SEEPS 15

Ship

R/V Atlantis

Vehicles

AUV Sentry, HOV Alvin

Cruise Party

Christopher Reddy: Principal Investigator
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Fye 107B, MS#04 Woods Hole, Ma. USA 02543
+1 508 289 2316
creddy@whoi.edu

Charles Sharpless: Principal Investigator
University of Mary Washington Fredricksburg, VA USA
+1 540 654 1405
csharple@umw.edu

David Valentine: Chief Scientist, Principal Investigator
University of California Santa Barbara 1006 Webb Hall, Department of Earth Science Santa Barbara, CA US 93117
+1 805 893 2973
valentine@geol.ucsb.edu

Departure: St Pete on Jun 15, 2015

Arrival: St. Pete on Jun 29, 2015

Mobilization Date: Jun 12, 2015

Demobilization Date: Jun 29, 2015

Supporting documentation:

»Station_Targets.xlsx

Operations Area: Gulf of Mexico

Lat/Lon: 26° 47.092′ N / 94° 31.827′ W

Depth Range: min / max (m)

Will the vessel be operating within 200 NM of a foreign country? Mexico, but in US waters
Are visas or special travel documents required? no

Science objectives

The primary scientific objective of the cruise is to track the chemical changes to oil during the weathering progression from sea floor to sea surface to weathered slick.

Secondary objectives include assessing the ability of bacteria to consume select components of oil, testing of new methods for in-situ measurement of sulfate reduction rate, testing of new sampling methodologies for seeps, and a survey of deep ocean dump sites.

Science Activities

Alvin Operation at Oil and Gas Seeps and Brine Pools.  This will include:  Gas sampling; Oil Sampling; Water Sampling; deployment and recovery of in-situ incubations; Slurp sampling; mineral sampling; Coring. 

CTD Casts:  We plan CTD casts to collect water samples.  Estimated number of casts for the entire cruise is 12.

Sentry Operations:  We plan Sentry operations when Alvin is not in the water (= mainly overnight).  We plan to use the MBES, camera system, side scan sonar, subbottom profiler, CTD, and oxygen sensor.

Small boat (RHIB) sampling of oil slick from natural seeps.  This will be accomplished using a pole and net approach and is dependent on weather and sea state.  We would like to conduct these operations simultaneous with Alvin operations.

Pre-cruise planning meeting: Teleconference

Stations:

Funding Agency: NSF # OCE-1333162, NSF #OCE-1333148

- added NSF # OCE-1333162 on Mar 26, 2015 4:52 PM by Dr David L Valentine
- added NSF #OCE-1333148 on Mar 26, 2015 4:52 PM by Dr David L Valentine

R/V Atlantis

Shipboard Equipment

ADCP 75 kHz
Bathymetry System 3.5 kHz
Deionized Water System
Fume Hood
Multibeam
Navigation - Heading
Navigation - Position
Transponder Navigation - Sonardyne USBL

Shipboard Communication

Basic Internet access via HiSeasNet

CTD/Water Sampling

911+ Rosette 24-position, 10-liter bottle Rosette with dual T/C sensors
SBE43 oxygen sensor
Wet Labs ECO-AFL fluorometer
Wet Labs C*Star transmissometer (660nm wavelength)
Wet Labs FLNTURTD Combination Flourometer and Turbidity Sensor

Critical CTD Sensors: 

MET Sensors

Air temperature
Barometric Pressure
Relative Humidity
Short Wave Solar Radiation
Wind speed and direction

Sample Storage

Climate Controlled Walk-in
Freezer -70°C 25 cu. ft.
Freezer -70°C 3.2 cu. ft. ea.
Refrigerator 8.6 cu. ft.
Scientific Walk-in Freezer


Storage Notes:

Navigation

Will you be using Long Base Line (LBL) navigation? no

Will you be using Ultra-short baseline (USBL) navigation for other than Alvin operations? no

Navigation

USBL

Navigation Notes:

Winches

CTD Winch with .322" Electro-mechanical wire

Winch Notes:



Wire Notes:

Slip ring required? no	Number of conductors:
Non-standard wire required? no	Type:
Traction winch required? no	Describe:

Portable Vans

Chemical Storage Van

Other Science Vans:

Specialized Deck Equipment

Mooring Deployment/Recovery Equipment Required: no	Type:
Cruise Specific Science Winch Required: no	Type:
Nets Required: no	Type:

Over the Side Equipment

Will you be bringing any equipment (winches, blocks, etc.) that lowers instruments over the side? no

Special Requirements

Elecrical Power: no	Identify:
Equipment Handling: no	Identify:
Inter/intraship Communications: no	Identify:
Science Stowage: no	Identify:
Water: no	Identify:

Additional Cruise Items/Activities

Explosive Devices: no Portable Air Compressors: no Flammable Gases: yes

Small Boat Operations: yes SCUBA Diving Operations: yes

Hazardous Material

Will hazardous material be utilized? yes

Radioactive Material

Radioiosotopes: no

Additional Information

Is night time work anticipated on this cruise? yes

Specialized tech support (Seabeam, coring, other):  Multibeam and ADCP experience would be very useful.

