FINAL CRUISE INSTRUCTIONS

 

September 21, 2005

NOAA Ship RONALD H. BROWN

Cruise Number:

RB-05-06

Project:

Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) Moorings

Cruise dates:

25 October – 28 November, 2005

Chief Scientist:

Mr. Andrew Shepherd, NOAA PMEL

Working Area:

Eastern Equatorial Pacific

Itinerary:

Depart: Arica Chile

 

Arrive: Rodman, Panama

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Endorsements

________________________                                             _________________________

 

Dr. Eddie N. Bernard                                                                       Captain Jon Rix, NOAA

Director, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory                  Comanding Officer, MOC-Atlantic

Seattle, WA 98115                                                                       Norfolk, VA  23510

 

 

            TROPICAL ATMOSPHERE-OCEAN (TAO) PROGRAM

                                                                             

                                                    FINAL CRUISE INSTRUCTIONS 

                                                                           FOR

                                                            RB-05-06 (GP6-05-RB)

                                                      October 25 – November 28, 2004

 

PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS:

 

class=Section2>

NOAA, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory                TAO - Dr. Michael McPhaden

NOAA, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory                GCC - Dr. Dick Feely

Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory         GCC- Dr. Rik Wanninkhoff

NOAA, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory                Atmospheric Soundings -Dr. Nick Bond

NOAA, Environmental Technology Laboratory                     ETL- Dr. Chris Fairall -Dr. Jeff Hare

NOAA, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab.      Drifters - Craig Engler

University of Hawaii                                                            ADCP -  Dr. Eric Firing

Scripps Institution of Oceanography                                      N and O Isotopes – Patrick Rafter

NOAA, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory                Argo Drifters – Dr. Greg Johnson

 

 

class=Section3>

 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

 

A major objective of the TAO/TRITON Array is to facilitate understanding, modeling, and prediction of global interannual climate fluctuations associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon.  To this end, the TAO Project has implemented an ocean-atmosphere observing array in the tropical Pacific Ocean to initialize, force, and verify ocean prediction models.  The TAO/TRITON Array consists of approximately 70 ATLAS moorings and current meter moorings within 8-12 degrees of the equator and spanning the Pacific Basin from 95° W to 137° E.  Data from the array are both internally recorded and reported in real-time via Service Argos.  The array is being maintained under sponsorship of NOAA’s Office of Global Programs (OGP) as part of the ENSO Observing System for NOAA’s Seasonal-to-Interannual Climate Prediction Program.

 

TAO Program Director

Dr. Michael J. McPhaden

PMEL, TAO Project Office

7600 Sand Point Way NE

Seattle, WA 98115

(206) 526-6783,  -6744 (fax)

Michael.j.mcphaden@noaa.gov

 

Area:    Eastern Equatorial Pacific

 

Itinerary:                                                          

RB-05-06          Arica, Chile                                                                   Depart 25 October, 2005

                        Balboa, Panama                                                            Arrive 28 Novermber, 2005

                       

 

class=Section4>

CRUISE DESCRIPTION

 

Cruise Objective and Plan:

 

The objective of this cruise is the maintenance of the TAO Array along the 95°W and 110°W meridians.  The scientific complement will load mooring equipment on the ship in Miami, FL during September 24 – 26, 2005.  Scientific personnel will embark on October 24, 2005 in Arica Chile.  The TAO cruise will complete operations on or about November 28, in Balboa, Panama, where all scientific personnel will debark.   The scientific gear will be offloaded in Charleston, SC in early December.

 

 

         MOC-A  Operations:                                                     TAO  Operations:

         LCDR Ricardo Ramos, NOAA                                      LCDR Brian Lake, NOAA

         NOAA/MOC-A                                                            NOAA/PMEL/TAO

         439 WEST YORK ST                                                   7600 Sand Point Way NE

         Norfolk, VA 23510-1114                                                Seattle, WA 98115-0070

         (757) 441-6844                                                              (206) 526-6403

         Jim.Meigs@noaa.gov                                                    Brian.Lake@noaa.gov

 

 

1.0  PERSONNEL

 

1.1   CHIEF SCIENTIST AND PARTICIPATING SCIENTISTS:

 

Chief Scientist:              Andy Shepherd

 

The Chief Scientist is authorized to revise or alter the scientific portion of the cruise plan 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 cruise; (3) result in undue additional expenses; (4) alter the general intent of these instructions. 

 

A list of participating scientists follows in this set of specific cruise instructions.  All participating scientists will submit a NOAA Health Services Questionnaire form approximately four weeks prior to sailing.

 

Participating Scientists

 

Name

Sex

Nationality

Affiliation

Andy Shepherd

M

USA

NOAA/PMEL/TAO

Mike Craig

M

USA

NOAA/PMEL/TAO

Korey Martin

M

USA

NOAA/PMEL/TAO

Jeremy Harbeck

M

USA

NOAA/PMEL

 

 

      

 

 

2.0  OPERATIONS

 

The cruise track and details of station work are summarized in Appendices A and B.  The cruise will involve underway operations (Section 2.01) between stations, including CTD/water sampling stations (Section 2.02), mooring recoveries, deployments, and repairs (Section 2.03).  During the cruise, it is requested that the vessel provide to the Chief Scientist an updated operations spreadsheet (similar to Appendix A) with actual times and speeds made good for the entire cruise.  The TAO project will provide regular updates of buoy positions during the cruise in order to recover those adrift.

