WHOI: MISO Facility: Oceanographic Instrumentation Expanding and Enhancing Imaging and Sensor Capabilities to Support Seafloor Sampling and Observations for Oceanographic Research

The Multidisciplinary Instrumentation in Support of Oceanography (MISO) Facility at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has provided routine access to deep-sea imaging, lighting, power and sensor instrumentation for over two decades. This capability to support US and international academic oceanography across many disciplines has included equipment used successfully on over 75 research cruises since 2002.

A key component of MISO Facility support has been the design, development and implementation of robust deep-sea imaging capabilities that have been used on a wide array of deep-submergence vehicles (Alvin, PISCES, ROV Jason, AUV Sentry, ROV Hercules, ROV DR-2, ROV Sebastian, ROV Aegir6000), towed deep-sea imaging systems (i.e., the MISO TowCam system, seafloor time lapse systems developed by the MISO Facility, and seafloor sampling systems such as box corers and multicorers. The OI Program recommends funding to purchase the following components required to assemble autonomous, self-recording, high-resolution deep-sea camera systems:

1) Six (6) Deep-Sea Power & Light DigiSeacam housings $73,800 2) Two (2) Hero11 multi-camera module systems $11,028 3) DSPL LED SeaLite 2050 deep-sea lights $11,645 4) Subsea Cabling $7,000 Materials and Supplies $9,070 IDC $5,931 $118,474 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.