Search

Encouraging young people to actively participate in science is a longstanding and important priority at DESY. To provide high-school students with an opportunity to learn more about astroparticle physics, a number of simple experiments were developed at the DESY Zeuthen campus. Data from these experiments are published on the Cosmic@Web learning platform, along with a range of online analysis tools and introductory material. In addition to local experiments, data are provided from a global network of continuously-operating cosmic particle experiments. Diverse sites participate in this network, including the pole-to-pole research vessel Polarstern, the Antarctic Neumayer III station, as well as the high altitude research stations in Aragats, Armenia and Moussala, Bulgaria. Using Cosmic@Web, students without direct access to an experiment can analyse data in a classroom or at home. The learning platform can also be used to participate in the annual International Cosmic Day. With Cosmic@Web, students can work like real scientists and do their own astroparticle physics research. These developments form part of the German outreach network Netzwerk Teilchenwelt.

Sea surface temperature (SST) is an important indicator for climate change. Nowadays many sensors in orbit have the capacity of SST observations. Long-term climate data record of global SST requires satellite SST products with high accuracy and stability. In order to evaluate the quality of satellite SST products, proper collection of in situ sea surface skin temperature is needed. The infrared SST autonomous radiometer (ISAR) has been deployed on the research vessel Dong Fang Hong II of Ocean University of China since 2009. The ISAR data collected during five cruises are used to validate the Level-2 WST products from Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR). The comparison results show negative bias of 0.085K and standard deviation of 0.356K. Due to the influence of the weather conditions and short temporal extent of the SLSTR L2 WST archived, only 148 match-ups are produced. Further studies will be carried out with more available data from in situ and satellites.

This paper presents several small research vessel-based deep-towed seafloor sampling systems developed by the Institute of Undersea Technology (IUT) at National Sun Yat-sen University. First of all, the paper presents the Video-guided Multi-Corer (V-Corer) and the TV-Grabber (TVG). The V-Corer and the TVG can be used for video-guided seafloor sampling through a small research vessel, such as RV Ocean Researcher III in Taiwan. Some seafloor sampling results obtained through the V-Corer and the TVG in waters of northeastern and southwestern Taiwan are presented in the paper as well. The paper also illustrates the concept of using the IUT's Fiber-optical Instrumentation Towed System (FITS) as a depressor to enable the ROV close-up seafloor observation and sampling through a small research vessel. Moreover, the paper introduces a prototype automatic push corer (APC) developed by the IUT. The IUT prototype APC was designed to be integrated with an ROV as a payload device for seafloor sediment sampling without the need of using manipulators. The sampling and tube-changing functions of the IUT prototype APC were successfully verified through a standalone version of the APC in Kaohsiung harbor, Taiwan.

This capstone report presents an analysis of alternatives (AoA) for the sunset and replacement of the TWR-841 (Torpedo Weapon Retriever) currently in service at the Narragansett Bay Test Facility (NBTF) at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport (NUWCDIVNPT). The analysis follows a systems engineering approach to define the problem space, generate requirements, generate alternatives, and analyze the proposed solutions. A Design Reference Mission (DRM) defines the current capabilities and operations of the TWR-841 and similar vessels. Operational and system requirements are then derived from this DRM to describe the capabilities required for a replacement. Three primary categories of alternatives were identified, including procurement of a new vessel, procurement and modification of an operational ship, and contracting of currently fielded vessels for operations. The performance of each alternative was compared against the defined requirements to identify overall performance of each vessel. A life-cycle cost estimate including procurement and operations and sustainment for each alternative is presented. This study found that the contracting-as-a-service option was the most cost-effective alternative. Of the contracting options, the M/V GO America was the most economically viable option for the NBTF, meeting the system requirements for the lowest price. http://archive.org/details/torpedorecoveryv1094562741 Civilian, NUWC Newport Civilian, Department of the Navy Civilian, Department of the Navy Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Experiential learning in the field is an opportunity for students to enter the heart of a scientific discipline. Through such experience, they can extract conceptual clues and discover motivational stepping stones that will potentially influence the rest of their education and career choice. Unfortunately, in Biology, the inescapable topic of Next-Generation Sequencing represents a challenge when it comes to create an educational curriculum that aims to provide students with hands-on experience on sequencers. It is an even more difficult task to accomplish if one’s purpose was to set such curriculum in a field situation. However, in recent years, educators have seen possibility to bring Next-Generation Sequencing to the reach of students more easily, with the Oxford Nanopore MinION, a low-budget, user-friendly, hand-held sequencer. Academic researchers have illustrated the performances of this device in the field and are inspirational for curricula aiming to take the next generation of scientists in the outdoors. We designed a modular 5-day workshop, with nanopore sequencing to be performed in field conditions. Here we describe the material and methods that lead the students and instructors from sample collection, DNA extraction and preparation for nanopore sequencing with MinION to real-time analysis of the data collected. This curriculum was implemented for the first-time aboard Research Vessel Sikuliaq during a transit organized by the STEMSEAS program at Columbia University in collaboration with the University of Alaska BLaST program. The line of investigation formulated for the workshop was an open-ended question that led the students to establish a proof of concept in terms of technology deployment at sea: what will show metagenomic results from DNA obtained from sea water and sequenced with Oxford Nanopore MinION? The workshop took place in October 2018 while Research Vessel Sikuliaq sailed the Alaskans seas for 7 days. Students successfully used nanopore sequencing for multiple metagenomic seawater samples. Their introductory analysis was consistent with environmental conditions and they were able to present their results by the end of the workshop.