                                               

2.01 Underway Operations

 

2.01.1 ADCP

 

A ship-mounted ADCP system will be used to continuously measure the currents in the upper ocean along the trackline. At a minimum, data from the ADCP will be logged from the start of the transit once in international waters (or waters for which there is research clearance) and continue until leaving international waters.  For calibration purposes it is essential that bottom tracking be activated at the start and end of a cruise when in water depths shallower than 500m.  The ship's Survey Technician will be in charge of data storage (hard drive to disks and/or CD’s as necessary).  The ADCP will be interfaced to the ship’s GPS receiver and will receive data at one-second intervals.  The clock on the ADCP IBM computer will NOT be reset while underway.  ADCP operating parameters will not be changed without the permission of the Chief Scientist, in consultation with Dr. Eric Firing, and after informing TAO personnel of the intended parameter change.  All ADCP data will be provided to the chief scientist and sent to Dr. Eric Firing at the University of Hawaii.

 

Accurate ship navigation is essential for valid ADCP current measurements.  The ship will provide a fully operational GPS receiver and Seapath 200 system (or equivalent) for navigation input.  Ship’s ET will select proper GPS codes to enable ADCP navigation data collection.  The ADCP will be interfaced with the ship's gyro so that accurate heading information is available to the ADCP.   A manual comparison of the ADCP heading/gyro reading will be logged by the Electronics Technician while the ship is dockside, at the beginning of a cruise and checked periodically throughout the cruise. For calibration purposes, “Bottom Tracking” should be activated whenever the ship is transiting water shallower than 500m.

 

Due to compatibility problems, the ADCP is not interfaced to SCS, so GPS navigation and gyro inputs must be connected directly to the ADCP system.  If the ADCP becomes interfaced to the SCS, then the ADCP data will be recorded on both the ADCP recording system and the SCS.  Appropriate data storage systems will be connected to the ADCP system for ADCP data collection.  The ADCP data recorded on the IBM has course and speed information from the navigation data that is exactly time coincident with the ADCP ensembles.

 

The ADCP system will be operated by ship personnel and will continuously log data to the ADCP zip storage disks during the entire cruise.  If necessary, the ADCP data disks will be changed when full.  Full disks will be labeled and backed up.  An ADCP log will be maintained by the Electronics Technician and a check of the ADCP recording of heading, time, velocity and navigation information will be done periodically to ensure the system is operating properly.  Any inconsistencies, such as heading, time, and/or navigation input not in agreement with actual/expected, will be noted in the log and reported to the Commanding Officer and Chief Scientist.

 

Principle Investigator:

Dr Eric Firing, University of Hawaii                    efiring@iniki.soest.hawaii.edu

 

 

2.01.2 SST and SSS

Sea surface temperature and salinity will be recorded continuously with a SEABIRD SBE-21 accurate to within 0.1 C and 0.01 psu.  The Survey Technician will translate the data from the thermosalinograph to ASCII.  It is the vessel’s responsibility to ensure that the thermosalinograph is calibrated, at a minimum, annually.

 

2.02 CTD Observations

A Sea-Bird 911 plus CTD with dual temperature and conductivity sensors will be the primary system and will be provided by the program. A backup Sea-Bird 911 plus CTD with dual sensors is also required and will be provided by the ship.  A Sea-Bird carousel and twelve 10-liter Niskin bottles will be used to collect water samples for the analysis of salinity.  A backup Sea-Bird carousel and spare Niskins will be provided by the program.

 

At a minimum, 1000 meter CTD casts shall be conducted at each mooring site between 8° N and 8° S for sensor inter‑comparison purposes.  As time permits, additional or deeper CTD’s should be conducted whenever addition of the CTD’s will not impact scheduled mooring work.  For example, if the ship would arrive at the next mooring site in the middle of the night, it is preferable to do CTD’s on the way, rather than remain hove to waiting for daylight.  Another example would be when mooring operations are significantly ahead of schedule.  Beyond those at mooring sites, CTD’s should be conducted in the following order of priority:

- 1000m CTD’s at one-degree latitude intervals between 8° N and 8° S, along the ship’s trackline.

- Extend 1000m CTD’s at mooring sites to a minimum of 3000m or a maximum depth of 200m from the bottom.  Four to six deep casts are optimal, occurring at the beginning and end of the cruise as well as at both equatorial sites.

- 1000m CTD’s every one‑half degree of latitude between 3°N and 3°S

- Additional calibration CTD’s to be determined by Chief Scientist.

 

For each cast, the CTD operator should be notified at least 30 minutes prior to arriving on station in order to ready the underwater package and power up the instrumentation (i.e. turn on the deck unit) giving the electronics time to equilibrate.  The data acquisition program and VCR should be started just prior to deployment. 

 

Once the CTD has been deployed, it should be held at 10 m for 2 minutes to activate the pumps and remove any air bubbles in the sensor tubing.  The winch operator should then raise the package to just beneath the surface being careful to not let the sensors come out of the water. The CTD operator will hit “markscan” and then instruct the winch operator to start down. 

 

Descent rates should be 30 m/min from 0-50 m, 45 m/min from 50-200 m, and 60 m/min beyond 200 m.  An entry in the Marine Operations Abstract should be made for each CTD cast at the maximum cast depth by the bridge watch.  Ascent rates should not exceed 60 m/min.  If possible, all 8 Niskin bottles should be closed at specified depths in the water column.  After recovery and data acquisition is completed,  the deck unit should be turned off.

 

CTD data will be acquired and processed on the ship’s computer equipped with SEASOFT software.  The capability to display CTD data using the SCS system and monitors will be available. The CTD operator will complete the CTD cast logs.  The CTD operator or bridge watch will maintain the CTD weather log.

