System (GPS) receiver, and
4. A GPS Attitude
Determination Unit (ADU), presently the TSS Position and Orientation System for
Marine Vessels (POS/MV).
The ADCP is connected to
a dedicated Personal Computer (PC) and controlled by RD Instruments' (RDI) Data
Acquisition System (DAS) version 2.48 software. DAS shall be configured to use the user-exit programs AGCAVE.COM and UE4.EXE. Separate written instructions
detailing the ADCP setup and configuration files are kept in the large, black
ADCP notebook in a filing cabinet drawer of the ship’s DataPlot
compartment.
The ADCP PC is
interfaced to the ship's gyrocompass, primary scientific GPS receiver, and
ADU. The navigation GPS receiver
shall be configured to send NMEA-0183 $GPGGA and $GPVTG sentence sets to the
PC’s COM2 serial port at the maximum fix update rate for that receiver
(usually a 1- or 2-second rate) and with the maximum number of decimal places
for position precision (optimally 4).
The ADU shall be configured to send the NMEA-0183 $PASHR sentence set to
the PC’s COM1 serial port once per second. The user-exit program UE4.EXE shall be configured to
control acquisition and processing of GPS and ADU sentence sets, and to
synchronize the PC clock with the time reported by the primary GPS receiver.
The ADCP PC logs data
from the profiler to Iomega Zip disks.
No more than one Iomega Zip disk will be required for each cruise. At the end of the cruise, a backup of
the Iomega Zip disk should be made to a unique subdirectory on another disk,
maintained by the ship for this purpose, until the original data are certified
at PMEL.
3.2.13.3 Scientific
Computer System (SCS) Data Logging
- Detailed post-cruise processing of ADCP data can take advantage of a larger
quantity of navigation data than is retained by the ADCP acquisition
software. Thus, the ship's SCS is
relied on to log GPS and ADU navigation data at high rates. An SCS ADCP Event Log should be set up
to do this.
ADCP analysis requires
the input from navigation, heading, and ADCP electronics box sensors on NOAA
Ship MILLER FREEMAN. SCS
parent sensors, only, need be logged; SCS child sensor logging is not required
for ADCP analysis. The required
SCS parent sensors and logging rates are as follows:
|
SCS Sensor |
Logging Rate (sec) |
|
Trimble
P-code GPS $GPGGA |
1 |
|
Trimble
P-code GPS $GPVTG |
1 |
|
Northstar
DGPS $GPGGA |
10 |
|
Northstar
DGPS $GPVTG |
10 |
|
Ship’s
Gyrocompass $HEHDT |
10 |
|
Raw
RDI box temperature |
60 |
|
Raw
RDI box voltage |
60 |
|
POS/MV
$PASHR |
10 |
|
MX-412
DGPS $GPGGA |
10 |
|
MX-412
DGPS $GPVTG |
10 |
For ADCP analysis, no
other SCS sensors need be logged, but other users may have their own SCS
logging needs. If those conflict
with the ADCP needs for the above sensors, then SCS should be configured to
record these at the fastest logging rate required by all users.
In the above table it is
assumed that for ADCP purposes, the primary position sensor is the Trimble
P-code GPS receiver, and that the Northstar and Leica MX-412 DGPS receivers are
secondary. If the primary GPS
receiver should malfunction during a cruise, then the Northstar should be made
the primary ADCP navigation device.
This is accomplished by connecting the Northstar to the ADCP’s
COM2 serial port, and setting SCS to record the North star’s $GPGGA and
$GPVTG sentence sets at 1-second rates.
If the Northstar also fails, then the Leica MX-412 would be made the
primary sensor in an analogous manner.
Changes in the availability of GPS equipment shall be communicated to
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) to allow the above list to
remain current. It is the
responsibility of the ship to install and enable the appropriate encryption key
for use in the P-code receiver should GPS Selective Availability be turned on
again by the Department of Defense (DoD).
3.2.13.4
ADCP
Underway Operations - The ADCP operates
continuously during the entire cruise.