Ships are among the most complex systems in the world. The always increasing interest in environmental aspects, the evolution of technologies and the introduction of new rule constraints in the maritime field have compelled the innovation of the ship design approach. At an early design stage, there is the need to compare different design solutions, also in terms of environmental performance, building and operative costs over the whole ship life cycle. In this context, the Life Cycle Performance Assessment (LCPA) tool allows an integrated design approach merging the evaluation of both costs and environmental performances on a comparative basis, among different design solutions. Starting from the first tool release, this work aims to focus on the maintenance of the propulsion system, developing a flexible calculation method for maintenance costs prediction, based on the ship operational profiles and the selected technical solution. After the improvement, the whole LCPA tool has been applied on a research vessel to evaluate, among different propulsion layout solutions, the one with the more advantageous performance in terms of costs during the whole vessel operating life. The identification of the best design solution is strictly dependent on the selection criterion and the point of view of the interested parties using the LCPA tool, e.g., the shipbuilder or the ship-owner.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau was fascinated by marine life and turned his full attention to the water world. In co-operation with engineer Emile Gagnan, he invented the prototype of the modern scuba gear, which started a new era in the study of marine and freshwater environments. After Cousteau acquired the ship Calypso, a former minesweeper, he modified it into an oceanographic research vessel and started to study the world’s oceans, seas, and rivers. As he witnessed the rapid deterioration of the marine environment, Cousteau became a conservationist. His films conveyed important conservation messages to the viewers. Cousteau played a central role in achieving the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling. Also, he successfully lobbied to save Antarctica, the last unspoiled continent.

Cyclostratigraphy is an important tool for understanding astronomical climate forcing and reading geological time in sedimentary sequences, provided that an imprint of insolation variations caused by Earth's orbital eccentricity, obliquity and/or precession is preserved (Milankovitch forcing). Numerous stratigraphic and paleoclimate studies have applied cyclostratigraphy, but the robustness of the methodology and its dependence on the investigator have not been systematically evaluated. We developed the Cyclostratigraphy Intercomparison Project (CIP) to assess the robustness of cyclostratigraphic methods using an experimental design of three artificial cyclostratigraphic case studies with known input parameters. Each case study is designed to address specific challenges that are relevant to cyclostratigraphy. Case 1 represents an offshore research vessel environment, as only a drill-core photo and the approximate position of a late Miocene stage boundary are available for analysis. In Case 2, the Pleistocene proxy record displays clear nonlinear cyclical patterns and the interpretation is complicated by the presence of a hiatus. Case 3 represents a Late Devonian proxy record with a low signal-to-noise ratio with no specific theoretical astronomical solution available for this age. Each case was analyzed by a test group of 17-20 participants, with varying experience levels, methodological preferences and dedicated analysis time. During the CIP 2018 meeting in Brussels, Belgium, the ensuing analyses and discussion demonstrated that most participants did not arrive at a perfect solution, which may be partly explained by the limited amount of time spent on the exercises (∼4.5 hours per case). However, in all three cases, the median solution of all submitted analyses accurately approached the correct result and several participants obtained the exact correct answers. Interestingly, systematically better performances were obtained for cases that represented the data type and stratigraphic age that were closest to the individual participants’ experience. This experiment demonstrates that cyclostratigraphy is a powerful tool for deciphering time in sedimentary successions and, importantly, that it is a trainable skill. Finally, we emphasize the importance of an integrated stratigraphic approach and provide flexible guidelines on what good practices in cyclostratigraphy should include. Our case studies provide valuable insight into current common practices in cyclostratigraphy, their potential merits and pitfalls. Our work does not provide a quantitative measure of reliability and uncertainty of cyclostratigraphy, but rather constitutes a starting point for further discussions on how to move the maturing field of cyclostratigraphy forward. © 2019 The Authors, The Cyclostratigraphy Intercomparison Project (CIP) and Workshop are supported by the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB) , Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) , Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) , International Association of Sedimentology (IAS) , Earthrates (National Science Foundation) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) – Hooverfonds . Matthias Sinnesael thanks the Research Foundation of Flanders (FWO) for the awarded PhD Fellowship (FWOTM782).