 

PMEL proposes taking 8 samples per station instead of 12; not sampling 1/2-degree stations; and running 40 samples per standard instead of 36.   Questions regarding these revised procedures should be directed to Kristy McTaggart – (206) 526-6692.

Water samples for salinity analysis will be taken from 8 depths per station instead of 12 and running 40 samples per standard instead of 36.  No salinity sampling is required at the ½-degree stations.  The Survey Technician will run salinity analysis on the ship's autosalinometer within 2-3 days after the samples are collected using ACI2000 software.  The autosalinometer will be standardized with IAPSO standard seawater, provided by the program, before each salinity run.  Bottle salinity data will be used post-cruise at PMEL for conductivity sensor calibration.

 

The Chief Scientist in consultation with the FOO will set a cruise CTD operator schedule for the science party to assist and cover 24 hour CTD operations as needed relative to the CST’s workload.

 

Principle Investigator:

Dr Gregory Johnson, PMEL                   206-526-6806    gregory.c.johnson@noaa.gov

 

2.03 Mooring Operations

 

Mooring Operations are scheduled to be conducted as shown in Appendix A.  Operations will be conducted from 8S - 95W to 8N - 95W and then to 8N - 110W thence to 8S - 110W.  The following mooring operations are anticipated, though the work may be changed by direction of the Chief Scientist; in consultation, with the Commanding Officer.

 

 

Location

Mooring Type

Operation

Status

8°S 95°W

ATLAS

Recover/Deploy

 

5°S 95°W

ATLAS

Visit

 

2°S 95°W

ATLAS

Recover/Deploy

Buoy adrift

0°   95°W

ATLAS

Recover/Deploy

Moved 17 nm

0°   95°W

PICO

Deploy

 

2°N 95°W

ATLAS

Repair

Check Rain gauge and repair if necessary.

2°N 95°W

PICO

Deploy

 

5°N 95°W

ATLAS

Recover/Deploy

Moved 8 nm

8°N 95°W

ATLAS

Recover/Deploy

Subsurface below 40 m = 0

8°N110°W

ATLAS

Visit

 

5°N110°W

ATLAS

Visit

 

2°N110°W

ATLAS

Visit

 

0° 110°W

ATLAS

Recover/Deploy

 

0° 110°W

ADCP

Recover/Deploy

 

2°S 110°W

ATLAS

Recover/Deploy

 

5°S 110°W

ATLAS

Recover/Deploy

 

8°S 110°W

ATLAS

Recover/Deploy

 

                             

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Michael McPhaden                       (206) 526-6783          michael.j.mcphaden@noaa.gov

 

 

2.04 Navigation

Navigation will be based on the best available information, including GPS, dead reckoning, radar and visual bearings as appropriate.  GPS is vital to the efficient deployment of a mooring and is the preferred navigational aid in the project area.  Radar ranges and visual bearings to buoys may be required during deployment and recovery operations.

 

Navigational information will be recorded on the Marine Operations Abstract (MOA) by the bridge watch.  In addition to recording mooring events as they occur, various courses and speeds may be logged when on station.  In the event of an SCS failure, the bridge watch will record hourly GPS positions in the MOA.

 

2.05 Sea Beam

Sea Beam swath surveys are requested for all mooring sites of this cruise as defined above. The center beam information of the Sea Beam system will be used to observe and record bottom depth for this and future mooring deployments.  The Chief Scientist will provide areas and coverage parameters for the surveys relative to time available as the cruise progresses. Contoured plots of mooring site surveys will be generated by the Chief Survey Technician.

 

2.06 Underway  Measurements in support of Global Carbon Cycle Research (GCC)

 

2.06.1 Request:

As part of the ongoing research to quantify the CO2 uptake by the world's oceans we have installed underway systems on BROWN.  After initial start-up, which requires about one hour of monitoring, the system needs checking twice a day requiring a total of about 20-minutes.  We would also request weekly data downloads and transmission such that we can perform on shore near-real-time quality control to assess if the instrument is operating satisfactorily.    All costs of the email transmissions and survey technician overtime would be covered by AOML.  The chief survey technician, J. Shannahoff, has operated the instrument before with good results. In the event of system malfunction that cannot be easily repaired, we will ask Mr. Shannahoff to shut the system down.  The shoreside leader of the effort, Mr. Robert Castle has interacted closely with J. Shannahoff and feels that this arrangement would work well.

 

2.06.2 Introduction:

The underway sensors on RHB will be used in support of the objectives of the Global Carbon Cycle Research (GCC) to quantify the uptake of carbon by the world's ocean and to understand the bio-geochemical mechanisms responsible for variations of partial pressure of CO2 in surface water (pCO2).   This work is a collaborative effort between the CO2 groups at AOML and PMEL.

 

The semi-automated instruments are installed on a permanent basis in the hydrolab of RHB and are operated by personnel from AOML and PMEL.   All work is performed on a not-to-interfere basis and does not introduce any added ship logistic requirements other than the continuous operation of the bow water pump and thermosalinograph.  This effort requires one permanent berth for the operator of the systems.  The instrumentation is comprised of an underway system to measure pCO2, a SOMMA (single operator multi-parameter metabolic analyzer) -coulometer system to measure total Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC),  - a Turner Designs fluorometer, and a YSI oxygen probe. An oxygen titrator and stand-alone fluorometer will be used to calibrate the underway oxygen and fluorometer, respectively. All the instruments are set up along the port side bulkhead and aft bench in the hydrolab.  The batch oxygen and DIC samples will be analyzed in AOML. 