At the start of a cruise, the system shall be configured and started
according to the provided checklists Before Leaving Port and Underway to
Operations Area. The ADCP and
its interface to the gyro and navigation must be checked daily by completing
the ADCP Daily Log and at the end of the cruise with the ship tied
to the pier.
The centerboard height
affects the depth of sampling; therefore, the centerboard shall be lowered as
soon as practical upon leaving port and remain lowered throughout the cruise. If it is necessary to raise the
centerboard during the cruise, the times of raising and lowering must be logged
in the Electronic Marine Operations Abstract (E-MOA).
In case of problems,
please describe the problem, error message numbers, flashing lights, etc., on
the log sheets. Also, contact Dr.
Ned Cokelet at PMEL by telephone, (206) 526-6820, or by e-mail, Edward.D.Cokelet@noaa.gov, as soon as possible.
3.2.13.5
ADCP
Configurations - Several ADCP DAS
configuration (.CNF) files are provided in the C:\ADCP248 directory on the ADCP
PC. For system checkout before
acquiring current data, use CHECK02.CNF or CHECK02X.CNF. (The X-suffix is appended to all
configurations that enable the ADCP to be controlled by an external trigger
pulse as required when the ADCP is used in conjunction with an Alaska Fisheries
Science Center (AFSC) hydroacoustics fish-stock-assessment echo sounder such as
the SIMRAD EK500 Scientific Echosounder.
External triggering makes the ADCP and the echo sounder ping and listen
in concert, reducing interference.)
For ADCP current measurements, use 02WBT.CNF (or 02WBTX.CNF) when the water depth
is less than 500 meters for over two hours. WBT stands for With Bottom Track, which means the ADCP
alternately measures the water and sea-bottom velocities and produces the best
accuracy. If working in water
depths greater than 500 m for more than 2 hours, use 02NBT.CNF (or 02NBTX.CNF) where NBT stands for
No Bottom Track. This suspends
bottom searching and concentrates all pings in the water for the best reduction
in variance.
3.2.13.6
Data
Dispensation - At the end of each
cruise, a copy of the ADCP ping data logged by the ADCP’s PC and the SCS
files for the above sensors only should be sent to:
Dr.
E. D. Cokelet
NOAA/PMEL
7600
Sand Point Way NE
Seattle,
Washington 98115
Telephone: (206) 526-6820
E-mail: Edward.D.Cokelet@noaa.gov
3.2.13.7
Dedicated
ADCP Transects - One or more dedicated
ADCP transects may be requested during a cruise. Each should be run at constant heading (not constant
course-over-ground) if practical, thus minimizing gyrocompass lag. However, transects along lines of
current-meter moorings should remain on the line with the ship's heading
gradually adjusted to accomplish this.
Sharp turns should be avoided and the ship's speed should be
constant. A speed of twelve knots
is often satisfactory, but the ship may have to slow down if the ADCP's
"percent good pings" decreases below 75% in the upper 200-250 meters
due to sea state.
3.2.13.8 ADCP Backtrack-L
Calibration - Occasionally, the
ship may be requested to execute a backtrack-L calibration maneuver to test the
instruments and to calibrate the transducer misalignment angle for which a
0.5° error can seriously bias the measurements. The "misalignment angle" may change with the
ship's trim as well as with remounting the ADCP transducers. The basic idea is to measure the
current twice on closely spaced parallel tracks of opposite heading when the
ADCP and GPS are working well. The
maneuver consists of four legs (north, south, east and west headings) connected
by simple U-turns forming an L shape.
Each leg should be 30 minutes long; the first 10 minutes are to allow
the ship and instruments to stabilize on the new heading. The entire calibration should require
about 2 1/2 hours with 5 minutes allowed for each turn. The following should be considered:
1. Negligible currents are
best; however, stronger currents are acceptable as long as they are reasonably
uniform and steady. Avoid regions
of strong horizontal shear due to topography, flow through passes, eddies, and
current boundaries. In tidal
currents, calibrate when the current is steadiest, often at maximum flood and
ebb rather than at slack water.