Other required equipment and special needs: 

AUV Sentry

Site Survey

Will you provide detailed charts of the work area(s)?  no
Current Chart(s):


If no, will you need Sentry to generate maps of the work area(s)?  yes

Will you need post-dive maps of the work area generated?  yes

Navigation

Will you be using Long Base Line (LBL) navigation? no

Will you be using Ultra-short baseline (USBL) navigation? yes

Will you be using Doppler/GPS navigation? yes

Sensors & Samplers

Magnetometer
What type of samples do you expect to collect?
If only...

Science Supplied Equipment

Are you supplying equipment to be used with AUV Sentry?  no

Has this equipment been used on Sentry before?  no

Please give a brief description of the equipment, its intended purpose, the cruise # it was last used on if any and its deployment method.

Does this equipment use an external pressure housing?  no

Has the pressure case been tested to the anticipated depth of deployment?  no

Air weight(s) of this equipment?

Water weight(s) of this equipment?

Does the equipment require data or a power interface from the vehicle?
  no

Does the equipment meet the electrical requirements of the Sentry User Manual?  no

Cameras & Video

Digital Still Camera: Color

Additional Information

Brief operations description or comments: Alvin operations will take place during the day, with Sentry operations worked in between Alvin dives, e.g., overnight.  Sentry will be used to scout potential dive targets for Alvin, with typical dives involving MBES, Sidescan, (subbottom?), and photoimaging.  One dive is expected at a dump site where we will use the above tools (plus a megnetometer if you have one...) to search for barrels and other signs of industrial waste dumping.

HOV Alvin

Site Survey

Will you provide detailed charts of the work area(s)?  no
Current Chart(s):


If no, willl you need R/V Atlantis to generate maps of the work area(s)?  no

Will you need post-dive maps of the work area generated?  no

Navigation

Will you be using Long Base Line (LBL) navigation? no

Will you be using Ultra-short baseline (USBL) navigation for other than Alvin operations? yes

Vehicle Equipment

Push corers (12-pack rack)
Search sonar
Low temperature probe
Rock drill
CTD
Small capacity slurp samplers
Large capacity slurp samplers: multi-chamber
Bio collection boxes: 12 x 12 x 12
Bio collection boxes: 12 x 12 x 24
Major (dual) pair water sampler(s) with ICL temperature probles


What type of samples do you expect to collect?
Oil, sediment, water, seep gas, brine, asphalt, carbonate.

Elevators

Will you be using elevators to transport samples to the surface?  yes
If yes, how many would you anticipate?  Possibly 2 - need to discuss.

Science Supplied Equipment

Are you supplying equipment to be used on HOV Alvin?  yes

Has this equipment been used on Alvin before?  no

Please give a brief description of the equipment, its intended purpose, the cruise # it was last used on if any and its deployment method.
We will bring sampling devices to collect seeping oil and gas.  Some have been used with Alvin/Jason, most have not.  

We are also developing methods for sampling of brine pool water (advice is appreciated), and for conducting incubations of the brine in-situ.  Any chance we could attach a hose to  the SLURP pump that we could dangle in a brine pool?   This development in in progress, clearly.

Does this equipment use an external pressure housing?  no

Has the pressure housing been tested per Alvin Pressure Test requirements?  no

Air weight of this equipment? null

Water weight(s) of this equipment?

Does the equipment require a power interface from Alvin?  no

Voltage required

Power required

Data Interface

Does the equipment meet the electrical requirements of the Alvin User Manual?  no

Please provide power and comms specifics, wiring diagram, pinout, and wiring harness in advance of the cruise.

Does this equipment require hydraulic inputs from Alvin?  no
Hydraulic schematic of the equipment requirements.

Does this equipment require manipulation?  yes

If yes, please describe how the equipment is to be manipulated:  The Oil and gas samplers will be mounted to the front basket and deployed/retreived with handles, using the manipulator.

The in-situ incubation system is still being designed.

Will this equipment be deployed off the vehicle?  yes

If yes, please describe how the equipment is intended for deployment:  The in-situ incubation system will be left at the sea floor for recovery on a subsequent dive.  Oil and gas samplers will not be deployed off the vehicle.

If yes, will the equipment be disconnected from the vehicle and left in situ?  yes

How long will the deployment be?  1  Days

Will the equipment be recovered by the same vehicle?  yes

Do you intend to recover any other previously deployed equipment?  no

If yes, please describe this equipment: 

Does this equipment use any glass spheres, ceramic housings or similar (non-metallic materials) for either buoyancy or as pressure housings?  no

Do you require any electronic equipment in the personal sphere? no

Has the computer or control panel been gas tested for use in the personnel sphere?  no

Hazardous Material

Will hazardous material be utilized? no

Additional Information

Brief operations description or comments:
We will visit oil and gas seeps, and brine pools. I expect 3-4 oily dives.  We also have ~six days of transit.

We could use advice on brine pool sampling, as B-ruce has more experience with brine pools than we do. 
Date Submitted: Apr 7, 2015 11:56 PM by Dr David L Valentine