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Deep Banks Survey - 2010 - Pelican

Project Title:	RAPID: Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon crude oil spill on the diversity of macroalgae and macrocrustaceans inhabiting deepwater hard banks in the N W, NE, and SE Gulf of Mexico	Project Status:	Submitted
Principal Investigator:	Darryl L. Felder, ULL	Project Institution:	ULL
Project ID:	102684	Version #:	4
Date Submitted:	8/31/2010 2:25:00 PM	Created By:	Darryl L. Felder
Date Last Modified:	10/7/2010 2:01:00 PM	URI Serial #:	DEB-1045690
Funding Agencies:	NSF/BIO/DEB - DEB-1045690 - Funded
Summary of Field Work:	Field work under this project is to consist of 10 days ship time for box dredge biological sampling of deep banks (45-90m), and benthic sled biological sampling of surrounding deep bottoms (maximum depth 2000m) in the northern and eastern Gulf of Mexico. Target indicator taxa in this project are macroalgae and macrocrustaceans. Ship time may be partitioned into two separate cruises. The severe urgency of the April 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon crude oil spill (Mississippi Canyon 252) disaster requires rapid-response research. The Gulf of Mexico, one of the world’s most geologically, oceanographically and biologically unique and productive ocean basins, is characterized by a relatively shallow but well-developed continental shelf with an extensive system of hard banks of varying origin and composition. Co-PIs Fredericq and Felder were awarded a 3-year NSF BS&I grant in 2003 (DEB 0315995) to inventory and collect baseline data on seaweeds (Fredericq) and macrocrustaceans (Felder) inhabiting hard banks throughout the Gulf. A primary rationale of the BS&I grant was to document and archive ecologically important benthic organisms in the Gulf that were regarded as high risk in a potentially catastrophic oil spill. By virtue of their geological history, especially in that they often surmount salt domes where strata trap hydrocarbons, many of the habitats we have investigated in the NW Gulf are located in or immediately adjacent to areas of intensive oil and gas exploration, production, and transportation. We currently have an exceptional database of the offshore macroalgae and macrocrustaceans living at 45-90 m depth in both the currently oil spill-impacted areas and throughout the Gulf, largely established due to NSF BS&I-funded dredging expeditions. These collections were critical to our own and many colleagues’ contributions in compiling a massive full account of Gulf of Mexico biodiversity published in 2009, which is the baseline for an understanding of diverse algal and faunal assemblages now at risk (Felder D.L. and D.K. Camp, 2009, Eds., Gulf of Mexico. Origin, Waters and Biota. Volume 1. Biodiversity, Texas University Press, 1392 pp; see also, http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~dlf4517/). While the ongoing use of dispersants to disrupt the crude oil minimizes oil on the surface and limits landfall on shorelines, dispersed oil emulsions and dissolved hydrocarbons sink to midwaters and benthic habitats of the continental shelf, there becoming not only a physical threat but also being incorporated into food chains and potentially accumulating metabolically. Burning of surface oil results in asphaltene particulates that may leach and foul for long terms, these materials also being borne by midwater currents and accumulating in benthic settings. While many immediate and direct visible effects of the oil spill onshore are visually dramatic, the long-term damage to the health of the ecosystem, while superficially obscure, may be extremely nefarious for deep-water benthic organisms, including for diverse assemblages on hard banks. Resistance to hydrocarbon insult (tolerance and reproductive) is likely to vary by taxon and clade, while opportunistic colonizers (including introduced species) may come to play altered roles in community structure. Studies of these phenomena will be initiated by timely monitoring of the post-spill assemblage state and subsequent recovery rates in the marine flora (primary producers) and dominant invertebrate faunal communities on these deep hard banks. The dredged samples we obtain will target our previously emphasized focal taxa, while other macrobiotic taxa will, as before, be routed to colleagues for study. In addition, we will sample and archive new samples of representative tissues for use by colleagues monitoring tissue hydrocarbon profiles (offers being tendered). Both macroalgae and macrocrustaceans are retrieved intact, using minimum tow periods (usually 10 min. or less). State-of-the-art bathymetric and positioning equipment on board the ship reduces uncertainty about sites of dredge deployment and retrieval, pinpointing the exact depths and substratum profiles (sediment, banks) in ways that maximize efficiency