AT37-07 P-MaG

Ship

R/V Atlantis

Vehicles

AUV Sentry, ROV Jason

Cruise Party

Michael Cheadle: Chief Scientist, Principal Investigator
University of Wyoming 1000 E University Ave Laramie, Wyoming USA 82071
+1 307 721 5082
cheadle@uwyo.edu

Jeffrey Gee: Principal Investigator
USA
+1 858 534 4707
jsgee@ucsd.edu

Barbara John: Principal Investigator
University of Wyoming P.O. BOX 3006 Laramie, WY USA 82071
+1 307 766 4232
bjohn@uwyo.edu

Departure: Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) on Jan 15, 2017

Arrival: Arica- Chile on Feb 21, 2017

Mobilization Date: Jan 12, 2017

Demobilization Date: Feb 23, 2017

Supporting documentation:

»Tentative-location-map-for-CTD's--&-Pito-Seamounta.jpg
»Very-approx-location-of-jason-dives.jpg
»Areas-A---B--approx-location-of-Sentry-maps.jpg

Operations Area: Pito Deep, NE corner of the Easter Microplate EPR

Lat/Lon: 22° 58.0′ S / 111° 57.0′ W

Depth Range: 2000m / 6000m

Will the vessel be operating within 200 NM of a foreign country? no

Science objectives

i)  Map, using Sentry, the bathymetry & collect magnetic data along part of the north wall of Pito Deep in order to a) determine the vertical geometry of the magnetic polarity boundaries (stripes) & b) determine locations for Jason II dives.
ii) Conduct Jason traverses (& dredges) on the north wall  to sample the upper part (1-2km?) of the gabbros that form ocean crust layer 3. The traverses will be spaced over a distance of ~20km allowing us to examine the lateral variation in layer 3 along a flowline & overall determine how ocean crust is accreted.
iii) Explore for seafloor fluid flow at the bottom of Pito Deep (6000m), using Sentry & CTD's, including fluid sampling & shipboard methane analysis
iv) Dive with Jason II to sample any new fluid flow sites found in Pito Deep area
v) Visit the black smoker site on Pito Seamount (2200m), last visited by Nautile 23 years ago to photograph and sample vent fluids & (micro)biological samples. This site is ~50km to the SE of the main work site. (Station 3- Pito Seamount)
Objectives iii, iv and v are secondary to objectives i & ii and will be overseen by Chris German (WHOI) who is part of the Science Party.

Science Activities

i)  Sentry surveys to collect bathymetric, side-scan, and high-resolution magnetic anomaly data, to identify sampling targets and map reversal boundaries. Sentry surveys will be conducted ~80m above bottom, with contour parallel lines and a nominal vertical spacing of 100m to allow complete bathymetric and side-scan coverage with the Reson 7125 system, and to permit gridding of the near-bottom magnetic anomaly data.  Approx 8-10 x 20hr dives at the start of the cruise. (Stations 1 & 2 = areas B & A  These Areas are very close to each other  (10nm) and we would prefer to map both areas first before commencing Jason dives-  in order to recognize the best locations for the Jason dives.  See supporting figures.
 ii) The new Sentry surveys and all existing DSL-120 side-scan imagery and previous dive transects will be used to select locations for Jason II dives.  We expect sediment cover & mass wasting to be extensive, hence the need for as much information as possible to site the Jason dives. We envisage ~5 Jason dives/transects to photograph & sample the gabbros, spaced approximately 5km apart (from ~6km to 3.5km water depth- maximum possible range) over a distance of ~ 20km. (Areas B & A)
iii) Dredging of the gabbros between dives. (Areas B & A)
iv) Explore for seafloor fluid flow at the bottom of Pito Deep (6km) using CTD's (6-12 casts total) between Jason dives & later in the cruise, after phase 1 mapping is complete, use Sentry equipped with in situ water column sensors, sidescan & photography to prospect for fluid flow.  Also, sampling and shipboard methane analysis is proposed. (Led by Chris German). See supporting figure.  Assuming time is available, we would also plan to dive to and sample any new sites of fluid flow found within the cruise duration as part of the ongoing Jason dive program at Pito Deep.
v) At the end of the cruise, assuming time permits, we would like to carry out one Jason II dive  on a black smoker site on Pito Seamount (50km to the SE) last visited by Nautille in 1993 (Station 3- Pito Seamount). This site has never previously been sampled. We propose to collect fluids for our own geochemical analyses, using Seewald’s IGT samplers (project funded through WHOI's Ocean Exploration Institute) and to return “voucher” (micro)-biological samples (collected by slurp sampler and/or bio-box then frozen aboard ship) to colleagues ashore. (Led by Chris German). See supporting figure for location.
Note activities i to iii are the main priority of the cruise. Activities iv & v are ancillary activities to be scheduled as timing permits. 
Also, we would like to carry out dual Sentry & Jason II operations as much as possible given the water depths & logistical limitations.
Maps of areas B & A are attached 

Pre-cruise planning meeting: Teleconference

3-way: Cheadle & John in Wyoming Gee at Scripps & WHOI
Media personnel on board: Video, Writer, Teacher
We have discussed (organized) extra bandwidth with Kevin Walsh (Scripps) HSN support. We have extra monies in the grant for this. We plan on taking 3 media/education folks & plan on carrying out some (2 per day?) 2-way ship to shore broadcasts to schools, societies etc. We intend to make videos, podcasts, blogs etc.

