SEEPS 21

Ship

R/V Atlantis

Vehicles

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

Robert Swarthout: Principal Investigator
Appalachian State University United States
+1 585 727 0799
swarthoutrf@appstate.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: Gulfport, MS on Nov 25, 2021

Arrival: St. Pete on Dec 9, 2021

Mobilization Date: Nov 23, 2021

Demobilization Date: Dec 10, 2021

Supporting documentation:

Operations Area: Gulf of Mexico

Lat/Lon: 27° 0.0′ N / 92° 0.0′ W

Depth Range: 300 / 3000

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 objectives of the cruise are to track the chemical changes to oil during the transport from sea floor to atmosphere, and to identify microbiological responses to the input of dissolved hydrocarbons to the Ocean's interior.

Secondary objectives include sampling of sea surface slicks and photosynthetic communities.

Science Activities

Alvin Operation at Oil Seeps.  This will include:  Oil Sampling; Water Sampling and sediment push Coring. 

UAV (Aerial Drones) operation.  This will include flying a drone-based sampling grid at each Alvin Dive site, as well as drone-based aerial reconnaisance flights.  We would like to conduct these operations simultaneous with Alvin operations. 

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

Small boat (RHIB) sampling of surface slicks.  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.

Net sampling:  This will be accomplished with hand held nets deployed from the stern at low speed.

Pre-cruise planning meeting: Teleconference

Stations:

Funding Agency: NSF #1756947

- added NSF #1756947 on Aug 5, 2021 10:52 AM by
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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
GPS

Navigation Notes:

Winches

CTD Winch with .322" Electro-mechanical wire

Winch Notes:

Wire use and application

Other


Wire Notes: Small hand thrown nets for sea surface sampling.

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: no

Hazardous Material

Will hazardous material be utilized? yes

Describe deployment method and quantity:
We will compile MSDS information in the coming months.

Radioactive Material

Radioiosotopes: no

Additional Information

Is night time work anticipated on this cruise? yes

Specialized tech support (Seabeam, coring, other):  Due to COVID, we may be understaffed for MBES mapping in support of Alvin dive operations.  Having an SSSG who can assist with mapping would be most useful.

Other required equipment and special needs: 

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
CTD
Small capacity slurp samplers
Large capacity slurp samplers: multi-chamber
Bio collection boxes: 12 x 12 x 12
Niskin bottles (2L bottle)
Special micro-bio box 12" x 18" x 12"
Tube cores: 12 core array (12" x 18" milk crate base)
Tube cores: 24" tube cores


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

Elevators

Will you be using elevators to transport samples to the surface?  no
If yes, how many would you anticipate? 

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.  These samplers are simply modified push cores.  I think they are 20-inch barrels, similar in weight to traditional cores.

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?

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 samplers will be mounted to the front basket and deployed/retreived with handles, using the manipulator.  They will rack up with the core tubes.




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

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 several oil seeps at different depths with the primary goal of collecting oil samples at each location.
Date Submitted: Aug 7, 2021 6:11 PM