2. Calibration legs can be
done in any order provided opposite-headed legs are sequential.
3. Opposite-headed legs
should be parallel and closely spaced, but not retraced. Use U-turns to minimize gyrocompass
oscillations. Avoid Williamson and
hairpin turns.
4. The ADCP's PC screen
should show at least 75%-good pings down to 250 meters.
5. The ship should go fast
enough to detect a misalignment error (over five knots), but slow enough to
satisfy condition 4. This depends
on sea conditions; however, ten to twelve knots is often satisfactory.
6. Choose a time when GPS
is navigating and is expected to remain so over the next two hours.
3.2.13.9 ADCP Absolute
Backscatter Calibration - A test to calibrate
the absolute backscatter strength and to determine the background noise level
of the ship’s ADCP system may be performed once per cruise at the
discretion of the Chief Scientist.
Specific instructions in such event will be provided by PMEL personnel
aboard, and cannot be anticipated in advance of the cruise. Typically, such a test will be
attempted in conditions when weather is relatively calm and the water depth
exceeds 250 meters. This test may
require that the main power plant, pumps, sonars, and other sources of acoustic
and electronic noise be shut down.
If conducted in the course of normal operations, the work will require
about one hour. There may be
opportunities for variations of the test at other times when the ship is at
anchor, requiring the cooperation of the ship's officers and engineering watch.
3.2.14
Radiometer
Operations - NOAA Ship MILLER
FREEMAN
will be equipped with a Biospherical Instruments QSR-240 radiometer to measure
solar energy. The scientists will
supply the calibrated instrument, mounting hardware, and cable to run to the
ship’s DataPlot compartment.
The scientists will need the assistance of the ship's Electronic
Technician and Scientific Computer System (SCS) Manager to correctly install
the instrument and make sure that the data stream is being logged by the SCS.
4.0 DISPOSITION OF DATA
AND REPORTS
4.1
Data
Responsibilities - The Chief Scientist
is responsible for the disposition, feedback on data quality, and archiving of
data and specimens collected on board the ship for the primary project. The Chief Scientist will be considered
the representative of the Directors of PMEL and AFSC for purpose of data
disposition. A single copy of all data
gathered by the vessel shall be delivered to the Chief Scientist upon request
for forwarding to the FOCI Coordinator, acting as representative for the
Laboratory Directors. The FOCI
Coordinator will be responsible for data archival and distribution of data to
other investigators desiring copies.
4.2 Electronic Marine
Observation Abstract (E-MOA) - The ship is requested
to maintain an E-MOA form using the Scientific Computer System’s Event
Logger during the cruise. The
critical information recorded at each station is:
·
Coordinated
Universal Time (UTC) date,
·
UTC
time,
·
Position,
·
Station
number,
·
Haul
number,
·
Gear
type, and
·
Bottom
depth.
4.3
Electronic
Navigation Plot - The ship will use the
electronic navigation suite’s file system to maintain the position of
each operation and station.
If requested, a diskette of the export file will be given to the Chief
Scientist.
4.4 Navigation - Observations and reliable fixes
shall be plotted and identified by date/time group, or equivalent by
ship’s officers. Fixes shall
be evaluated for course and/or speed made good. Global Positioning Satellite (GPS), radar range and bearing,
and/or visual fixes shall provide primary navigational control.
5.1 Definition - A complete list of equipment to be provided
by the ship and program is contained in the FOCI Cruise Instructions for each
cruise. Sufficient consumables,
back-up units, 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.
5.2 Scientific
Computer System - The ship's Scientific
Computer System (SCS) shall operate throughout the cruise, acquiring, and
logging data from navigation, meteorological, oceanographic, and fisheries
sensors. The SCS data acquisition
node will provide project scientists with the capability of monitoring sensor acquisition
via text and graphic displays. A
data processing node will be available to project scientists throughout the
cruise, configured according to the specifications of the FOCI SCS
administrators. In addition,
scientists will provide any calibration information applicable for their
instruments connected to the ship’s SCS.
