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Science at Sea Meeting Future Oceanographic Goals with a Robust Academic Research Fleet (2009) / Chapter Skim
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3 Technological Advances and Their Impact on the Fleet
Pages 33-46

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From page 33...
... The pace of technological advances in oceanography continues to accelerate, and these changes fundamentally alter how science is accomplished. Enabling technologies considered essential in 2009 -- such as the Global Positioning System (GPS)
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From page 34...
... Nine University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) vessels currently have DP systems (all Global and Ocean class, the Intermediate Seward Johnson, and the Regional/Coastal Hugh R
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From page 35...
... Satellite Systems The oceanographic community currently utilizes satellite-based measurements of ocean color, sea surface height, sea surface temperature, and surface winds to characterize ocean variability and to study physical and biogeochemical processes. The use of remotely sensed data is expected to grow as new satellite-based instruments are deployed and new generations of ocean models improve our ability to integrate satellite and in situ observational data.
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From page 36...
... , autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs; Yoerger et al., 1998) , and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
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From page 38...
... These changes will also benefit AUVs, discussed in the next section. Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Typical tasks for present-day AUVs include high-resolution seafloor mapping and measuring oceanographic phenomena such as temperature and salinity anomalies on spatial scales on the order of hundreds of kilometers over time scales of several days to perhaps weeks.
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From page 39...
... There are only brief mention of, and no current specifications for, UAVs in the UNOLS Science Mission Requirements for the Ocean and Regional class vessels (UNOLS Fleet Improvement Committee, 2003a,   http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2009/aircraft060209.htm.
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From page 40...
... REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLES Remotely operated vehicles have been used to conduct oceanographic research since the 1960s. They are used for a variety of purposes, including water, rock, and biological sampling; deployment and recovery of equipment; collection of still and video imagery; and seafloor mapping.
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From page 41...
... If complex instrumentation breaks down, satellite Internet connections allow shipboard technicians to interact with experts ashore to troubleshoot and make repairs. Internet availability also enhances educational and outreach activities by connecting the world to the ship through telecasts, web pages, and blogs.
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From page 42...
... , the global component is composed of arrays of three to four moorings and accompanying gliders deployed at four sites: the Southern Ocean southwest of Chile, the Irminger Sea southeast of Greenland, Station Papa in the Northeast Pacific, and the Argentine Basin. Approximately one month of Global class ship time per site will be required annually to install and service the global stations.
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From page 43...
... UNOLS Global class ships were configured for programs such as the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS)
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From page 44...
... The two shipboard technicians now carried on general purpose Global class vessels are a minimum for most cruises, and on many cruises they simply cannot attend fully to all of their assigned tasks. Future trends regarding shipboard support indicate that both the increasing complexity of tasks and the shortfall of technical expertise will continue in the near future.
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From page 45...
... Dynamic positioning systems are very likely to become standard components of oceanographic research vessels to support increasing use of offboard vehicles that require precise positioning. Future research vessels will require improved over-the-side handling systems to facilitate deployment and recovery of instruments in higher sea states.
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Key Terms

  • unols fleet
  • oceanographic research
  • ship time
  • ocean class
  • ocean observatories

  • global class
  • class vessels
  • autonomous underwater
  • remotely operated
  • deck space

  • operated vehicles
  • dynamic positioning
  • global ocean
  • ocean observatory
  • ocean observing

  • class ship
  • autonomous vehicles
  • science technicians
  • sea states
  • science berths

  • shipboard technicians
  • unmanned aerial
  • regional cabled
  • rov operations
  • internet connections

  • underwater vehicles
  • future oceanographic
  • servicing ocean
  • research fleet
  • shipboard science


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