Operations

US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico:

The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) is conducting an ongoing scientific research mission onboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster funded by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program. The purpose is to collect swath bathymetry and acoustical backscatter, as well as fishery acoustics data in high priority areas in the U.S. Caribbean. Scientists are collecting high resolution multibeam and acoustic fisheries data in mid-water depths approximately 30 to 1000 meters so as to continue to characterize seafloor habitats within all U.S. States, Territories, and Commonwealths. The objective of this project is to collect a multibeam bathymetry dataset with 100% seafloor ensonification, along with multibeam backscatter suitable for seafloor characterization. Fishery acoustics data is collected to characterize broad-scale fish abundance, biomass, and utilization patterns, as well as to locate and document fish spawning aggregations. Multibeam data is collected to conform to IHO accuracy standards. The delineation and identification of seafloor habitats is assisted through the use of a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and drop camera. Participating institutions in this research effort include: NOAA (NCCOS, OCS, CRCP), University of North Carolina at Wilmington-NURC, Solmar Hydro, and students from various academic institutions.

Atlantic Deep-Water Canyons:

Submarine canyons are dominant features of the outer continental shelf and slope of the US East coast from Cape Hatteras, NC to the Gulf of Maine. These canyons help link the continental shelf to the deep sea and can funnel anthropogenic pollutants, organic carbon, and sediments from shallow to deeper waters. While the geology of these features has been well studied, the understanding of the biological activities surrounding them is still very limited. The purpose of this study is to obtain detailed bathymetric maps of the Mid-Atlantic canyons, which will help guide future multidisciplinary sampling activities. The Nancy Foster conducted multibeam sonar mapping of several unmapped and undermapped Mid-Atlantic canyons, in addition to conducting CTD casts and deploying and recovering benthic landers. This study is a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Continental Shelf Associates (CSA) and its partners, NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, and the US Geological Survey.

SEAMAP (College of Charleston):

The College of Charleston Seafloor Mapping (SeaMap) Program regularly sails aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, taking full advantage of her multibeam sonar capabilities. The primary scientific goal of the project is to gather viable bathymetric data along the continental shelf edge off South Carolina, in the vicinity of Habitat Areas of Particular Concern and Marine Protected Areas, including depths that extend to the last glacial maximum. This data helps characterize the extent, range and variety of seafloor/benthic habitats along the continental shelf-edge, as well as to examine areas where iceberg scour marks may exist, and is used to more clearly understand the interrelationship between exposed geologic framework and seafloor type. This project serves to develop and train undergraduate SeaMap participants in multibeam acquisition, processing and habitat characterization research. See http://oceanica.cofc.edu/SeaMap for results of prior “Beam Team” cruises from 2007 to 2011.

FKNMS:

NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) and National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) are conducting ongoing scientific research off of the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster. The purpose of their project is to collect swath bathymetry and acoustical backscatter, as well as fishery acoustics data in the FKNMS Tortugas Ecological Reserve, in order to continue characterizing seafloor habitats of interest in the FKNMS. The objective of this project is to collect a multibeam bathymetry dataset with 100% seafloor ensonification, along with multibeam backscatter suitable for seafloor characterization. Fishery acoustics data will be collected to characterize broad-scale fish abundance, biomass, and utilization patterns, as well as to potentially locate and document fish spawning aggregations. Multibeam data will be collected to conform to IHO accuracy standards.

RACOW:

This survey is part of a series of studies being conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and partnering States to assess condition of aquatic resources throughout coastal-ocean waters of the U.S. using multiple indicators of ecological condition. The scope and design of these studies are similar to those used in the coastal component of EPA’s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) and more recent National Coastal Assessment Program, which have focused mostly on estuaries and inland waters. The present work extends these prior efforts to coastal-ocean waters, approximately 1 nm off shore seaward to the shelf break (100 m), throughout various coastal regions including sites in NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries. Surveys of benthic fauna and other multiple indicators of ecological condition — including basic habitat characteristics such as depth, salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, sediment grain size and organic content; nutrient and chlorophyll levels in the water column; chemical contaminants in sediments and biota — are conducted in these waters over a series of random stations using a probabilistic sampling design. Accordingly, the resulting data can be used to make estimates of the spatial extent of the region’s health with respect to the various measured indicators, and to provide this information as a baseline for determining how environmental conditions may be changing with time.

FLOSEE II- Florida Shelf Edge Exploration (FLOSEE II):

The primary focus of the Florida Shelf-Edge Exploration II (FLOSEE) expedition is to advance NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) goals while complementing the management objectives of NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), and regional fishery management councils. The expedition integrates the research objectives of five CIOERT projects including: Mesophotic Reef Project (Project #5.3.1), Deep-Sea Coral project (#5.3.2), Benthic-Pelagic Project (Project # 4.2.1), New Biomedical Resources Project (Project # 4.3.1), and Education/Outreach Project (Project #6.3.1). A major goal of the FLOSEE II expedition is to characterize mesophotic reef ecosystems across a range of sites off Florida including the west Florida shelf, targeting Pulley Ridge Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC). Results will add to several research initiatives including comprehensive examination of mesophotic communities of the western Atlantic and within the jurisdiction of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, analyses on connectivity of the fauna within the vertical scale from shallow to deep reef ecosystems and horizontally among reef systems from the Flower Garden Banks to Florida, and impact assessment of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. ROV dives on Deep Sea Coral and Sponge Ecosystems (DSCE) off Florida will explore known and likely coral habitats to ground-truth acoustic surveys, and obtain video, photos, and samples that can be used to describe habitats and faunal assemblages in depths from 100-1000 m. Data collected during this effort will be compared to existing deep water databases the participants have compiled. Proposed tasks will support the priority research identified in the NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSCRTP).