 

2.06.3 Rationale:

Current estimates of anthropogenic CO2 uptake by the oceans range from 1 to 2.8 Gigatons per year.  The CO2 fluxes between air and water are poorly constrained because of lack of seasonal and geographic coverage of delta pCO2 (the air-water disequilibrium) values and incomplete understanding of factors controlling the air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide.  Seasonal and temporal coverage can be increased dramatically by deploying pCO2 analyzers on ships.

 

The effort on RHB is expanded beyond the historical scope of the underway programs by incorporating additional sensors to improve our understanding of the factors controlling pCO2 levels.

 

2.06.4 Sensor Suite and Maintenance:

 

2.06.4.1 Underway pCO2 system

This system consists of a large (40-liter) air-water equilibrator requiring an unobstructed drain at floor level for the 15 L/min outflow, an infra red analyzer with valves and flow meters, and a computer controlling the operating sequence and which also logs the data.  The underway pCO2 system is an integrated package for measurement of pCO2 in air and water and support sensors necessary to reduce the data (such as equilibrator temperature, location, salinity, sea surface temperature and barometric pressure).  This system is an upgrade from the initial systems and requires routine checks at 6-12 hour intervals, including logging of mercury thermometers in the equilibrator.

 

2.06.4.2 Oxygen sensor

This is a compact pulsed electrode unit which also contains a temperature sensor.  This is a new sensor built by Dr. Langdon at LDEO.  Water requirement is 2-Liter/minute with a bench top drain. One foot of bench space is required. During this cruise the data will be validated against samples taken four times a day and analyzed by potentiometric winkler titrations.

 

2.06.4.3 Turner Designs Fluorometer

This instrument, which was jointly purchased by AOML and MOC-A for BALDRIGE, requires a water throughput of about 5 L/min.  Periodic cleaning of the flow through cell (2-14 days) is required .  The signal of the fluorometer is logged on the shipboard SCS system or on the computer logging the underway pCO2 data.  Aliquots of seawater are extracted twice per day and analyzed for chlorophyll and phaopigments on a separate fluorometer following routine procedures  to calibrate the fluorometer signal.  This information will be particularly useful to extrapolate the observations from the NASA SEAWIFS satellite to in situ pigment concentrations.

 

2.06.5 Summary - Ship infrastructure support:

 

2.06.5.1 Continuous seawater supply: 20 lpm minimum, 40 lpm maximum for instruments, and 75 lpm throughput to assure short residence time of water in line and minimal heating.

 

2.06.5.2 Access to TSG and SCS data: Temperature at intake, salinity from TSG, fluorometer signal, wind speed (true and relative), wind direction (true and relative), time, latitude, longitude, and ship speed.

 

2.06.5.3  Bench space, hydrolab space, access to bow water line and drains.

 

Principal investigators:

 

Dr Rik Wanninkhof, AOML                 305-361-4379            Rik.Wannikhof@noaa.gov

Dr Richard Feely, PMEL                     206-526-6214            Richard.A.Feely@noaa.gov

 

Specific questions should be directed to:

Robert Castle, AOML                         305-361-4418            Robert.Castle@noaa.gov

 

2.07 Underway CIRIMS skin temperature device

 

The CIRIMS design goal is to provide ocean skin temperature data with an accuracy of +/- 0.1 °C from a system that has the ability to run autonomously at sea for extended periods with no involvement from the vessel crew.  The CIRIMS design incorporates two Heitronics infrared KT11 radiometers with a spectral bandwidth in the 9.6-11.5 μm range. One radiometer is housed within the unit itself and measures sea surface radiance. The second radiometer is housed externally in an enclosure and measures sky radiance. Reliable calibration of the internal radiometer is achieved by two-point calibration using a modified Hart Scientific microbath. A custom designed, copper cylindro-cone blackbody is immersed in a water/ethylene glycol solution within the temperature-controlled microbath. Two calibration points are set a few degrees above and below the scene temperature allowing for dynamic calibration over a wide

 range of scene temperatures.  The temperature-controlled housing provides a stable, dry environment for the internal radiometer and the blackbody. The insulated housing is heated and cooled by a thermoelectric heater/cooler unit, which maintains the internal case temperature to within +/- 0.5 °C of the set point, generally 35 °C.  Protection of the radiometer and blackbody is arguable the most challenging and debated aspect of a practical design. We have chosen to use an  IR transparent window to provide complete protection under all conditions. This approach relies on our ability to correct for the effect of the

window. The external housing contains the IR transparent window and an external heated blackbody. Since the window is not perfectly transparent, the effect of the transmission, emission, and reflectance of the window on the measured radiance must be determined. In order to quantify the effect of the window, a two-point hot blackbody has been mounted on the back of the door of the external housing. The door of the housing is closed, protecting the internal components, and measurements are made of the heated blackbody with and without the window. In this way we are able to correct for the window effect.

 

 Two through-the-hull instrument ports are installed on the Brown at depths of 2 m and 3 m below the mean still water line. The ports are located directly  above the ship's existing 5 m intake port in the bow thruster room. The ports have been  instrumented with two SeaBird model SBE-39 Temperature/Pressure sensors to provide temperature at depths intermediate between the ship's standard intake depth of 5 m and the CIRIMS skin SST.