Sensor
identification, data acquisition, and logging parameters are specified in the
system file SENSOR.DAT. The
ship’s SCS manager shall maintain this file in a current state throughout
the cruise. The FOCI SCS
administrators, at the start of the field operations season, will provide
specific FOCI requirements for the content of the SENSOR.DAT file. SCS Sensor Specifications is a listing of the
sensor specifications attached as an appendix to these Standard Operating
Instructions; the appendix is normally added by the beginning of February. Changes to the SENSOR.DAT specifications may be
made by the ship's SCS manager on a cruise-by-cruise basis at the request of
the Chief Scientist. All changes
in content of the SENSOR.DAT file shall be communicated to the FOCI SCS
administrators.
SCS
sensor data logged to disk files is organized into several Event Log groupings
according to intended post-cruise processing. The FOCI SCS administrators specify these Event Logs at the
start of the field operations season.
The ship's SCS manager will assign data elements from newly installed
sensors to the appropriate Event Log(s) and inform the FOCI SCS administrators
of such changes.
NOAA
Ship MILLER FREEMAN will run the backup SCS machine at the same interval as the
primary SCS machine. In the event
that either SCS machine breaks down the SCS manager will commence routine
backups of the SCS at intervals not to exceed twelve hours. At the end of the cruise, the ship's
SCS manager will archive data from disk files to recordable compact diskettes
(CD-R) for delivery to the project representative. Additional recording of processed data may be requested of
the ship's SCS manager; if so, specific instructions will be found in the
Cruise Instructions. The ship's
SCS manager will ensure data quality through the administration of standard SCS
protocols for data monitoring. If
requested by the Chief Scientist, standard SCS daily quality assurance
summaries will be prepared for review.
During the cruise, the scientific party may require the assistance of
the ship's SCS manager to determine if all sensors are functioning properly and
to monitor some of the collected data in real time to make sampling strategy
decisions.
The FOCI SCS
co-administrators are:
·
Tiffany
Vance (AFSC): (206) 526-6767; e-mail: Tiffany.C.Vance@noaa.gov
·
Dave
Kachel (PMEL): (206) 526-6195; e-mail: Dave.Kachel@noaa.gov
5.3 Seachest and
Uncontaminated Seawater - Sea surface
temperature, conductivity, and a program provided fluorescence will be
continuously monitored. Data from
the Sea-Bird Electronics (SBE) thermosalinograph installed in the sonar void
seachest shall be sent to the Scientific Computer System (SCS). Uncontaminated seawater from this chest
will be continuously pumped to the Chemistry Laboratory and through a
fluorometer, when requested.
The
ship’s Electronic Technician will be responsible for inspecting, and when
required, cleaning the seachest and conductivity cells monthly. The scientists will be responsible for
regularly cleaning the cuvette, inside the fluorometer, and obtaining and processing
the calibration samples.
Calibration samples will be taken at each bongo station, or one hour
apart, whichever is more frequent.
A standard template file
specifying these data types shall be maintained for all FOCI cruises by the
ship's SCS manager. American
Standard Code for Information Exchange (ASCII) logger files will be included in
the periodic backup of SCS data for distribution at the end of the cruise. The Chief Scientist may request that
these data be made available on DOS-formatted media at the completion of the
cruise.
During the cruise, the
ship's complement will be responsible for ensuring that data streams from the
instruments are correctly logged by the SCS, checking the logger status display
once per watch to determine that the instruments are functioning, and for
taking salinity calibration samples every other day for thermosalinograph
corrections.
The ship's SCS
ASCII-Logger feature shall be configured to log one-minute averaged data
throughout each FOCI cruise logging the data to the filename TSG and should include:
·
GPS
Time,
·
GPS
Latitude,
·
GPS
Longitude,
·
Water
Depth, in meters,
·
Seawater
(seachest) Temperature,
·
Seawater
(seachest) Salinity, and
·
Laboratory
Fluorometer Voltage
5.4 Ultra-Cold
Freezer Requirements - The
scientific ultra-cold freezer will remain on the ship in operating condition
from the beginning of the first FOCI cruise until the ship returns to Seattle
and the samples within can be unloaded.