The recent re-organization of the CNR research network led to the formation of 4 new Research Institutes operating in the field of marine sciences, namely ISMAR (Institute of Marine Sciences), IRBIM (Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnologies), IAS (Institute for the study of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment), and IGAG (Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering). The new CNR-ISMAR was constituted in September 2018 by joining several sections that operate in the field of oceanographic science. In particular, three of these sections inherited significant expertise in the field of Marine Geology, i.e. the former IAMC-Napoli, the ISMAR headquarters (Venezia) and the section of Bologna . The newly-formed marine geology community benefits from a wide experience in surveying, monitoring, mapping and modeling of natural geologic processes in a variety geodynamic and oceanographic settings, from the modern and fossil record. Research activity carried out in the Mediterranean and worldwide by ISMAR scientists over the last decades has brought a significant advances in understanding fundamental geological processes, including: 1) Formation and destruction of oceanic lithosphere; 2) Earthquake and tsunami hazards; 3) Volcanic risk and geothermal resources; 4) Sediment dynamics from the coastal plain-continental shelf to slope-deep basins and its response to global forcing; 5) Submarine landslides; 6) coastal hazards (landslide, erosion, subsidence, flood and pollution) 7) Facies analysis and paleoenvironmental reconstruction of stratigraphic intervals (Mesozoic to Quaternary) of the peri-Mediterranean area; 8) Stratigraphic architecture of Neogene-Quaternary continental basins, and lakes; 9) Physical and ecosystemic response to geological and climatic forcers. Overall, such variegated research proved to be strategic in promoting the CNR participation to relevant national and international projects, and the best outcome has been published in many high ranked international, journals. Admittedly, the fundamental pre-requisite in achieving this result, was the availability of suitable offshore research vessels operating in support of the marine CNR scientific community up to 2017. The unfortunate situation is that all the experience gained through the years and the future of the marine geological investigation are currently at risk because of the present lack of any adequate research ships. This situation is obviously in urgent need to be reversed to maintain not only viable the marine scientific research at CNR, but also to continue and expand the offshore research at competitive levels. We present here a summary of results of relevant studies conducted over the last decades by researchers of the CNR-ISMAR Geology Group as a selection of "Greatest Hits" in Marine Research.

A rich investor with a penchant for exploration is providing a rare opportunity for scientists to study inaccessible, mysterious ocean trenches. Victor Vescovo of Dallas, Texas, wants to be the first person to visit the deepest point in each of the five oceans. This week, he was scheduled to complete his first dive, into the Puerto Rico Trench, in the yearlong Five Deeps Expedition. Vescovo has bought a former research vessel and commissioned a submersible that can dive to 11,000 meters. Thanks to new sonar, the expedition will yield high-resolution maps that could offer clues about how ocean trenches form when tectonic plates plunge into the mantle. With biological samples collected by three scientific landers, the dives will give researchers an unprecedented global survey of the ecosystems that have evolved in these isolated, exotic habitats.

Until 2004, the secondary metabolites of marine organisms of the Vietnamese territorial waters had been studied very poorly. Only four new compounds were isolated from 1977 to 2003. Joint Russian-Vietnamese expeditions aboard the research vessel 'Akademik Oparin' made it possible to study in detail the chemical diversity of marine micro- and macroorganisms. As a result of five expeditions, more than 250 low-molecular weight natural compounds, including 117 new metabolites, were isolated from marine invertebrates and microfilamentous fungi. Their biological activities, such as cytotoxic, cytoprotective, and antioxidant activities, were investigated. Information about the structure and biological activity of the compounds, the source for their isolation and the geographical location of the objects is summarized in this review.

During the summer of 2004 a network of 11 wind profiling radars (WPRs) was deployed in New England as part of the New England Air Quality Study (NEAQS). Observations from this dataset are used to determine their impact on numerical weather prediction (NWP) model skill at simulating coastal and offshore winds through data-denial experiments. This study is a part of the Position of Offshore Wind Energy Resources (POWER) experiment, a Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored project that uses National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) models for two 1-week periods to measure the impact of the assimilation of observations from 11 inland WPRs. Model simulations with and without assimilation of the WPR data are compared at the locations of the inland WPRs, as well as against observations from an additional WPR and a high-resolution Doppler lidar (HRDL) located on board the Research Vessel Ronald H. Brown (RHB), which cruised the Gulf of Maine during the NEAQS experiment. Model evaluation in the lowest 2 km above the ground shows a positive impact of the WPR data assimilation from the initialization time through the next five to six forecast hours at the WPR locations for 12 of 15 days analyzed, when offshore winds prevailed. A smaller positive impact at the RHB ship track was also confirmed. For the remaining three days, during which time there was a cyclone event with strong onshore wind flow, the assimilation of additional observations had a negative impact on model skill. Explanations for the negative impact are offered.

The effect of shaft inclination can induce important unsteady hydrodynamic phenomenon usually associated with small and high-speed craft. This paper presents systematic cavitation tunnel tests with a 214 mm diameter model propeller of a catamaran research vessel. The propeller is subjected to uniform and inclined flow conditions, to investigate its efficiency, cavitation and underwater radiated noise characteristics. The experiments were conducted in the Emerson Cavitation Tunnel of Newcastle University based on the starboard 5 -bladed right-hand propeller of the University׳s research vessel, The Princess Royal . In the paper the details of the tests and significant findings for the effect of the shaft inclination on the propeller efficiency, cavitation and underwater radiated noise characteristics are presented. A better understanding is sought in relation to the noise signatures of different types of cavitation. The systematic tests presented in the paper also have a long-term objective, being the first of an organised round robin test campaign that is being currently undertaken by the members of the Underwater Noise Community of Practice (CoP) of Hydro-Testing Forum (HTF). This long-term objective is to repeat similar tests in the different facilities of all CoP members to reveal the relative merits of their testing facilities for underwater noise investigations.