 

Principal Investigator

Andy Jessup  UW/APL, (206) 685-2609     jessup@apl.washington.edu

 

2.08   Atmospheric Soundings

PACS is sponsoring a project to resume atmospheric soundings during buoy operations in the eastern equatorial Pacific.  The primary data collection will consist of four soundings a day (nominally at 0000, 0600, 1200 and 1800 Z) while along the 110°W and  95°W transects between 8°N and 8°S.  The region of greatest interest is between about the equator and 5°N along each line.  Twice-daily soundings (at 0000 and 1200 Z) will be collected on the day prior to arriving at 8°N, 110°W , the day after departing 8°N, 95°W, and during the transit from 8°S, 110°W  to 8°S, 95°W.  These soundings can be collected either while the ship is on station or underway.  The soundings will be made using a Vaisala receiving station which will be installed prior to the cruise, following standard launch procedures.  Since it is the lowest portion of the atmosphere that is of greatest interest, any sonde that reaches as high as 500 mb will be considered successful.   Jeremy Harbeck, along with the Survey Tech will carry out the launches.  It is  recognized that this work is to be carried out on a not to interfere basis with the primary project.

 

Principle Investigator:

Dr. Nicholas Bond, PMEL/JISAO        206-526-6459            nickolas.a.bond@noaa.gov

 

2.09 Environmental Technology Laboratory

 

2.09.1 ETL Systems and Responsibilities

The Environmental Technology Laboratory (ETL) flux system includes a variety of bulk meteorological sensors, radiative fluxes,and  cloud ceilometer.   Jeff Hare will be responsible for the installation.  

 

The ETL flux system is set up on the jack staff and bow tower (See Appendix E and F).  Fast turbulence sensors are mounted on the jack staff; flux radiometers, the ETL STI rain gauge, and data loggers are mounted on the AOML bow tower. Signal and power cables are from the bow tower to the main lab thru the 02 deck hull penetration.  ETL flux data will be logged on an HP-UX workstation in the main lab.

 

2.09.2 Ship infrastructure support:

ETL will require an RS-232 data stream from the ship’s SCS at a rate of 2 seconds for realtime logging on the flux HP-UX system in the main lab.  This will consist of navigational information (ship’s P-code GPS, ship’s gyro, ship’s Doppler log) and some meteorological/oceanographic data (thermosalinograph water temperature, some IMET data).  This will be the same event used on the JASMINE, NAURU99,  KWAJEX, and fall-01 and fall- 02 TAO cruises.

 

2.09.3 ETL flux System Operations

These systems all take measurements continuously; they will be monitored by Jeff Hare.  The major operational aspects of these systems are moving blocks of data for archiving, preliminary processing for data quality assessment, routine calibration checks, and cleaning of optical surfaces on the fast humidity sensor.   We will take periodic readings of ambient T/RH from the bridge or 02 deck using an Assman psychrometer and a Vaisala handheld calibration reference.  The Ophir hygrometer has exposed optical surfaces that accumulate salt particles generated by oceanic whitecaps.  This causes contamination of the water vapor.  The contamination can be reduced by rinsing with fresh water.  A water hose has been rigged up the jack staff to a set of sprayers on the instrument.  This allows a fresh water rinse of the optical sensor surface without climbing the jack staff.

 

Principal Investigator

Dr Chris Fairall, ETL     303-497-3253                                    Christopher.W.Fairall@noaa.gov

 

2.09.3 Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) Surface Drifters

The Global Drifter Center at NOAA/AOML requests drifter deployments on an ancillary basis.  The drifters are small, easily deployed devices that are tracked by ARGOS and provide Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and mixed layer currents.  The global array of drifters provides SST ground truth for NOAA’s polar orbiting satellite AVHRR SST maps.  They also provide data to operational meteorological and ocean models, and research ocean current data sets.

 

Drifter Positions - TBA

 

Principal Investigator

Craig Engler, NOAA/AOML               (305) 361-4439          Craig.Engler@noaa.gov

 

2.094 Nitrate N and Oxygen Isotope Analysis

 

At 7°N 95°W, 1°N 95°W, 7°S 95°W and 7°N 110°W, 1°N 110°W, 7°S 95°W, a 50-ml seawater sample will be taken at the following depth from the CTD casts: Surface, 10 m, 20 m, 40 m, 60 m, 100 m, 150 m, 200 m, 400 m, 600 m, 800 m, 1000 m.  Each sample will be stored for later Nitrate N and Oxygen isotope analysis.  Sample jars will be provided by Scripps Institute of Oceanography.  It is anticipated that the Survey Technician, together with other embarked scientific personnel will take the samples. Samples will be frozen in the scientific freezer and will be collected at the conclusion of this cruise in Charleston, SC.

 

Patrick Rafter                                                                     prafter@insci14.ucsd.edu

 

2.095 Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) Argo Profiling CTD Floats

 

Four Argo floats are scheduled for deployment on this cruise.   Individual deployment positions can be shifted by a degree or so along the ship track if more convenient.  Each float weighs about 56 lbs.  The boxes weigh about 200 lbs. full and are 82” long x 17” high x 23” long.  Boxes cannot be stored or transported on their small ends.   The floats are sensitive to high temperatures, so as space for a pair of floats becomes available on the computer lab rack, it will be desirable to move floats from the next box to the rack at the earliest convenient time.  A manual for float testing and deployment has been sent to the ship.  Float deployment locations are as follows:

 

TBA

 

Gregory Johnson                                 (206) 526-6806          pmel_floats@noaa.gov                   

Elizabeth Steffen                                 (206) 526-6747          pmel_floats@noaa.gov

 

3.0.  FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

 

3.1 EQUIPMENT AND CAPABILITIES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE SHIP

The following systems and their associated support services are essential to the cruise.  Sufficient consumable, 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.

 

class=Section5>

 

·         Narrow band Acoustic Doppler Current Profiling (ADCP) system.

·         Hydro winch with slip rings and sufficient CTD cable for casts up to 5500 meters.

·         Recently calibrated (i.e. at least annually) salinometer plus sample bottles.

·         GPS Navigation equipment.

·         Marine Operations Abstracts (OCS Worksheet 001).

