National Marine Facilities Annual Report 2017–2018 (Pdf)
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National Marine Facilities ANNUAL REVIEW 2017/18 Contents Page Page INTRODUCTION 3 RRS JAMES COOK RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS 26 NMF ORGANISATION DIAGRAM 4 JC145 27 RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS TIMELINE 5 JC149 29 RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS MAP 7 JC150 31 RRS DISCOVERY RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS 9 JC152 33 DY072 10 MARINE AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS OPERATIONS 35 DY077 12 DY078 - DY079 14 MASSMO 37 DY080 16 THE NERC FACILITY FOR SCIENTIFIC DIVING 39 DY081 18 CONCLUSION 41 DY084 21 DY086 23 2 National Marine Facilities Annual Review 2017/18 INTRODUCTION National Marine Facilities (NMF) operates the Royal Who we are Research Ships (RRS) James Cook and Discovery NMF encompasses the mariners, and the National Marine Equipment Pool (NMEP) engineers, technicians, project managers, on behalf of the Natural Environment Research logisticians and operations managers who all work together to deliver the Council (NERC). Marine Facilities Programme (MFP). The main groups are shown in the As part of the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), NMF is Organisation diagram. based in Southampton and has access to a quayside capable of berthing the research ships as well as housing workshops, laboratories, testing facilities, calibration labs, warehousing NMF aim and logistics capabilities along with the offices supporting the The aim of NMF is to develop, co-ordinate worldwide operations. and provide major platforms, observing systems and technical expertise required NMF provides these capabilities to the whole UK Marine by the UK’s marine science community. Science research community as a centralised and cost-effective resource. While the ships are the most visible component of this resource, the National Marine Equipment Pool (NMEP) What we do is equally important and ranges across numerous scientific NMF undertakes approximately 15 disciplines including physical oceanography, marine biology, research expeditions from the RRS geophysics and chemical oceanography. James Cook and RRS Discovery every year as well as delivering and operating NMF supports between 12-15 scientific research expeditions equipment from NMEP used on British from the RRS James Cook and RRS Discovery every year Antarctic Survey (BAS) or European as well as operating equipment from the NMEP used on the partner research ships. British Antarctic Survey ships (RRS James Clark Ross) or US or European partner ships. In addition, we operate more and more Marine Autonomous Systems (MAS) Platforms (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), gliders, Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs), etc.) launched and recovered from the shoreline anywhere in the world, but piloted from our base in the UK. 3 National Marine Facilities Annual Review 2017/18 Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems (MARS) NMF NERC National Facility for Scientific Diving Research Ships Management ORGANISATION Science and Project Support Programme Management DIAGRAM Logistics and Warehousing Scientific Engineering 100010 Process Mooring Systems and Sensors Ocean Scientific Science and Engineering Ship Systems Programme Project Support Management NATIONAL MARINE Scientific FACILITIES Logistics and Diving Warehousing ROV AUV Dev Research Ships Marine Legal & Engineering Environmental AUV Gliders Marine Mariners Operations MAS Dev National Marine Facilities Annual Review 2017/18 4 RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS TIMELINE RRS JAMES COOK JC145 JC149 JC150 28 February - 8 April 2017 17 April - 20 June 2017 27 June - 12 August 2017 RAPID-AMOC 26 N MOC VOILA: Volatile recycling at the Zinc, Iron and mooring array Lesser Antilles Arc: Processes Phosphorus co-Limitation and Consequences in the Ocean (ZIPLOc) April May June July August September October November December January February March DY072 DY077 DY078 - DY079 DY080 DY081 28 February - 14 April - 6 May - 6 June - 6 July - 2 April, 2017 1 May 2017 28 May 2017 2 July 2017 8 August 2017 Passive Imaging Studies at the Extended Ellett Distribution and ICY-LAB Isotope of the Lithosphere- PAP open ocean Line & OSNAP Ecology of Seabirds CYcling in the Asthenosphere observatory in the Sub-Polar LABrador Sea Boundary Frontal Zone of the Northwest Atlantic RRS DISCOVERY 5 National Marine Facilities Annual Review 2017/18 Expedition core time JC159 JC156 28 February 2018 - JC152 20 December 2017 - 10 April 2018 25 August - 12 September 1 February 2018 ORCHESTRA - Ocean Characterising leakage The impact of mid- Regulation of Climate pathways through the ocean ridges on the through Heat and overburden of the North Sea ocean’s iron cycle Carbon Sequestration and Transports: Atlan April May June July August September October November December January February March DY084 DY086 DY087 DY088 23 