and minimize substratum disturbance. A visual account of the Gulf habitats and organisms we have covered in the past can be viewed in a series of video clips posted in a YouTube playlist dedicated to deepwater Gulf of Mexico seaweeds and invertebrates (http://www.youtube.com/nemastoma2#p/c/0D8228F7743D514E); we propose to post digital footage of the impacted oil spill habitats as well, along with representative organisms on YouTube for general outreach purposes. Upon resampling of earlier sites, it is hypothesized that results of the RAPID inventory will reflect which taxa are sensitive to oil pollution, and (by virtue of organism health) reflect their potential to subsequently recover. All material collected from each trip will be sorted, identified, and the associated information entered into web-accessible databases at http://morayeel.louisiana.edu/SeaweedsLab/phycomirth.html and http://morayeel.louisiana.edu/Felder/DeepBanks using FileMaker Pro.
Summary of Facility Requirements:	Under support from UNOLS we plan to contract the R/V Pelican, a 32 m (105ft) ABS Class “A-1+ Oceanographic, steel-hull coastal research vessel, operated by LUMCON and based in Cocodrie, Louisiana, for two proposed 5-day collecting cruises. The selected sites we wish to revisit are deep hard banks in the NW Gulf, NE Gulf (in the vicinity of the Florida Middle Grounds), the SE Gulf (in the vicinity of the Dry Tortugas). This well-equipped and instrumented vessel will serve as the primary platform for accessing offshore sampling sites and for dredging on the hard banks (see http://www.lumcon.edu/vesselops). The crew of this vessel is experienced from our previous dredge collections throughout the Gulf. We propose to couple dredge collecting with area survey documentation using digital video footage captured by a Seaviewer drop camera or, depending on availability, an ROV. The Hourglass-design box dredge is a proven design in use for over 40 years of work in various Gulf settings, and provides a now standardized method of semi-quantitative sampling. Coupling its use with video imaging we can achieve a cost-effecting compromise between efficient collecting and in situ observation. The dredge can be fabricated in most metal shops and usually be repaired by welding on board ship if needed. Snagging under tow on firm ledges or clay lumps results in tipping of the dredge and emptying of contents or designed “weak link” damage to separate the bridle from one or both sides of the box; it is thus an effective tool only on substrata of low relief that consist of loose rocks and rubble, shells or shell hash, and calcareous nodules, the typical substrata of Gulf deep banks. The dredge is typically towed at minimum ship headway, with alternating cycles of vessel propulsion and drift, to be certain the dredge contacts bottom. This is cycled over a maximum 15 min. period while the dredge is on bottom, though shorter tows are usually preferred to keep algal specimens and macrocrustaceans alive and intact. The benthic skimmer provides an ancillary tool for work on lower slopes of hard banks and surrounding bottom, taking advantage of ship access to these locations, and allowing comparison to established data sets for especially deep benthos. While operated below depths inhabited by most macroalgae, it provides excellent intact samples of benthic macrocrustaceans and associated fauna. These samples proved to be of tremendous scientific interest on the basis of limited but highly productive ancillary skimmer sampling done under previous BS&I support. The skimmer is constructed precisely in accord with those used in the most extensive previous surveys of such Gulf of Mexico environs by the R/V Alaminos in the 1960’s through early 1970’s (Pequegnat, W. E., T. J. Bright, and G. M. James, 1970, The benthic skimmer, a new biological sampler for deep-sea studies, TAMU Oceanographic Studies, Vol 1: 17-20). This standardization of tools potentially allows comparisons of new collections to a substantial published record of deep Gulf benthos in proximity to the oil spill. Both the 1-m box dredges and the benthic skimmers are instruments that R/V Pelican crew have previously operated, repaired, and fabricated in accord with designs we have furnished to them. The deployment depths, wire tensions, and wire scopes are all within the operational capabilities of the R/V Pelican. The maximum sampled depth for the benthic skimmer will not likely exceed 2000m. The vessel provides wet labs, deck sorting tables, night deck lighting, freezer capacity, and dry lab facilities appropriate to all of our needs.
Summary of other requirements and comments:	We are already in communication with operators of the R/V Pelican to initiate needed construction/refurbishment of additional benthic dredges and benthic dredges as needed. Our NSF grant provides separate funds to underwrite those costs.