·         Deck machinery for mooring recovery and deployment.

·         Laboratory and storage space.

·         PC based SCS workstation.

·         Sea surface temperature and salinity system (thermosalinograph).

·         Zodiac, or equivalent, and motor for servicing moorings.

·         Recently calibrated Seabird CTD, 2T/C sensor pairs, rosette frame and pylon, and deck unit, and VCR..

·         Electronic & mechanical terminations for CTD.

·         Fathometer capable of depth readouts to 6000 meters.

 

class=Section6>

 

3.2 EQUIPMENT TO BE PROVIDED BY THE PROGRAM

All equipment and instrumentation will be provided by the program except as noted in 3.1.

 

class=Section7>

 

·         One Seabird CTD, two temperature/conductivity T/C pairs, rosette frame and pylon (with spare), deck unit, oxygen sensor (and spare), load cell (and spare).

·         IAPSO standard water

·         All components of the planned moorings.

·         Peck & Hale Release-A-Matic hook.

·         CTD spare parts and supplies.

·         Twenty-four 10-liter Niskin bottles.

·         Consumables - i.e. copy/printer paper, data storage media, pens and pencils.

 

class=Section8>

 

Additionally, NOAA Ship RONALD H. BROWN shall provide and/or service the following:

 

3.3 SCIENTIFIC COMPUTER SYSTEM (SCS)

The ship's Scientific Computer System (SCS) shall operate throughout the cruise, acquiring and logging data from navigation, meteorological and oceanographic 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 TAO SCS administrators.

 

The TAO SCS contact is:

Paul Freitag                           206-526-6727                           paul.freitag@noaa.gov

 

At regular intervals, not to exceed every five days, the ship's SCS manager will archive data from disk files to CD’s for delivery to the Project representative at the end of the cruise.  Additional recording of processed data may be requested of the ship's SCS manager; if so, specific instructions will be found in the individual TAO Cruise Instructions for each cruise.

 

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.

 

3.4 SEACHEST AND UNCONTAMINATED SEAWATER

Sea surface temperature and conductivity will be continuously sampled.  Data from the Sea-Bird thermosalinograph installed in the wet lab shall be logged by the SCS.  Uncontaminated seawater will be pumped to the wet lab and through a CO2 equilibrator.

 

The ship's SCS ASCII-Logger feature shall be configured to log; at a minimum, the following six second averaged data throughout each TAO cruise, including:

 

 

A standard template file specifying these data types shall be maintained for all TAO cruises by the ship's SCS manager.  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 Survey Technician will be responsible for ensuring that the data streams from the instruments are correctly logged by the SCS.  The Survey Technician is responsible for checking the logger status display on a daily schedule to determine that the instruments are functioning, and for taking salinity calibration samples every other day.

 

4.0.  DATA AND REPORTS

 

4.1 DATA DISPOSITION AND 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.  As the representative of the Director, PMEL, the Chief Scientist is also responsible for the dissemination of copies of these data to participants in the cruise, to any other requesters, and to NESDIS (ROSCOP form completed within three months of cruise completion).  The ship may assist in copying data and reports insofar as facilities allow.

 

The Chief Scientist will receive all original data gathered by the ship for the primary project.  This data transfer will be documented on NOAA form 61-29 "Letter Transmitting Data."

 

The Commanding Officer is responsible for all data collected for ancillary projects until those data have been transferred to the Projects' principal investigators or their designees.  Data transfers will be documented on NOAA Form 61-29.  Copies of ancillary project data will be provided to the Chief Scientist when requested.  Reporting and sending copies of ancillary project data to NESDIS (ROSCOP form) is the responsibility of the program office sponsoring those projects.

 

4.2 DATA REQUIREMENTS

The following data products will be included in the cruise data package:

 

·         Marine Operations Abstracts.

·         CTD data (VCR tapes, zip disks, CD’s) and CTD data notebook including CTD cast logs.

·         Salinity sample analysis floppy.

·         ADCP digital recordings.

·         Marine weather observation logs.

·         Smooth plot and listing of bathymetry recorded in the vicinity of moorings.

·         Calibration information for ship's salinometer and thermosalinograph.

·         SCS data tapes.

·         Cruise operations spreadsheet w/ actual speed/dates made good along trackline.

 

4.2.1    Marine Observation Log:

The ship’s officers will maintain a Marine Operations Abstract (MOA) form during the cruise.  The critical information to record at each station is:

 

·         GMT date

·         GMT time

·         Position

·         Station number

·         Bottom depth

 

At present, a paper form (hard copy) MOA is the most secure method for ensuring that these data are recorded and preserved.  However; a secure electronic version could be used to replace the paper MOA.

 

4.3 SHIP OPERATIONS EVALUATION FORM AND CRUISE MEETINGS

This report will be completed by the Chief Scientist within thirty days after the cruise completion and forwarded through the Lab Director to NMAO.

 

A pre-cruise meeting between the Chief Scientist, the Commanding Officer and their respective staff will be held prior to commencement of operations to identify operational and logistic requirements.

 

A post-cruise 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.

 

5.0.  ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATIONS AND PROJECTS

 

5.1 ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATIONS AND ANCILLARY PROJECTS

Any ancillary work done during this project will be accomplished with the concurrence of the Chief Scientist and on a not-to-interfere basis with the programs described in these instructions and in accordance with the NOAA Fleet Standing Ancillary Instructions.

 

Personnel assigned to ancillary projects and participating in the cruise, may be assigned additional scientific duties in support of the project by the Chief Scientist.

 

Synoptic weather reports will be handled in accordance with NC Instruction 3142D, SEAS Data Collection and Transmission Procedures.