September - 6 November - 2 January 2018 - 7 March 2018 - 31 October 2017 21 December 2017 2 March 2018 2 April 2018 Atlantic Meridional COMICS: Controls Paleogene Climate Geological and Transect (AMT) over Ocean and Deep-water geophysical Mesopelagic Interior Evolution in the surveys of the Carbon Storage Southwest Atlantic South Scotia Ridge Expedition core time National Marine Facilities Annual Review 2017/18 6 RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS MAP JC145 JC149 JC150 JC152 JC156 JC159 7 National Marine Facilities Annual Review 2017/18 RRS JAMES COOK RRS DISCOVERY DY072 DY077 DY078-79 DY080 DY081 DY084 DY086 DY087 DY088 National Marine Facilities Annual Review 2017/18 8 RRS DISCOVERY RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS RRS DISCOVERY EXPEDITIONS - DY072 PASSIVE IMAGING OF THE LITHOSPHERE-ASTHENOSPHERE BOUNDARY PASSIVE IMAGING OF THE LITHOSPHERE- ASTHENOSPHERE BOUNDARY DY072 28 February - 2 April, 2017 Catherine Rychert Scientific Research Objectives: Principal Investigator Plate Tectonics is the foundation of modern earth sciences, and Antonio Gatti provides basic framework for the origin of continents, ocean basins Master and mountain ranges. Plate Tectonics describe the division Martin Bridger of the surface area of the earth into several plates that move Senior Technician independently over the surface of the planet. Each plate acts Laura Theurich as an essentially rigid solid shell, which is called Lithosphere, Expedition Manager and floats over the material below that flows slowly, called Equatorial Atlantic Asthenosphere. Most of the geological activities occur at plate Location boundaries as the solid lithosphere moves independently. The base of the lithosphere, Lithosphere Asthenosphere Boundary Collaborating Institutions (LAB), is the lower boundary of the plate. Since continents have University of Southampton gone through a complex geological history, the precise depth of Scripps Institution of Oceanography the LAB is rather poorly defined. Therefore, here we focus on the IPGR Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris oceanic lithosphere where different models of evolution of the DEPAS Deutscher Geräte-Pool lithosphere can be tested and verified. für amphibische Seismologie GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel – Active seismics Precis of the Science Outcomes: NMEP Equipment EM710/122 Swath bathymetry This research used ocean bottom seismometers to image the EA640 Echosounder crust and upper mantle down to 300 km using passive seismic Vessel mounted 150 & techniques and 3 Magnetotelluric instruments to measure 75 kHz ADCP ressitivity. It used surface and body waves to determine the Sea surface and meteorology isotropic and anisotropic structure of the crust and upper mantle, sampling system and converted phases to determine the character and depth Data logging and processing of the LAB and other upper mantle discontinuities. It also used system shear wave splitting to determine azimuthal anisotropy across the region and construct 1-D resistvity profiles at 0, 25 and 40 Ma seafloor. 10 National Marine Facilities Annual Review 2017/18 RRS DISCOVERY EXPEDITIONS - DY072 PASSIVE IMAGING OF THE LITHOSPHERE-ASTHENOSPHERE BOUNDARY Both photos show work on OBSs Both images show multibeam echosounder for high resolution imaging of the mid-Atlantic ridge Technical Description of Equipment Deployed and Performance: This expedition resulted in the successful recovery of 78 OBS/OBEM instruments which were deployed previously by a US research ship. Towed Magnetometer surveys were carried out in between the recovery stations along with use of the ship-fitted multibeam echosounder for high resolution imaging of the mid- Atlantic ridge. PI LAB logo National Marine Facilities Annual Review 2017/18 11 RRS DISCOVERY EXPEDITIONS - DY077 STUDIES AT THE PAP OPEN OCEAN OBSERVATORY STUDIES AT THE PAP OPEN OCEAN OBSERVATORY DY077 14 April - 1 May, 2017 Richard Lampitt Scientific Research Objectives: Principal Investigator Led by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), this expedition Joanna Cox sampled the amount of microplastics in the water column and Master captured a continuous record of microplastics sinking to the deep Nicolas Rundle ocean. Furthermore, the first controlled experiments investigating Senior Technician the impact of microplastics on tiny marine organisms at the base Daniel Comben of the food chain were carried out on-board. Expedition Manager Northeast Atlantic. This was the first time at the PAP-SO that a range of methods Porcupine Abyssal Plain measuring marine snow particles, which contain carbon and Location sink out of the upper ocean, have been used together. This has enabled a greater understanding of the differences between the Collaborating Institutions methods, which will aid future dataset comparisons, and will create National Oceanography Centre a clearer picture of how much carbon sinks to the interior ocean. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Skidmore