The research vessel and supply icebreaker POLARSTERN is the flagship of the Alfred-Wegener-Institut in Bremerhaven (Germany) and one of the infrastructural pillars of German Antarctic research. Since its commissioning in 1982, POLARSTERN has conducted 30 campaigns to Antarctica (157 legs, mostly austral summer), and 29 to the Arctic (94 legs, northern summer). Usually, POLARSTERN is more than 300 days per year in operation and crosses the Atlantic Ocean in a meridional section twice a year. The first radiosonde on POLARSTERN was released on the 29 December 1982, 2 days after POLARSTERN started on its maiden voyage to the Antarctic. And these daily soundings have continued up to the present. Due to the fact that POLARSTERN has reliably and regularly been providing upper air observations from data sparse regions (oceans and polar regions), the radiosonde data are of special value for researchers and weather forecast services alike. In the course of 30 years (29 December 1982 to 25 November 2012) a total of 12 378 radiosonde balloons were started on POLARSTERN. All radiosonde data can now be found at König-Langlo (2015, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.810000). Each data set contains the directly measured parameters air temperature, relative humidity and air pressure, and the derived altitude, wind direction and wind speed. 432 data sets additionally contain ozone measurements.Although more sophisticated techniques (meteorological satellites, aircraft observation, remote-sensing systems, etc.) have nowadays become increasingly important, the high vertical resolution and quality of radiosonde data remains paramount for weather forecasts and modelling approaches.

A ruggedized closed-path eddy covariance (EC) system was designed for unattended direct measurements of air–sea momentum, heat, and CO2 flux, and was deployed on the Research Vessel Icebreaker (RV/IB) Nathaniel B. Palmer (NBP), an Antarctic research and supply vessel. The system operated for nine cruises during 18 months from January 2013 to June 2014 in the Southern Ocean and coastal Antarctica, sampling a wide variety of wind, wave, biological productivity, and ice conditions. The methods are described and the results are shown for two cruises chosen for their latitudinal range, inclusion of both open water and sea ice cover, and relatively large air–water CO2 concentration differences (ΔpCO2). Ship flow distortion was addressed by comparing mean winds, fluxes, and cospectra from an array of 3D anemometers at the NBP bow, comparing measured fluxes with bulk formulas, and implementing and evaluating several recently published data processing techniques. Quality-controlled momentum, heat, and CO2 flux data were obtained for 25% of the periods when NBP was at sea, with most (86%) of the rejected periods due to wind directions relative to the ship >±30° from the bow. In contrast to previous studies, no bias was apparent in measured CO2 fluxes for low |ΔpCO2|. The relationship between momentum flux and wind speed showed a clear dependence on the degree of sea ice cover, a result facilitated by the geographical coverage possible with a ship-based approach. These results indicate that ship-based unattended EC in high latitudes is feasible, and recommendations for deployments of underway systems in such environments are provided.

This is the first time that the occurrence of the deep-sea giant pycnogonid Ascorhynchus levissimus Loman, Siboga Expeditie Monographic 40:1–88, 1908 is reported from the Andaman Sea (northern Indian Ocean), thus extending its distribution from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. Three specimens of Ascorhynchus levissimus (one ♂, two ♀♀) were collected from the Andaman Sea during two research cruises onboard the Fishery Oceanographic Research Vessel Sagar Sampada (FORV SS), using a bottom trawl operated at a depth of 600–650 m. Complete descriptions of the specimens are provided, including detailed descriptions of the male and female sexes.

The experience with conducting a marine gravity survey onboard a surface vessel under complicated ice conditions at high latitude is described. In 2014, a high-precision marine gravity survey with two modifications of the Chekan-AM gravimeter was carried out in the North Pole region. The measurements were conducted during two months from aboard the Akademik Fedorov research vessel on a given grid with a total length of 10000 km of the routes. As a result, 70000 gravity points at Arctic latitudes including the region of the geographical North Pole itself are acquired. In this paper, we discuss the methodical aspects of conducting the survey and present the accuracy estimates of the gravity measurements. The comparison of the obtained results with the Earth’s gravity models demonstrates the absence of systematic errors and the higher spatial resolution of the measurements with the Chekan-AM gravimeters.

Peculiarities of variability of wind regime in the period from 1935 to 2014 are discussed. More detailed analysis of variability of meteorological condition on different scales during the last years (2010−2014) is conducted. Progressive vector diagrams are used for visualization of time series of wind vectors. Changes of prevalent winds from NE to S-E-SE (warm period waves) are reflected on a climatic progressive vector diagram from 1935 to 2014. Maximum wave amplitude on a diagram was registered in a period of 2004– 2006. In 2007–2014, a distinctive feature of the wind regime was a dominance of SE winds during warm and abnormally warm years. Major types of atmospheric processes that give rise to dominating winds are outlined. It is demonstrated that differences of the wind regime during particular years with various temperature characteristics of years and winters are caused by a variability of atmospheric synoptic processes on different scales. Using annual wind diagrams and pictures of temporal wind variability, as well as air and water monthly temperature (observation time every 3 hours), periods of prolonged wind forcing (during several months and during 1−2 decades of every month) are distinguished. Role of the winds of SE bearings with high repeatability during several months in forming of the vertical water structure of coastal zone is demonstrated. Analysis of the results of the experimental data acquired in 2010–2014 (research vessel “Ashamba”) has shown that during stable winds of SE bearings advection of cold intermediate waters from the area of their formation (central divergence zone) to the coastal zone becomes stronger.