Since valuable samples will be in the unit, operation must be continuous
without interruption. Therefore,
the unit should be hardwired into the ship's electrical system or connected
with a threaded plug. The unit
must be securely fastened to a bulkhead or counter, easily accessible, with a
minimum of four inches on each side around the bottom. The location, fastening, and wiring
should be similar to the configuration that FOCI has used in the past.
The freezer has an alarm, but ship's
personnel are requested to check the digital temperature display twice daily to
insure that the operating temperature is below -60°C. The unit will be locked between
cruises, and a key left with the Chief Survey Technician. In the event that the unit fails, the temperature
will maintain for about twelve hours if the lid is not opened. If the unit fails and cannot be fixed
on the ship, the scientific blast freezer should be pre-cooled to its minimum
(-38°C), and all frozen specimens should be transferred to it immediately,
without thawing. Kevin Bailey must
be notified by either telephone or e-mail. A daily record of the temperature (digital readout) on the
scientific ultra-cold freezer will be submitted to Kevin Bailey upon the ship's
return to Seattle.
Kevin M.
Bailey
Alaska
Fisheries Science Center (AFSC)
F/AKC1
7600
Sand Point Way NE
Seattle,
Washington 98115-6349
Telephone:
(206) 526-4243
Facsimile:
(206) 526-6723
E-mail:
Kevin.Bailey@noaa.gov
5.5 Pre-
and Post-cruise Meetings
5.5.1
Pre-cruise Meeting - A pre-cruise meeting between the ship’s representative
and the Chief Scientist will be held before the start of the cruise. Its purpose is to identify the
day-to-day requirements of the project in order to best utilize shipboard
personnel resources and to identify overtime requirements. A brief meeting of all scientific
personnel, the Operations Officer, Chief Boatswain, survey department, and
other relevant ship's personnel should be held before the vessel reaches the
operations area for the purposes of:
1. Introducing
new scientific personnel to ship's procedures, proper channels, etc.,
2. Discuss
operating procedures for deploying various pieces of sampling equipment, and
3. Coordinating
scientific watch assignments.
5.5.2
Post-cruise
Meeting - If necessary, a
debriefing will be held between the Chief Scientist and the Commanding
Officer. If serious problems
are identified, the Commanding Officer shall notify the Marine Center by the
most direct means available. The
Chief Scientist shall document identified problems in the Ship Operations
Evaluation Form.
5.6 Ship
Operations Evaluation Form - One Ship
Operations Evaluation Form should be completed for each cruise
or leg within 30 days of cruise completion. The Chief Scientist will complete the form and submit
it through the Laboratory or Center Director for forwarding to the Office of
Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). An Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format
version can be downloaded from
http://www.omao.noaa.gov/pdffiles/ship_eval.pdf.
6.0 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS - In accordance with NC Instructions 6280B - Hazardous
Materials and Hazardous Waste Policy, Guidance, and Training, dated March 20, 1992,
all NOAA ships will operate in full compliance with all NOAA hazardous
materials (HAZMAT) requirements.
All hazardous materials and substances needed to carry out the
objectives of the embarked science mission, including ancillary tasks, are the
direct responsibility of the embarked designated Chief Scientist, whether or
not that Chief Scientist is using them directly. The ship's Environmental Compliance Officer will work with
the Chief Scientist to ensure that this management policy is properly executed.
All hazardous materials
require a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). Copies of all MSDSs shall be forwarded to the ship at least
four weeks before sailing. The
Chief Scientist shall have copies of each MSDS available when the hazardous
materials are loaded aboard.
HAZMAT for which the MSDS is not provided will not be loaded aboard.
The Chief Scientist will
provide the Commanding Officer with an inventory indicating the amount of each
hazardous material brought onboard, and for which the Chief Scientist is
responsible. This inventory shall
be updated at departure, accounting for the amount of material being removed in
its original state, the amount consumed in science operations, and the amount
being removed in the form of used chemicals.