 

6.0  HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

 

NOAA Ship RONALD H. BROWN will operate in full compliance with all environmental compliance requirements imposed by NOAA. The Chief Scientist shall be responsible for complying with MOCDOC 15, Fleet Environmental Compliance #07, Hazardous Material and Hazardous Waste Management Requirements for Visiting Scientists, released July 2002.  The MOCDOC web site address is:

 

http://205.156.48.106/

                                               

By Federal regulations and NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations policy, the ship may not sail without a complete inventory of all hazardous materials by name and the anticipated quantity brought aboard, MSDS and appropriate neutralizing agents, buffers, and/or absorbents in amounts adequate to address spills of a size equal to the amount of chemicals brought aboard and a chemical hygiene plan.  The Chief Scientist shall account for the amount of hazardous material arriving and leaving the vessel.  NOAA Ship RONALD H. BROWN Environmental Compliance Officer will work with the Chief Scientist to ensure that this management policy is properly executed, and that any problems are brought promptly to the attention of the Commanding Officer.

 

6.1 Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

All hazardous materials require a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).  Copies of all MSDS’s shall be forwarded to the ship at least two weeks prior to sailing.  The Chief Scientist shall have copies of each MSDS available when the  hazardous materials are loaded aboard.  Hazardous material for which the MSDS is not provided will not be loaded aboard.

 

6.2 HAZMAT Inventory

The Chief Scientist will complete a local inventory form, provided by the Commanding Officer, indicating the amount of each 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, as well as the amount consumed in science operations and the amount being removed in the form of waste.

 

6.3 HAZMAT Locker

The ship’s dedicated HAZMAT Locker contains two 45-gallon capacity flammable cabinets and one 22-gallon capacity flammable cabinet, plus some available storage on the deck.  Unless there are dedicated storage lockers (meeting OSHA/NFPA standards) in each van, all HAZMAT, except small amounts for ready use, must be stored in the HAZMAT Locker.

 

6.4 HAZMAT Spill Response

The scientific party, under the 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 in a support role only, in the event of a spill.

 

6.5 Responsibilities

The Chief Scientist is directly responsible for the proper handling, both administrative and physical, of all scientific party hazardous wastes.  No liquid wastes shall be introduced into the ship’s drainage system.  No solid waste material shall be placed in the ship’s garbage. 

 

6.6 Ancillary Projects Hazardous Materials

     

      Items                                                                               Volume                       Program

 

class=Section9>

          Hydrochloric Acid (HCL)                                              0.5 liter                       CO2(AOML)

          Acetone (flammable)                                                     4 liters                        CO2(AOML)

          Manganous chloride solution, (non-flammable)                1liter                           CO2(AOML)

          Alkaline sodium iodide solution, (non-flammable)             1 liter                          CO2(AOML)

          Magnesium perchlorate drying agent                              0.5 kg                         CO2(AOML)

          (solid strong acid)

          Mercury chloride solution, conc.                                     100 ml                        CO2(AOML)

 

   

Compressed gas

Compressed air standards (8 cylinders) for calibration of underway pCO2 instrument. (CO2/AOML)*

Compressed helium (12) for atmospheric soundings. (Bond/PMEL)**

 

    *    The cylinders are "B" size, aluminum, rated to 2000 psi, have MSDS and have passed a hydrostatical pressure tested within the past five years.

    **   The cylinders are “K” size, aluminum, rated to 2000 psi, have MSDS and have passed a hydrostatical pressure tested within the past five years.                                                                               

 

7.0  MISCELLANEOUS

 

·         Phosphoric acid is unusually destructive to nylon, causing a dramatic reduction in the strength of this material used in the surface mooring systems.  Because many of the rust removing compounds used on the ships contain large amounts of phosphoric acid, it is requested that extreme care be taken to protect any nylon that is stored on deck when chemical rust removal is undertaken.

 

·         The glass balls used on some of the moorings are, as the name implies, made of glass.  They should be handled gently to prevent damage.

 

·         Some scientific equipment is sensitive to radio frequency interference.  If interference with this or other equipment occurs, it may be necessary for the Chief Scientist and the Commanding Officer to adjust operations and transmission times or take other steps to electronically isolate the equipment.

 

·         All SCUBA diving, if conducted, shall be in accordance with NOAA, NMAO, and MOC directives.

 

·         Fouling of instruments or other damage to instrumented moorings that are expected to operate unattended for many months are of considerable concern to the Project.  To minimize the risk, ship operations such as XBT and CTD casts shall be conducted not less than one nautical mile from any mooring.  With the consent of the Chief Scientist, recreational fishing shall be allowed within the one mile range, only when the mooring is being recovered.

 

·         There will be no charge for meals. Commissioned officers who are participating as scientific personnel will be charged at commissioned officer's rate in accordance with Title 37, U.S.S. Section 302 based upon the established monthly Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS).

 

7.1 Small Boat Operations

Small boat operations are weather dependent and at the Command’s discretion.

 

7.2 Pre and Post Cruise Meetings

A pre-cruise meeting between the Commanding Officer and the Chief Scientist will be conducted either on the day before or the day of departure, with the express purpose of identifying day-to-day project requirements, in order to best use shipboard resources and identify overtime needs.

 

7.3 Scientific Berthing

The Chief Scientist is responsible for assigning berthing for the scientific party within the spaces approved as dedicated scientific berthing.  The ship will send stateroom diagrams to the Chief Scientist showing authorized berthing spaces.  Post cruise, the Chief Scientist is responsible for returning the scientific berthing spaces to the condition in which they were received; for stripping bedding and for linen return; and for the return of any room keys which were issued.

