Shipboard Scientific Support Equipment: Oceanographic Cable

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, on behalf of the University-National Oceanographic

Laboratory System (UNOLS), proposes to host the National Science Foundation Wire Pool and undertake the procurement of electro-mechanical oceanographic cables, torque-balanced wire, and synthetic rope to meet the needs of UNOLS ships for a five-year period beginning 15 April 2022.

Currently, the Wire Pool maintains two storage locations to meet the needs of the fleet. One is located on the East Coast of the United States at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the other is on the West Coast at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography marine facility. In 1992 the procedure of allocating the delivery of all new procurements to either the East Coast or West Coast cable pool locations was initiated.

The result is that all cables are allocated to UNOLS vessels from the nearest storage location as the need arises. This procedure will continue. The pool will remain under the control of the National Science Foundation.

Further, on behalf of UNOLS, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution proposes to continue to provide coordination of the Wire Pool by overseeing the inspection, acceptance, maintenance, testing and associated recordkeeping of the cables and ropes. Broader Impacts

The principal impact of the present proposal is under Merit Review Criterion 2 of the Proposal Guidelines (NSF 19-602). It provides infrastructure support for scientists to use the vessel and its shared-use instrumentation in support of their NSF-funded oceanographic research projects (which individually undergo separate review by the relevant research program of NSF).

The acquisition, maintenance and operation of shared-use instrumentation allows NSF-funded researchers from any US university or lab access to working, calibrated instruments for their research, reducing the cost of that research, and expanding the base of potential researchers.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.