Stations:

  Pito Seamount
  Distance: 36
  Days: 2
  Latitude: 23° 19.742’ S
  Longitude: 111° 38.709’ W

  Area A
  Distance: 10
  Days: 13
  Latitude: 22° 53.021’ S
  Longitude: 112° 3.595’ W

  Area B
  Distance: 279
  Days: 10
  Latitude: 23° 0.27’ S
  Longitude: 111° 54.219’ W

Funding Agency: NSF #1459387, NSF #1459462

- added NSF #1459387 on Aug 30, 2016 12:36 PM by
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R/V Atlantis

Shipboard Equipment

Bathymetry System 3.5 kHz
Relay Transponder for Wire Use
12 kHz Pinger for Wire Use
Transponder Navigation - Sonardyne USBL
Navigation - Heading
Multibeam
Navigation - Position
Towed Magnetometer

Shipboard Communication

Basic Internet access via HiSeasNet
Is there an expectation to use Skype or any other real-time video conference program?
Is there a need to transfer data to shore on a regular basis?

CTD/Water Sampling

911+ Rosette 24-position, 10-liter bottle Rosette with dual T/C sensors
Seapoint STM turbidity sensor
Wet Labs C*Star transmissometer (660nm wavelength)

Critical CTD Sensors:  If the STM is not already High-Gain (same as on Sentry) then Chris German can bring his own (2)

Sediment Sampling

Rock dredges

Sample Storage

Freezer -70°C 25 cu. ft.
Freezer -70°C 3.2 cu. ft. ea.


Storage Notes: We would like the opportunity to collect voucher biological samples from Pito Seamount since that site has never been sampled previously.  Best practice for DNA analyses of samples (to be offloaded at cruise end and airshipped back to US) would be to freeze samples to -70C while at sea.

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

GPS
USBL

Navigation Notes: We will require USBL for Sentry and Jason navigation.
Ideally, we would also like to attach a USBL beacon to the CTD so that if we find signals indicative of seafloor fluid flow, we know where those samples come from, at depth.

Winches

CTD Winch with .322" Electro-mechanical wire
Trawl Winch with 9/16th trawl wire

Winch Notes: a) CTD winch for CTD-rosette operations (vertical casts + Niskin sampling for methane analyses on ship using Jeff Seewald - WHOI MC&G's Gas Chrmatograph, operated by Sean Sylva (WHOI)

b) Trawl winch (presumably) for seafloor dredging - can WHOI provide Dredge Baskets etc?

Wire use and application

Trawl Winch with 9/16th trawl wire


Wire Notes:

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

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: yes	Identify: 8 Zarges boxes, 100-200 x 5 gallon sample buckets. & a mini boat (~ 5ft long)
Water: yes	Identify: Small amounts of Milli-Q likely to be useful for lab work

Additional Cruise Items/Activities

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

Small Boat Operations: no SCUBA Diving Operations: no

Hazardous Material

Will hazardous material be utilized? yes

Describe deployment method and quantity:
Sean Sylva (WHOI MC&G) will be operating a gas chromatograph aboard ship which requires use of compressed gases.  We will complete all necessary paperwork well ahead of the cruise, as required.

Radioactive Material

Radioiosotopes: no

Additional Information

Is night time work anticipated on this cruise? yes

Specialized tech support (Seabeam, coring, other):  Dredging, Jason, Sentry
CTD casts will be conducted between Jason dives, whenever those opportunities arise.
These casts (up to 5h duration at 5000m depth) may be at night rather than in day time.

Other required equipment and special needs:  We plan to launch a 5ft long mini-boat/float for middle school kidz at some pt. during the cruise
Also, we will be carrying six Argo floats for James Gilson to launch periodically during the transit to Chile

We will also need the rock saws.  The one that is available on Atlantis & if necc. the 2nd one that will be travelling with the Gregg cruise. To save costs, we plan on sharing some equipment (microscopes etc.).