 

The Chief Scientist is also responsible for the cleanliness of the laboratory spaces and storage areas used by the science party, both during the cruise and at its conclusion prior to departing the ship.

 

In accordance with NC Instruction 5255.0, Controlled Substances Aboard NOAA Vessels, dated 06 August 1985, all persons boarding NOAA vessels give implied consent to comply with 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.

 

7.4Medical Forms & Emergency Contacts

Each participating scientist must complete the NOAA Health Services Questionnaire in advance. Scientists are required to be medically approved by NOAA Marine Operations Center Atlantic prior to sailing should reach the ship no later than 1 week prior to the cruise. This will allow time to medically clear the individual and to request more information if needed. We ask that all personnel bring any prescription medication they may need and any over-the-counter medicine that is taken routinely (e.g. an aspirin per day, etc.). The ship maintains a stock of medications aboard, but supplies are limited and chances to restock are few.

 

Prior to departure, the Chief Scientist will 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.  These can be combined with the NOAA Health Services Questionnaire.

 

7.5 Shipboard Safety

A discussion of shipboard safety policies is in the “Science User’s Guide” which is available on RONALD H. BROWN and is the responsibility of the scientific party to read.  This information is also available on the ship’s web page: www.moc.noaa.gov/rb/science/welcome.htm.  A meeting with the Operations Officer will be held for the scientific party at the beginning of the cruise which will include a safety briefing.  Wearing open-toed footwear (such as sandals) outside of private berthing areas is unsafe and is not permitted.  All members of the scientific party are expected to be aware of shipboard safety regulations and to comply with them. 

 

7.6 Wage Marine Day-Worker Working Hours and Rest Periods

Chief Scientists shall be cognizant of the reduced capability of RHB’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.  Day-workers’ hours of duty are a continuous eight-hour period, beginning no earlier than 0600 and ending no later than 1800.  It is not permissible to separate such an employee’s workday into several short work periods with interspersed non work periods.  Day-workers called out to work between the hours of 0000 and 0600 are entitled to a rest period of one hour for each such hour worked.  Such rest periods begin at 0800 and will result in no day-workers being available to support science operations until the rest period has been observed.  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.

 

7.7 Communications

The Chief Scientist or designated representative will have access to ship's telecommunications systems on a cost-reimbursable basis.  Where possible, it is requested that direct payment (e.g. by credit card) be used as opposed to after-the-fact reimbursement. Ship's systems include:

 

7.7.1 INMARSAT-B

INMARSAT-B, for high speed data transmission, including FTP, and high quality voice telephone communications. Costs is approximately $5.00 per minute for voice or fax, and may be charged to credit card (preferable) or otherwise reimbursed.   Phone numbers for ship's INMARSAT-B are: ###-336-899-620 voice and ###-336-899-621  fax.  (### = Ocean Code). 

 

7.7.2 INMARSAT-M

INMARSAT-M, for voice telephone communications and 2400 baud data transfer, about $3 per minute to the US. Phone number for ship's INMARSAT-M system is ###-761-266-581. INMARSAT-M may be charged to credit card, collect, or otherwise reimbursed. (### = Ocean Code).

 

NOTE:

For RB-05-05 cruise, the ship will be operating in range of the Pacific Ocean Satellite, with ocean code = 872 or Atlantic Ocean Satellite (West) with ocean code = 874.

 

7.7.3 E-Mail

An email account  for each embarked personnel will be established by the shipboard electronics staff. The general format is:

 

      Firstname.Lastname.atsea@rbnems.ronbrown.NMAO.noaa.gov

 

Due to the escalating volume of e-mail and its associated transmission costs, each member of the ship's complement (crew and scientist) will be authorized to send/receive up to 15 KB of data per day ($1.50/day or $45/month) at no cost. E-mail costs accrued in excess of this amount must be reimbursed by the individual. At or near the end of each leg, the Commanding Officer will provide the Chief Scientist with a detailed billing statement for all personnel in his party.  Prior to their departure, the chief scientist will be responsible for obtaining reimbursement from any member of the party whose e-mail costs exceed the complimentary entitlement.                                     

 

7.7.4 Contacts

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

                                                                 

Dr. Mike McPhaden                  TAO Director:              (206) 526-6783

Paul Freitag                              TAO Program:              (206) 526-6727

LCDR Brian Lake                     TAO Operations:           (206) 526-6403

Andy Shepherd                                           TAO Electronics:    (206) 526-6178

PMEL/OCRD Fax:                                                       206-526-6744

PMEL/ADMIN Fax:                                                     206-526-6815

 

E-mail addresses

TAO PMEL                             ATLASRT@NOAA.GOV

 

7.8 Port Agent Services/Billing

Contractual agreements exist between the port agents and the commanding officer for services provided to NOAA Ship RONALD H. BROWN. The costs or required reimbursements 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. Where possible, it is requested that direct payment be arranged between the science party and port agent, as opposed to after-the-fact reimbursement to the ship's accounts.

 

7.9 EEZ Research Clearances

 

PMEL/TAO has requested and has been granted research clearances for Ecuador and France (Clipperton Island) waters only.  UNCLOS III requires that coastal states provide permission prior to conducting research in their EEZ.  All TAO and ancillary projects will comply with these regulations.

Equipment testing of underway systems may occur, but data cannot be saved while in waters of non-clearance countries.

 

8.0 Safety

 

Safety of operations is of utmost importance.  Scientists will attend all safety briefings as required by the vessel Command.

 

Appendices

  

A.                    TAO Operations Spreadsheet

B.                     Trackline

C.                     TAO Mooring Equipment Weight List