All HAZMAT, except small
amounts for ready use, must be stored in the ship’s HAZMAT Locker. If science party requirements exceed
ship's storage capacity, excess HAZMAT must be stored in dedicated lockers
meeting Occupational Safety and Health Administration - National Fire Protection Association (OSHA/NFPA) standards
to be provided by the science party.
The scientific party,
under supervision of the Chief Scientist, shall be prepared to respond fully to
emergencies involving spills of any mission HAZMAT. This includes providing properly trained personnel for response,
as well as the necessary neutralizing chemicals and clean-up materials. Ship's personnel are not first
responders and will act only in a support role in the event of a spill. The Chief Scientist shall provide a
list of science party members that are properly trained to respond in the event
of HAZMAT spills.
The Chief Scientist is
directly responsible for the handling, both administrative and physical, of all
scientific party hazardous material.
No liquid hazardous material shall be introduced into the ship's drainage
system. No solid hazardous material shall be placed in the ship's garbage. If Formaldehyde enters the ship’s
drains, solidifying agents will not be added. Instead, the drains will be thoroughly flushed and the
Engineering Department will pump out the ship’s gray water tank. This is to avoid solidification of the
ship’s plumbing system.
The embarking Chief
Scientist will work with the departing Chief Scientist and the ship's
Environmental Compliance Officer to ensure proper tracking of inherited hazardous
materials.
7.0
COMMUNICATIONS - For scientific projects,
the Chief Scientist, or their designated representative, may have access to the
ship's communications systems on a cost reimbursable basis. Whenever possible, it is requested that
direct payment be used as opposed to after-the-fact reimbursement, such as
credit or calling card, etc. NOAA
Ship MILLER FREEMAN has several types of communication systems available to
communicate directly with shore-based facilities or other vessels at sea. Specific information on how to contact NOAA
Ship MILLER FREEMAN and all other fleet vessels can be found at http://www.moc.noaa.gov/phone.htm.
7.1 Electronic Mail
(E-mail) - FOCI requests that NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN transmits e-mail at least twice a day. At sea, electronic e-mail is sent and
received by the onboard INMARSAT B and INMARSAT Mini-M systems. In recent years, the proliferation of
e-mail and the reduction of INMARSAT costs have permitted the sending of
nominal amounts of personal e-mail when transmitted with official ship's
business. The availability of
e-mail services is a valuable quality of life issue aboard ship. Accordingly, a complimentary amount of
personal use will be permitted for all personnel aboard. At the current time, the complimentary
amount established by the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) is
set at $45.00 per month for e-mail transmission costs. There is no provision for payment to a
person who does not utilize the complimentary amount.
It should be understood
that the cost of personal e-mail being transmitted from shore to an individual
aboard ship will be charged against that individual's complimentary
amount. A detailed billing
statement will be issued periodically to any individual or Chief Scientist whose
costs have exceeded their group's monthly entitlement. All costs in excess of an individual's
or group's complimentary amount must be reimbursed. When personal use cannot be easily distinguished from
official business, the amount of reimbursement will equal the total cost, minus
the complimentary amount.
Each embarked personnel
will have an e-mail account and address established in their name by the Lead
Electronic Technician at the time of arrival. The general format for a user’s e-mail address is Firstname.Lastname@mfnems.pmc.noaa.gov.
7.2 Satellite
Communications - INMARSAT-B (voice and
facsimile) and INMARSAT Mini-M (voice) communications are available aboard ship
and may be used for personal or business related calls. Arrangements to pay for the calls must
be made before calling. Credit
card calls are the preferred method of payment. INMARSAT calls can be extremely expensive and the exact cost
may not be known until you receive your bill. If you do not have a credit card and need to make an
INMARSAT call, arrangements to pay by personal check may be arranged with the
Executive Officer. Brevity is
encouraged. See the Lead
Electronic Technician (LET) for any questions regarding the use of these
telephones. All requests for
INMARSAT calls, whether for official or personal business, will require the
approval of the Executive Officer or Commanding Officer.
