Oregon State University Marine Rock and Sediment Sampling (MARSSAM) Facility Oceanographic Instrumentation 2024

This award provides funds to the Marine Sediment Sampling (MARSSAM) Facility for the purchase of a new customized refrigerated laboratory van and a new light four-core multicorer. The van would be for multiple use and suitable for processing multi-core and other seafloor sediment and water samples. It will be outfitted with sediment and porewater equipment and a self-contained autonomous Nitrogen generator.

The van and multicorer would be jointly managed and maintained by MARSSAM and the West Coast Van Pool. They would be made available to research teams working on U.S. Academic Research Fleet (ARF) vessels including smaller vessels with limited deck space.

This aquisition is in response to increased demand by the community for such a facility not covered by existing equipment in the pool.

The principal impact of the present proposal is under Merit Review Criterion 2 of the Proposal Guidelines (NSF 23-525). 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 other organization access to well-maintained, high-quality, calibrated instruments for their research. It ensures the collection of high-quality oceanographic data in support of science, reduces the cost of that research, and expands 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.