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)?  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? no

Will you be using Doppler/GPS navigation? no

Sensors & Samplers

410/120kHz Sidescan sonar
CTD
Dissolved oxygen
Magnetometer
Multibeam maps
ORP
Optical back scatter
Sub bottom profiler
What type of samples do you expect to collect?
None

Science Supplied Equipment

Are you supplying equipment to be used with AUV Sentry?  yes

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.
J. Gee will supply a Cs magnetometer system and pressure case. This prototype sensor from Geometrics has two small (~1 cubic inch) sensors and will allow total magnetic field intensities to be measured without the need for calibration and may also yield short baseline gradiometry data. We have been in discussion with Carl Kaiser about the sensor mounting, data logging and requirements for the pressure case. The sensor will be delivered in mid Sept. and a pressure case is in design. Because of the length of the pressure case (~36”) we anticipate that pressure tests will be conducted at WHOI. The sensor package is currently under review for export control. We have initiated a license request in the event that the sensor will be subject to ITAR/EAR export control.

Does this equipment use an external pressure housing?  yes

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

Air weight(s) of this equipment? 10

Water weight(s) of this equipment? 30

Does the equipment require data or a power interface from the vehicle?
  yes

Does the equipment meet the electrical requirements of the Sentry User Manual?  yes

Additional Information

Brief operations description or comments: Primary objectives for Sentry will be seafloor geophysical surveys- bathymetry, sidescan & magnetics.
Secondary objectives will include seafloor fluid flow detection and bottom photography in any candidate fluid flow sites.

ROV Jason

Site Survey

Will you provide detailed charts of the work area(s)?  yes
Current Chart(s):


If no, willl you need Jason 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? no

Will you be using Doppler/GPS navigation? no

Sensors & Samplers

CTD
Digital still camera: forward-looking
Heat flow probe
Large capacity slurp samplers (Multi-chamber)
Scoop nets
Search Sonar
Magnetometer
Digital still camera: down-looking
What type of samples do you expect to collect?
Primary objectives: rock sampling (including oriented samples using orientation device described below) Fluid flow sites: sampling of vent-fluids with IGT samplers (Seewald laboratory, WHOI) and biological samples using slurp sampler, bio-boxes

Elevators

Will you be using elevators to transport samples to the surface?  yes

If yes, how many would you anticipate?  Multiple deployments as necessary to recover rock samples. We plan 5 Jason dives up to 5km long.

Science Supplied Equipment

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

Has this equipment been used on Jason before?  yes

Please give a brief description of the equipment, its intended purpose, the cruise # it was last used on if any and its deployment method.
Collecting oriented rock samples is a primary goal of the cruise. We will supply a miniature orientation device and pressure case (with a backup sensor and pressure case) with T-bar for manipulation. We have been in touch with Tito Collasius about the orientation device (power, coms needs).  The sensors (Applied Physics Systems 544 orientation sensors) have been used previously on Jason (cruise AT11-23) mounted on the side of the ROV. In this application, a single sensor will be used with the manipulator arm to record orientation of rock surfaces. Previous pressure tests can be supplied and the pressure cases will be retested if any modifications are made.

We will bring sets of Jeff Seewald's IGT vent-fluid samplers for Pito Seamount and/or any other fluid flow sites that we find.  These samplers have been used repeatedly on numerous past Jason and Alvin cruises aboard the Atlantis.

Does this equipment use an external pressure housing?  yes

If yes, what is the pressure rating? 
and test pressure? 

Or has the pressure case been tested per Alvin Pressure Test requirements?  yes

Housing schematic with dimensions and include air and water weights.

Does the equipment have an associated computer or control panel for remote operation from the personnel sphere?  no

Air weight of this equipment?  10

Water weight of this equipment?  4

Does the equipment require data or a power interface from the vehicle?  yes

Does this equipment require hydraulic inputs from the vehicle?  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 orientation devices are housed in cylindrical Ti pressure cases approximately 8" long and 2" in diameter. We intend to construct a T-bar (at least 7" tall and 3.5" wide per communication with WHOI) attachment for manipulation. The base of the cylindrical pressure case will have metal base plate (approximately 6-8" diameter) attached that will be placed against the rock. It would be ideal if real time azimuth and plunge information from the sensor could be displayed/recorded during sampling.

Will this equipment be deployed off the vehicle?  no

If yes, please describe how the equipment is intended for deployment.

If yes, will the equipment be disconnected from the vehicle and left in situ?  no

How long will the deployment be? 

Will the equipment be recovered by the same vehicle?  no

If recovering equipment deployed with another vehicle, provide pressure rating: 
and test pressure: 

Does this equipment use any glass spheres for either buoyancy or as pressure housings?  no

Hazardous Material

Will hazardous material be utilized? no

Additional Information

Brief operations description or comments:
Require depth & any orientation information to be shown on Jason video.
Date Submitted: Aug 31, 2016 12:41 AM