7.2.1
INMARSAT
Mini-M - The Nera Worldphone
Mini M is used mainly as a back up to the INMARSAT B. It has voice, facsimile, and 2400-baud data communications
terminal. Cost is approximately
$2.30 per minute, which may be charged to a credit card or directly
reimbursed. INMARSAT Mini-M
service coverage is generally the same as INMARSAT-B.
7.2.2
INMARSAT-B - A Magnaphone MX-2464 INMARSAT-B is located in
the Radio Room and interfaced with the ship's Private Branch Exchange (PBX)
telephone system. The terminal
provides voice, facsimile, data, and telex connectivity via the worldwide INMARSAT
satellite system. Data speeds are
9600 and 56/64K baud. The ship's
e-mail is usually sent via INMARSAT-B on either the low or high-speed data
connection. Approximate costs
range from $3.00 per minute (low speed) to $10.00 per minute (high speed).
7.2.3
INMARSAT
Standard C - The Trimble Galaxy
Standard-C is used mainly for Telex type store and forward message service with
approximately 500-baud message transfer rate. Because of the high expense and slow data transfer rate, the
system is generally only used for ship's business, such as weather reporting
and telex to shore based facilities.
7.3
Cellular
Telephone - Routine incoming
non-emergency telephone calls are discouraged. A cellular telephone is located in the Radio Room and is
interfaced with the ship's PBX telephone systems. The ship carries a cellular telephone for ships business
when in range of a cellular station.
Use of the cellular telephone will be on a pay basis and require the
approval of the Commanding Officer or Executive Officer. Personnel are encouraged to bring their
own cellular telephones if the project will be in the area of land-based cells.
7.4
Ship
Telephone Services - Routine incoming
non-emergency telephone calls are discouraged. The ship's telephone is primarily used for ship's
business. The individual making
the call must pay for long distance personal calls.
7.5 Ship’s Mail - Incoming letters and packages can be sent to
embarked members of the ship’s crew and scientific complement by
addressing them to:
Name
NOAA
Ship MILLER FREEMAN
1801
Fairview Avenue East
Seattle,
Washington 98102
Mail received at the
marine center will be periodically forwarded to the ship’s next port of
call. When the ship is on a
foreign deployment, senders are encouraged to mail letters and packages early
to ensure delivery. Some foreign
customs authorities routinely open and inspect incoming mail. Arrangements for ship’s outgoing
mail will be made on the morning of departure. In foreign ports, mail must have United States postage
affixed as it will be boxed and shipped to Marine Operations Center, Pacific
where it will enter the United States postal system. United States postal stamps are not routinely available
aboard ship.
7.6
Methods and Progress Report - NOAA Ship Miller
Freeman does not maintain an exact Just File Transfer (JFT) radio schedule
with Marine Operations Center, Pacific; however, the ship uses e-mail. Radio contact will be maintained when
possible. The Chief Scientist will send a scientific progress report to their
respective Field Operations Leader via International Maritime Satellite
(INMARSAT) Voice, Fax, or e-mail at least once a week.
7.7 Receiving
Scientific Status Reports - The Chief
Scientist may anticipate the need for daily reports on the position of
satellite drifters in the study area and on the status of biophysical
mooring(s). These will be sent
either by facsimile from PMEL over INMARSAT or over the Internet from PMEL to
the Marine Operations Center, Pacific radio room and forwarded to the ship.
7.8
Use of Radio Transceivers - Because it is sometimes
necessary for the scientific staff to communicate with other research vessels,
commercial vessels, and shore based NOAA facilities, the Chief Scientist or
designee may request the use of radio transceivers aboard the vessel.
7.9
Radio Interference - Some scientific equipment is sensitive to radio frequency
interference. When interference
occurs, it may be necessary to adjust operations and communications schedules
if efforts to electronically isolate the equipment are unsuccessful.
