Report of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on the U.S. Antarctic Program's
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National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs Advisory Committee Report of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on the U.S. Antarctic Program’s Research Vessel Procurement August 14, 2019 Members Kim S. Bernard, Oregon State University Amy Leventer, Colgate University Jonathan Michael Prince, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, SJSU/CSU Randy Sliester, British Antarctic Survey James H. Swift, UCSD Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Chair) Tom Weingartner (member and OPP/AC liaison) Tim McGovern, National Science Foundation - OPP liaison PART I. Summary _____________________________________________________________________________________ 8 A. Executive Summary ______________________________________________________________________________ 8 B. Impetus and Approach __________________________________________________________________________ 14 B.1 Synopsis of Issues _____________________________________________________________________________________ 14 B.2 Subcommittee Charge and Scope of Activities ______________________________________________________ 15 B.3 General Approach _____________________________________________________________________________________ 16 B.4 Acknowledgements ___________________________________________________________________________________ 16 C. Relationship of the Analyses to Strategic Science and Logistics Planning ______________ 17 C.1 Strategic planning and future polar science initiatives _____________________________________________ 17 C.1.1 National Science Board 2020 Vision for the National Science Foundation (2005) ___________ 17 C.1.2 Advancing U.S. Polar Research Through the Acquisition of a New Polar Research Icebreaker, Antarctic Research Vessel Oversight Committee (2006) __________________________ 18 C.1.3 Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. National Research Council (2011) ______________________________________________________________________________________ 18 C.1.4 Critical Infrastructure for Ocean Research and Societal Needs in 2030, National Research Council (2011) ______________________________________________________________________________________ 19 C.1.5 U.S. Antarctic Program Blue Ribbon Panel, More and Better Science in Antarctica through Increased Logistical Effectiveness, July 2012. ____________________________________________________ 20 C.1.6 National Research Council, Sea Change: 2015-2025 Decadal Survey of Ocean Science (2015). ______________________________________________________________________________________________ 21 C.1.7 National Research Council (2015) A Strategic Vision for NSF Investments in Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research. __________________________________________________________________________ 22 C.2 Recommendations from previous US polar research vessel planning ____________________________ 23 C.2.1 Antarctic Research Vessel Oversight Committee Polar Research Icebreaker Study (2006) _ 23 C.2.2 A New U.S. Polar Research Vessel (PRV): Science Drivers and Vessel Requirements (2012) 25 C.2.3 Research Vessel Placement Program Vessel Studies Report (2018) ___________________________ 26 C.3 Polar research ships recently in service or under construction ___________________________________ 28 C.3.1 Statement of Requirements for the Procurement of the New Polar Research Vessel Sir David Attenborough (2015) ___________________________________________________________________ 28 C.3.2 RV Kronprins Haakon ______________________________________________________________________________ 30 C.3.3 Australian Antarctic science and resupply ship, RSV Nuyina ___________________________________ 31 C.3.4 Chinese polar research vessel, XueLong 2 ________________________________________________________ 33 PART II. Analysis, Discussion, and Detailed Recommendations _________________________ 35 D. USAP Polar Research Ship Science Mission Requirements ________________________________ 35 D.1 Overview _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 35 D.2 Science Mission Requirements, Updates ____________________________________________________________ 35 D.2.1 Size and general requirements ____________________________________________________________________ 36 D.2.2 Accommodations and habitability ________________________________________________________________ 38 D.2.2.1 Accommodations/Berths ___________________________________________________________________ 38 D.2.2.2 Habitability ___________________________________________________________________________________ 39 D.2.3 Operational characteristics _______________________________________________________________________ 43 D.2.3.1 Icebreaking ___________________________________________________________________________________ 43 D.2.3.2 Endurance & Range __________________________________________________________________________ 45 D.2.3.3 Speed _________________________________________________________________________________________ 46 D.2.3.4 Sea keeping ___________________________________________________________________________________ 47 D.2.3.5 Station keeping and dynamic positioning __________________________________________________ 51 D.2.3.6 Track line following _________________________________________________________________________ 53 D.2.3.7 Ship and winch control ______________________________________________________________________ 53 D.2.3.8 Underwater radiated noise _________________________________________________________________ 54 D.2.3.9 Helicopter support ___________________________________________________________________________ 56 D.2.3.10 Off Vessel Support for Field Work and Logistics __________________________________________ 59 OPP/AC RV Subcommittee Report - 2 - D.2.4 Over-the-side and weight handling _______________________________________________________________ 60 D.2.4.1 Over the side handling _______________________________________________________________________ 60 D.2.4.2 Winches & Wire ______________________________________________________________________________ 61 D.2.4.3 Cranes, Frames and Handling Devices ______________________________________________________ 65 D.2.4.4 Towing/Trawls/ice-clearing stern _________________________________________________________ 68 D.2.4.5 ROV support __________________________________________________________________________________ 69 D.2.4.6 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) support _________________________________________________ 70 D.2.5 Science working spaces ____________________________________________________________________________ 72 D.2.5.1 Working deck area ___________________________________________________________________________ 72 D.2.5.2 Laboratories __________________________________________________________________________________ 74 D.2.5.2.1 Layout & construction ___________________________________________________________________ 77 D.2.5.2.2 Electrical __________________________________________________________________________________ 80 D.2.5.3 Vans ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 84 D.2.5.4 Storage ________________________________________________________________________________________ 86 D.2.5.5 Science load ___________________________________________________________________________________ 88 D.2.5.6 Workboats ____________________________________________________________________________________ 88 D.2.5.7 Masts __________________________________________________________________________________________ 90 D.2.5.8 Geotechnical Coring and Drilling ____________________________________________________________ 93 D.2.5.9 Moon pool operations ________________________________________________________________________ 96 D.2.5.10 On deck incubations _________________________________________________________________________ 97 D.2.5.11 Marine mammal & bird observations ______________________________________________________ 98 D.2.6 Science and shipboard systems ___________________________________________________________________ 99 D.2.6.1 Navigation ____________________________________________________________________________________ 99 D.2.6.2 Data network, onboard computing, and data processing _______________________________ 100 D.2.6.3 Real time data acquisition system ________________________________________________________ 103 D.2.6.4 Communications – internal ________________________________________________________________ 103 D.2.6.5 Communications – external _______________________________________________________________ 104 D.2.6.6 Scientific Seawater System ________________________________________________________________ 106 D.2.6.7 Acoustic systems (including deep and shallow multibeam, echosounder, sub- bottom profiling; ADCP) ___________________________________________________________________ 109 D.2.6.8 Seismics _____________________________________________________________________________________ 111 D.2.6.9 Project science system installation and power __________________________________________ 113 D.2.6.10 Discharges __________________________________________________________________________________ 115 D.2.7 Construction, operation & maintenance ________________________________________________________ 117 D.2.7.1 Green ship __________________________________________________________________________________ 117 D.2.7.2 ADA compliance ____________________________________________________________________________ 121 D.2.7.3 Maintainability _____________________________________________________________________________