Research vessel crews have increasingly applied trawling gear in a diversity of freshwater habitats, including river systems. Crews typically deploy and retrieve trawling gear by hand or with hydraulic winches. These methods are often labor intensive and require crews of three or more people to operate safely. Additionally, unless the research vessel has an inboard engine with power take-off capabilities, hydraulic winches will need to be powered by a generator, requiring additional maintenance and creating a loud work environment. We describe a new system for the deployment and retrieval of trawling gear that is suitable for smaller vessels where a hydraulic system may not be practical. This system utilizes electric line haulers mounted on davits at the bow of the boat. The line haulers are retrofitted with a novel mechanism for loading the trawl line into the line hauler pulley, allowing deployment and retrieval of many types of trawl gear by one deckhand and one boat operator. The electric trawl retrieval system is powered by a battery bank that charges from the boat motor, thereby reducing risk of hearing damage from generator noise. We have designed it to be interchangeable and portable amongst different research vessels, which increases sampling efficiency and reduces costs.

It was found, that the special estimation of working conditions and the unification of the evaluation methods of a number of production factors indicators don’t allow to solve the problem of the working conditions influence on the vessel workers. For the solution of the problem it is necessary to consider the question of the enhancement of the methodological support of the special estimation of working conditions according to the specific of work on the modern seagoing vessels.

Wang, H.; Chen, S.H., and Luo, L., 2020. Topological characterization and optimization design for general arrangements of the research vessels. In: Bai, X. and Zhou, H. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Environmental Protection, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 115, pp. 391-395. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.A research vessel is a special ship designed to conduct the surveys and experiments of marine hydrology, geology, meteorology, and biology. Research vessels are equipped with many laboratories and experimental instruments required by various scientific researches, such as physics, chemistry, biology, etc. Hence, the general arrangement design of the research vessels is a complex task. Current approaches to this design problem are the repetitive process of trial-and-error and rely heavily on the design experience and inspiration of ship designers. This process is time and resource-intensive, which limits the discovery of optimal arrangements and increases the design costs and time. This paper presents a novel topology optimization design approach for the general design of research vessels. In the proposed approach, a multiscale network is utilized for characterizing the general arrangements. And, a mapping from the geometric arrangement to the topological network is defined. Besides, the meta-heuristic optimization techniques are applied in the design phases. For verifying the validity, the topology optimization design approach is demonstrated on the general arrangement design of the noted research vessel Atlantis.

A land-based long-range camera was developed and tested at an artificial reef site in south-east (SE) Australia to monitor levels of recreational fishing effort across a range of 9 km. The camera had 50x magnification and was operated remotely through a 4 G-LTE network, including the ability to focus and program time intervals between images. The camera was powered by a 12 V system charged through 3 × 180 W solar panels. The camera was tested over an 8-month period where photographs were taken every 15 min during daylight hours, imagery taken at this time was used to estimate fishing effort (vessel hours day−1). The long-range camera was successful in producing photographs of boats fishing on the artificial reef across the 9 km range. This capability was ground-truthed by placing a research vessel on the reef at known times and cross referencing this in photographs taken during these periods. Camera performance did diminish at times during the first few hours after sunlight, particularly during the warmer months, this was most likely caused by atmospheric turbulence occurring across the 9 km range. Although not the primary focus of the study, it was found that fishing effort at the study site varied between weekdays and weekends, with increased activity occurring during the latter. The long-range camera is likely useful beyond monitoring artificial reefs and would provide opportunities for monitoring offshore infrastructure such as aquaculture leases, or fishing effort in marine protected areas.

Impulsive sounds generated during seismic surveys have elicited behavioral responses in marine mammals and could cause hearing impairment or injury. Mitigating exposure to seismic sound often relies on real-time marine mammal detection. Detection performance is influenced by detection method, environmental conditions, and observer experience. We conducted a field comparison of real-time detections made by marine mammal observers (MMOs), a rotating infrared (IR) camera, and via passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). Data were collected from a 38 m research vessel offshore Atlantic Canada. Our results indicate that overall detection rates increase when complementary methods are used. MMOs and PAM are likely the most effective combination during high seas and precipitation. PAM and IR can be used in darkness. In good visibility, MMOs with IR or PAM should increase detections. Our results illustrate the importance of addressing false positive IR detections, matching system capabilities to sea conditions/species of interest, and employing experienced observers.

The background formaldehyde (FA) in large squid is determined through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Its seasonal variation was further investigated. In autumn and summer, background FA content in Todarodes pacificus was higher, with the mean value up to 36.8 mg/kg in September. This study provide scientific data for the monitoring management of FA during the circulation and sale of squid.

We investigated the accuracy of operational medium-range ensemble forecasts for 29 Atlantic hurricanes between 2007 and 2019. Upper-level troughs with strong wind promoted northward movement of hurricanes over the mid-latitudes. For hurricanes with upper-level troughs, relatively large errors in the prediction of troughs result in large ensemble spreads, which result in failure to forecast hurricane track. In contrast, for hurricanes without upper-level troughs, mean central position errors are relatively small in all operational forecasts because of the absence of upper-level strong wind around troughs over the mid-latitudes. Hurricane Irma in September 2017 was accompanied by upper-level strong wind around a trough, errors and ensemble spreads for the predicted upper-level trough are small, contributing to smaller errors and small ensemble spreads in the predicted tracks of Irma. Our observing system experiment reveals that inclusion of additional Arctic radiosonde observation data obtained from research vessel Mirai in 2017 improves error and ensemble spread in upper-level trough with strong wind at initial time for forecast, increasing the accuracy of the forecast of the track of Irma in 2017.