8.1
Scientific
Berthing - The Chief Scientist
is responsible for assigning berthing for the scientific party within the
spaces approved as dedicated scientific berthing. The Operations Officer is requested to send stateroom
diagrams to the Chief Scientist showing authorized berthing spaces. The Chief Scientist is responsible for
returning the scientific berthing spaces in the condition in which they were
received, for stripping bedding, for linen return, and for the return of any
stateroom keys that were issued. Only
one set of linen and towels are provided to embarked personnel; the scientific
complement is responsible for laundering their own linen and towels during the
cruise.
The Chief Scientist is
responsible for the cleanliness of the laboratory spaces and storage areas used
by the science party, both during the cruise and at its conclusion before
departing the ship.
In accordance with NC
Instructions 5255.0 - Controlled Substances Aboard NOAA Vessels, dated August 6, 1985,
all persons boarding NOAA vessels give implied consent to conform to all safety
and security policies and regulations, which are administered by the Commanding
Officer. All spaces and equipment
on the vessel are subject to inspection or search at any time.
8.2 Medical Forms and
Emergency Contacts
8.2.1
Medical
Forms - Each participating
scientist must complete the NOAA Health Services Questionnaire and submit it to the
following recipient no later than four weeks before the cruise:
Commander Thomas J.
Edwards, USPHS
Marine Operations Center, Pacific
Health Services (MOPx3)
1801 Fairview Avenue
East,
Seattle, Washington
98102-3767
Telephone: (206)
553-8704
Facsimile: (206)
553-1112
E-mail: Thomas.J.Edwards@noaa.gov
This will allow time to
clear an individual medically, to request more information if needed, and to
help prepare for special circumstances.
The Chief Scientist will send out the forms to all participating
scientists. It is requested that
all personnel bring any prescription medication needed and any over-the-counter
medicine that is taken routinely. These medications are provided on board but
supplies are limited and chances to restock are few. An Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format health
questionnaire can be downloaded from http://www.moc.noaa.gov/all_ships/noaa-hsq.pdf.
8.2.2
Emergency
Contacts - Prior to departure,
the Chief Scientist must provide a listing of emergency contacts to the
Executive Officer for all members of the scientific party, with the following
information: name, address, relationship to member, and telephone number.
8.3
Shipboard
Safety - Bare or stocking feet
are not allowed outside staterooms because of the risk of injury from slipping
on wet decks, other hazards, and hygiene.
Open-toed shoes may be worn only in non-working, interior spaces. When conducting operations, personnel
involved with the deployment and recovery of scientific equipment, or the
launching and recovery of small boats, are required to wear hard hats and
flotation devices. All employees
are encouraged to wear safety shoes or boots. The following safety regulations will be observed when working
on deck:
·
Life
vests or floats coats will be properly worn when handling equipment over the
side, deploying equipment over the side, and on all launches (whether alongside
the ship, launching, or recovering),
·
Safety
belts and lines will be worn by those handling equipment over the side,
·
Hardhats
will be worn by all those involved in recovery or deployment of equipment and
boats,
·
Proper
footwear should be worn at all times, and
·
Ship's
equipment is to be operated only by qualified members of the ship's complement.
8.4
Port
Agent Services/Billing - Contractual
agreements exist between the port agents and the Commanding Officer for
services provided to NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN. Costs for any services arranged through
the ship’s agents by the scientific program, which are considered to be
outside the scope of the agent/ship support agreement, will be the
responsibility of that program.
Direct payment must be arranged between the scientific party and the
port agent, as opposed to after-the-fact reimbursements to the ship’s
account.
8.5
Wage
Marine Working Hours and Rest Periods - The Chief Scientist shall be cognizant of the reduced
capability of the ship’s operating crew to support 24-hour mission
activities with a high tempo of deck operations at all hours. Wage marine employees are subject to
negotiated work rules contained in the applicable collective bargaining
agreement. All wage marine
employees are supervised and assigned work only by the Commanding Officer or
designee. The Chief Scientist and
the Commanding Officer shall consult regularly to ensure that the shipboard
resources available to support the embarked mission are utilized safely,
efficiently and with due economy.