Type of Request:	Primary Ship Use	Request Status:	Submitted
Request ID:	1004131	Created By:	Darryl L. Felder
Date Last Modified:	10/7/2010 2:01:00 PM	Date Submitted:	8/31/2010 2:25:00 PM

Year:	2010	Ship/Facility:	Pelican
Optimum Start Date:	12/1/2010	Dates to Avoid:	cannot depart before midnight to 1AM on 1 December 2010; need minimum of 5 full days total at sea to cover combined science and transit between stations

Earliest Start Date:	12/1/2010	Multi-Ship Op:	No
Latest Start Date:	12/2/2010	Other Ship(s):


Operating Days Needed:	Science Days	Mob Days	De-Mob Days	Estimated Transit Days	Total Days
	5	0	0	0	5
Repeating Cruise? (within same year)	Yes	Interval:	approximately 3 months	# of Cruises:	2

Description of Repeating cruise requirements:			second and final cruise under this project is preferred in mid to late spring, ie, after biota under study would have normally initiated reproductive activities of interest
Justification/Explanation for ship choice, dates, conflicts, number of days & multi-ship operations:			As as RAPID project, it is urgent we get to sea as soon as reasonably possible. The request for early December allows minimal time to complete fabrication and refurbishment of needed field sampling equipment, while also taking advantage of the the first time period in which the PIs are both free from other research obligations.

Short Description of Op Area for use in schedules:	NW-NE GMx
Description of Op Area:	50 n mi S. of Cocodrie, to 90 n mi ESE of Mississippi River S. Pass
Op Area Size/Dia.:

	Lat/Long	Marsden Grid	Navy Op Area
Beginning
Ending

Foreign Clearance Required?	No	Coastal States:
Important Info on Foreign Research Clearances
Are you or any member in your science party bringing in any science equipment items which are regulated for export by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR)?	No	If yes, have you applied for the necessary permits through your export control office?	No
Questions about ITAR/EAR regulations?
Comments about foreign clearance requirements or description of any other special permitting requirements (e.g., MMPA, ESA, IHA, Marine Sanctuaries, etc.)

Requested Start Port	Intermediate Port(s)	Requested End Port
None	None	None
Explanation/justification for requested ports and dates of intermediate stops or to list additional port stops
Important Info on Working in Foreign Ports

Chief Scientist:		Darryl L. Felder, ULL
# in Science Party	9	# of different science teams	1	# Marine Technicians to be provided by ship operator: (include in science party total)	1
Explanation of Science Party Requirements and Technician Requirements		Will require 24 hour deck hands and winch operators for deployment/recovery of box dredge, benthic skimmer, and possibly box corer; will require daylight hour availability of operator for STD winch used in camera deployment

Dynamic Positioning	ADCP	Multibeam	Seismic
Dredging/Coring/Large Dia. Trawl Wire	Stern A-frame	Fiber Optic (.681)	0.680 Coax Wire
SCUBA Diving	Radioisotope use - briefly describe	NO Radioisotope use/Natural level work	Other Operator Provided Inst. - Describe
0 PI-Provided Vans - briefly describe	MOCNESS

Explain Instrumentation or Capability
requirements that could affect choice
of ship in scheduling.

Seaview Camera, deployed via STD winch; benthic skimmers and box corers are being fabricated by LUMCON staff on site; need repair materials and welder aboard for possible repairs on both

Aircraft
Helicopter Ops (USCG)	Twin Otter	Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)
Other AUV	Sentry
Coring Facility
Jumbo Piston Coring	Large Gravity Core	MC800 multicorer w/ MISO camera/telemetry	OSU Coring Facility (MARSSAM)
Other Large Coring Facility	WHOI Long Core
Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV)
Alvin	Clelia (HBOI)	JSL I & II (HBOI)	Other HOV
Other Facility
MISO Facility - deep-sea imaging	Other Facility	Potential Fields Pool Equipment
Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)
Jason	Other ROV
Seismic Facility
Ocean Bottom Seismograph Instrument Center (OBSIC)	Ocean Bottom Seismograph Instrument Pool (OBSIP)	Ocean-Bottom Seismometer Program (UTIG)	Other Seismic/OBS Facility
PASSCAL	Portable MCS group	Portable MCS/SCS group	U.S. Geological Survey Ocean Bottom Seismometer Facility (USGS at WHOI)
Towed Underwater Vehicle
ARGO II	Hawaii MR1 (HMRG)	IMI12 (HMRG)	IMI120 (HMRG - formerly DSL 120A)
IMI30 (HMRG)	Other Towed Underwater Vehicle	Towfish
UNOLS Van Pool
AUV Lab Van #1	Clean Lab Van	Cold Lab Van	General Purpose Lab Van
Radioisotope Lab Van	Wet Lab Van
UNOLS Winch Pool
Mooring Spooler	Portable Winch	Turn Table

Explain Major Ancillary Facilities
Requirements and list description
and provider for "other" systems.

Associated Schedules

Ship Request History