Owstonia kamoharai Endo, Liao and Matsuura, 2015 is reported for the first time from the northeastern Indian Ocean. Two specimens measuring 320 mm and 250 mm (Standard Length) were collected during the exploratory fishery surveys by Fishery Oceanographic Research Vessel Sagar Sampada in Andaman and Nicobar waters, India during April 2016 at a depth of 411 m. A brief description of the specimens collected, comparisons and previous distributional records were provided.

Fish aggregating device (FAD) are commonly used in Indonesia and once deployed in the waters they are immobile. A portable FAD equipped with sound generating devices is an innovation to attract fish which has capability to react to audio stimulant. A fishing trial in April 2019 was carried out to check the performance of the EFAD. The research was carried out using a research vessel operating handlines with fish baits. The fishing trial successfully caught the white spotted triggerfish (Canthidermis maculatus), which is usually bycatch of tuna purse seine and gillnet fisheries. The catch of the trigger fish could not be attributed solely to the sound generated by EFAD because other factors, such as the fish bait and the size of the boat, might attract the fish.

Neolepas marisindica (Arthropoda; Scalpellomorpha; Eolepadidae) is a deep-sea stalked barnacle, previously reported as a new species, found along the Central Indian Ridge. It is morphologically distinct from N. zevinae and N. rapanuii, which are found in the Pacific. We sequenced the transcriptome assembly of N. marisindica from individuals collected at a depth of 2022 m off the Onnuri Vent Field on the Central Indian Ridge by video-guided hydraulic grab from the research vessel ISABU (RV ISABU). We sequenced the transcriptome using the Illumina HiSeq X System. De novo assembly and analysis of coding regions predicted 26,201 coding sequences. The reference assembly of N. marisindica will be a valuable resource for future investigations into the ecological characteristics of this species in hydrothermal vent ecosystems. Furthermore, examining the features of hydrothermal vents with functional gene analyses will provide useful information regarding environmental interactions or evolution processes in organisms that inhabit deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

The observations of marine aerosol over the Yellow Sea near Qingdao were carried out using a ship-borne scanning micro pulse lidar (SMPL) onboard the oceanographic research vessel, XIANGYANGHONG No.8 (XYH-08). The observation campaign including anchor point observation and sailing observation was conducted from September 13th to September 18th, 2015. We acquired observation data of sailing route including aerosol extinction coefficient, the temporal and spatial variation of aerosols and clouds, and the structure of boundary layer and so on. Through the function of 3-dimensional scanning, the SMPL also provided range-height indication (RHI) and plane-position indication (PPI) of observation signals which could well reflect the distribution of marine aerosol in different directions. From the change of aerosol extinction coefficient, we successfully captured a process of sea fog occurrence.

Their marriage vows were immediately followed by 30 days of around-the-clock mapping and dredging of a mid-ocean ridge. On Monday, these marine geochemists will celebrate their 30-year anniversary.

Pelagic fish are spesies that live in water column at depth of 100 to 200 meters from surface. They migrate as a group looking for nutrient and spawning place. Potential fisheries comodities in Indonesia including pelagic fish have high economic value. Then, stock assessment of pelagic fish measurement is important to researched. The research was conducted in May – June 2016 surrounding South China Sea waters using Madidihang 02 Research Vessel operated by Marine Fisheries Affair (MFA) Republic of Indonesia. To estimate the density of pelagic fish hydro-accoustic equipment and oceanography parameters were used and measured during the campaign. The split beam echosounder was use in aim to obtain precission position and number of fish target. The highest density of fish was found around Tambelan Island and Anambas Island. Statistically pelagic fish density has correlation with chlorophyll-a, salinity, temperature, and sea current velocity. The statistical analysis between pelagic fish density and those oceanography parameters (as statistic variables) yields positive vector correlation.

A low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is compared with those already available and the motivation for its development is established. It is targeted at ship-based science missions and potential applications are described including a specific science case to measure white capping in the deep ocean. The current vehicle includes a range of more than 1000 km, carrying a payload of 2 kg and it can be launched and recovered from a coastal research vessel. The vehicle has flown successfully in Force 4 gusting Force 6–7 wind conditions, an important requirement for operation at sea. Data analysis is performed on images captured by the vehicle to provide a measurement of wave period and white capping fraction. The next stage of the project is to develop a suitable payload and perform a demonstration science mission.

The transfer of bioassays to the field situation is very complex. This review shows the bridging of the gap to the real environment by so-called transplant experiments with mussels. These approaches integrate exposure and effects, and are site specific over a well-defined exposure period. The Wabo-Aquatox was developed for evaluating “onsite” evaluation of complex critical effluents in defined dilution steps at the recipient river site with exposed fish, fish eggs, and fish larvae. For the real time bioassays for online monitoring in the environment linked to river sites, buoys, research platforms, and research vessels some examples with organisms of different trophic levels are given. In situ testing is demonstrated by UV-B radiation exposure of fish embryos on a research vessel with a sunshine simulator (SONSI) and the possibly (eco)-genotoxic effects quantified with early-life stages of fish embryos. New results with an advanced application of the phagocytosis bioassay (immunotoxicity) under extreme conditions in orbit (microgravity and radiation) are described. To bridge the “lab-field gap” some representative experiments with bioassays and artificial streams and ponds are demonstrated resulting and serving political decision-making (ChemG and REACH) by governmental authorities.

Hydrophysical fields, continuous in time and space, were reconstructed in the coastal region of the Black Sea (a western coast of the Crimea and a north-western shelf of the Black sea) on the basis of the three-dimensional nonlinear hydrodynamic model and the observational data of temperature and salinity on the research vessel “Experiment” from 16 to 22 of September, 2007. A sequential optimal interpolation of observational data of temperature and salinity was used as an assimilation procedure. A real atmospheric forcing and a high resolution (horizontal grid ~1.6 × 1.6 km and 30 vertical layers from 1 m to 1300 m) were used in the calculation. Mesoscale features of currents and thermohaline fields in the coastal zone of the Black Sea were investigated, the coastal upwelling in the Kalamitsky Bay was reconstructed, registered in satellite observations. The influence of the assimilation of observational data on the accuracy of the calculated fields of temperature and salinity was estimated.

The SA Agulhas II is a polar supply and research vessel, which operates in the stormy Southern ocean and icy Antarctic waters. She is predisposed to problematic stern slamming. Twelve accelerometer channels from a full-scale vibration measurement system were used to capture measurements of wave incidence on the main deck close to the water line. An automated slamming detection and classification algorithm is proposed to extract slamming incidents from expansive full-scale data. This method is based on image processing of scalograms which are produced by continuous transforms, using the Morlet wavelet. Slams are classified based on the time of incidence. It is shown that high crest factor stern slamming occurs as often as twice per minute.

International audience; The light absorption properties of phytoplankton (a(ph)()) and nonalgal particles (a(nap)()) associated with phytoplankton pigments were analyzed across the Red Sea, in the upper 200 m depth, between October 2014 and August 2016. The contribution by nonalgal particles to the total particulate light absorption (a(ph)()+a(nap)()) was highly variable (2317% at 440 nm) and no relationship between a(nap)(440) and chlorophyll a concentration, [TChl a], was observed. Phytoplankton-specific phytoplankton absorption coefficients at 440 and 676 nm for a given [TChl a], a(ph)*(440), and (676) were slightly higher than those derived from average relationships for open ocean waters within the surface layer as well as along the water column. Variations in the concentration of photosynthetic and photoprotective pigments were noticeable by changes in phytoplankton community size structure as well as in (). This study revealed that a higher proportion of picophytoplankton and an increase in photoprotective pigments (mainly driven by zeaxanthin) tended to be responsible for the higher () values found in the Red Sea as compared to other oligotrophic regions with similar [TChl a]. Understanding this variability across the Red Sea may help improve the accuracy of biogeochemical parameters, such as [TChl a], derived from in situ measurements and ocean color remote sensing at a regional scale.

It was night, and the trawl deck of the Canadian research vessel Dawson was an oasis of light in the inky summer darkness. The ship rolled in the gentle swell, revealing a phosphorescent wake as the stern rose and fell. From the A-frame a single wire stretched taut into the floodlit water, which parted around it in a V-shaped wake as the ship moved slowly forward. At the appropriate signal, the ship’s hydraulics groaned into action, and the cable was slowly retrieved from the depths, dripping seawater from the pulley block. A cry of “Sight!” indicated that the net was close to the surface, a pale billowing ghost just visible in the subaquatic greenish light. The drizzling net emerged from the water and was hoisted overhead like an elongated mosquito net. As the wire reached the zenith of the A-frame, the net hung suspended above the glistening deck. The scientific crew sprang into action, using a seawater hose to wash the contents into the net’s cod-end—the small container at the end of the net that holds the catch.

Result from two 3D seismic surveys acquired in inner Danish shallow water in May 2017 are presented. One survey was acquired south of the island of Anholt in cooperation with the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) and the other survey was acquired in Limfjorden (Visby Bredning). Both survey areas are located in shallow waters (< 30 m) and acquisition was carried out from Aarhus University’s research vessel Aurora. The P-cable 3D seismic acquisition system has been applied in both surveys. This system was recently introduced at the Department of Geoscience, Aarhus University and is presently being adapted to our survey capabilities.

In order to preserve the marine environment, especially in coastal areas and close to urban areas, the reduction of pollutant emissions is of primary importance. Even though traditionally not too much effort is given to propulsion system optimization, the necessity to ensure low pollutant emission level is a constraint that must be considered in small crafts design. Moreover, very often during the design of small crafts great attention is paid to achieving the desired performance only in terms of speed. In this paper, the design of a small craft conceived as a research vessel able to operate in coastal protected marine areas is presented. The particular operational profile requires the adoption both of a hybrid-electric propulsion system and a dedicated station-keeping system. Specifically, a suitable LVDC Integrated Power System has been used to ensure Zero Emission Mode both during navigation and station-keeping operational profiles.

The first results of the multidisciplinary expedition onboard research vessel “Akademik Nikolaj Strakhov” in the Barents Sea in August-September 2018 are given. On 41 stations the hydrophysical sounding was carried out, sampling of the bottom sediments was done using both grab and gravity corer. As a result of geophysical investigations the areas with the signs of modern dangerous natural processes were identified. Four seismic bottom stations were installed in the Pechora Sea.

A unique 4-week ship cruise from Guadeloupe to Cabo Verde in April–May 2013 see part 1, Rittmeister et al. (2017) is used for an in-depth comparison of dust profiles observed with a polarization/Raman lidar aboard the German research vessel Meteor over the remote tropical Atlantic and respective dust forecasts of a regional (SKIRON) and two global atmospheric (dust) transport models (NMMB/BSC-Dust, MACC/CAMS). New options of model–observation comparisons are presented. We analyze how well the modeled fine dust (submicrometer particles) and coarse dust contributions to light extinction and mass concentration match respective lidar observations, and to what extent models, adjusted to aerosol optical thickness observations, are able to reproduce the observed layering and mixing of dust and non-dust (mostly marine) aerosol components over the remote tropical Atlantic. Based on the coherent set of dust profiles at well-defined distances from Africa (without any disturbance by anthropogenic aerosol sources over the ocean), we investigate how accurately the models handle dust removal at distances of 1500 km to more than 5000 km west of the Saharan dust source regions. It was found that (a) dust predictions are of acceptable quality for the first several days after dust emission up to 2000 km west of the African continent, (b) the removal of dust from the atmosphere is too strong for large transport paths in the global models, and (c) the simulated fine-to-coarse dust ratio (in terms of mass concentration and light extinction) is too high in the models compared to the observations. This deviation occurs initially close to the dust sources and then increases with distance from Africa and thus points to an overestimation of fine dust emission in the models. We thank the R/V Meteor team and German Weather Service (DWD) for their support during the cruise M96. We appreciate the effort of AERONET MAN to equip research vessels with sun photometers for atmospheric research. We are grateful to Angela Benedetti (MACC/CAMS model; European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Reading, UK) for all her fruitful comments and suggestion during the initial phase of paper preparation. The SKIRON model operations were supported by the European Commission through the Seventh Framework Programme MARINA platform (Marine Renewable Integrated Application Platform, grant agreement 241402). NMMB/BSC-Dust model simulations were performed in the MareNostrum supercomputer hosted by BSC. Sara Basart and Oriol Jorba acknowledge the CICYT project (CGL2016-75725-R) of the Spanish Government and the AXA Research Fund. The authors also acknowledge support through ACTRIS-2 under grant agreement no. 654109 from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme.

K-12 educators from Maryland's Eastern Shore traveled from the Chester River headwaters to the Chesapeake Bay aboard a research vessel analyzing sediment samples and using sonar to image its bottom and, incidentally, an 18th century shipwreck. Educators engaged in 10 Professional Development Modules where they participated in activities such as building observation buoys that collect water quality data and designing, building, and operating underwater robots. Additional program components included issues investigation, agro-ecology, bird identification, weather, and hands-on instruction to integrate the material into impact classroom content. The program strength lies in the cumulative knowledge gained by completing all of the components to get a holistic view of watershed exploration from the headwaters to the Bay. Consequently, the thread for this program is that all educators are from schools within the Chester River Watershed, herein termed a schoolshed. Data were plotted on a school-available website and are further supported by http://www.crwo.org. Shared resources were available for all of the teachers and delivered on demand so that the lessons could be implemented with classes on their school grounds. Independently contracted program evaluations were positive. All of the program's components are easily adapted to other watersheds and are presently being repackaged as the Canyons to the Oceans program for the Oxnard California School District as the Coastal California Watershed Observatory. Since 2013, the program has been supported by the Maryland State Department of Education and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In October 2012, the Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE, La Spezia, Italy) conducted trials from the NATO research vessel (RV) Alliance, off Elba Island, Italy. During this trial, data were collected by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI, Kjeller, Norway) using a HUGIN autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with interferometric synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) in repeated passes. Large linear structures (tens of meters by several meters) observed in both the SAS images and SAS bathymetry during the initial pass were absent in data taken on a repeated pass the following day. We suggest that these phenomena were not true seafloor features, but were caused by features in the water column, known as boluses, which can form after breaking internal wave events. The changes observed in acoustical intensity and phase appear to be caused by the interaction of the acoustical field with the lower average sound-speed structure of the bolus, constructing features in both SAS imagery and SAS bathymetry that looked like seabed topography. In this paper, we present examples and give an interpretation of the results based on an acoustical ray model. We discuss different techniques for recognizing these phenomena: repeat pass imaging and interferometry, multilook and multiaperture processing, and moving target analysis.

There is growing evidence of extensive pollution of the environment by microplastic, with microfibres representing a large proportion of the microplastics seen in marine sediments. Since microfibres are ubiquitous in the environment, present in the laboratory air and water, evaluating microplastic pollution is difficult. Incidental contamination is highly likely unless strict control measures are employed. Here we describe methods developed to minimize the amount of incidental post-sampling contamination when quantifying marine microfibre pollution. We show that our protocol, adapted from the field of forensic fibre examination, reduces fibre abundance by 90% and enables the quick screening of fibre populations. These methods therefore allow an accurate estimate of microplastics polluting marine sediments. In a case study from a series of samples collected on a research vessel, we use these methods to highlight the prevalence of microfibres as marine microplastics.