Seafloor Mapping of Mona Passage Underwater Habitats

Nancy Foster conducts multibeam sonar surveys of benthic habitats in western Puerto Rico, Mona Island, and Monita. The data gathered serves NOAA’s National Ocean Service, the Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, and the Coral Reef Conservation Program in their objective of characterizing the seafloor in this region. High-resolution bathymetry, data on habitat hardness and roughness, and video footage are used to characterize the biological communities within the study area. The data acquired also serve the Office of Coast Survey to update nautical charts for safe navigation. For more information, go to The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment.

Fishery-Independent Sampling of Atlantic Reef Fish

Scientists from NOAA Fisheries in Beaufort began utilizing Nancy Foster in 2010 for the South East Fishery-Independent Survey (SEFIS), a program designed to quantify the abundance of snappers and groupers in the Atlantic waters of the southeast United States. Recent fishery closures have limited the availability of fishery-dependent data for many exploited species, so fishery-independent sampling has become critical to understanding how snappers and groupers respond to regulatory actions and providing biological samples to assessment biologists. SEFIS scientists are using a variety of sampling gear, including fish traps, underwater video, remotely-operated vehicles, multibeam sonar surveys, and fisheries acoustics, to quantify the abundance of snappers and groupers and their associated habitats.

Gray’s Reef Nation Marine Sanctuary

Within the Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS), Nancy Foster provides surface and diving support to give regional academic scientists and educators the opportunity to see the sanctuary firsthand and to develop hypotheses to address science-driven management questions. Sampling activities include deploying acoustic equipment for the assessment of fisheries biomass, conducting dive operations for specimen collections, direct visual censuses of fish species across habitat types, and collecting data to provide fine scale habitat characterizations within the GRNMS. For more information, go to: www.grnms.noaa.gov.

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) utilizes Nancy Foster to conduct a variety of research off the coast of Massachusetts during the months of June and July. Scientists examine geological, biological, and anthropogenic processes that affect benthic habitats, and utilize side scan sonar imagery and magnetic data from discrete areas to locate maritime heritage resource sites. They also study the behavior patterns of Humpback whales, including how they are affected by vessel traffic and underwater sounds. Cruise participants include personnel from the University of Connecticut, SBNMS Maritime Heritage division, Cornell University, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Center for Coastal Studies, University of New Hampshire, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and the Whale Center of New England. For more information, go to: www.sbnms.noaa.gov.

Status and Assessment of Invasive Indo-Pacific Lionfish in North Carolina Hard Bottom Communities

In April of 2005 Nancy Foster began supporting the NOAA National Ocean Service (NOS) Beaufort Laboratory to assess the status of the Indo-Pacific Lionfish which is one of the most invasive exotic species along the eastern United States. A highly trained team of technical divers made up of personnel from NOS, the Duke University Marine Lab, the National Underwater Research Center at University of NC-Wilmington, and the Tampa Aquarium accomplish sampling of this species at random locations off the coast of North Carolina. Decompression dives at depths ranging from 100–170 feet are carried out to conduct visual surveys, capture live specimens, recover and deploy long term temperature data loggers, and obtain photo and video documentation. Numerous lionfish are caught for dissection, kept alive for later research, or for show in aquarium exhibits. For more information on this project please visit http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/.

Comparative Analysis of the Function of the Disturbed and Undisturbed Coral Reef and Non-Coral Ecosystems in the Dry Tortugas

Nancy Foster supports research in Dry Tortugas National Park (DTNP) and surrounding ecological reserves. Scientists from NOAA’s Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research (CCFHR) partner with Duke University Marine Laboratory to study coral health in this area. Divers compare coral populations in protected areas to that in unprotected areas to determine if there are major differences in the health of coral reefs. Drift cameras and beam trawling are used for ground truthing and for locating the presence of gear or other hazards on the bottom in the area north of the DTNP, a prime fishing and shrimping ground. For more information on this project, visit: www.ccfhr.noaa.gov

Florida Keys Coral Disease and Condition Survey

Nancy Foster supports research within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Scientists from NOAA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conduct dive operations to assess the conditions of coral reefs extending from Alligator Reef to the Dry Tortugas . Water column data are gathered using a Conductivity – Temperature - Depth (CTD) sensor, as well as through use of the ship’s uncontaminated seawater system and fluorometer. Bathymetric surveys are also conducted using the ship’s multibeam sonar system. Results of these investigations help determine where further studies or protection may be needed for reef preservation. For more information, go to: www.floridakeys.noaa.gov/.

Coral Reef Ecosystem Research

NOAA scientists from the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) and the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), working together with scientists from the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) and Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) in St. Thomas, are conducting a multi-year, interdisciplinary research project utilizing the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster to conduct biological and physical oceanographic surveys of the Virgin Islands (VI) bank ecosystems and surrounding regional waters. The long-term sustainability of commercial and recreational fisheries in the VI and surrounding regions depends on a comprehensive understanding of regional spawning aggregations, larval transport, and overall larval recruitment in the study area. This interdisciplinary effort will provide information on the interconnectivity of fish populations and assist in stock delineation and these will help generate new abundance indices, as well as improve existing ones, for the study area.

Some of the operations conducted during this project include: bongo and neuston net tows; continuous surface monitoring of temperature, salinity, water optics, and water velocity; CTD and radiometer casts profiling temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, water optics, and water velocity at depth; acoustic doppler current profiling (ADCP); recovering/deploying shallow water moorings; deploying satellite-tracked surface drifter buoys; and collecting bathymetric data. Participating institutions include: NOAA/OAR/AOML/PhOD, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC, University of the Virgin Islands (UVI/CMES), ANAMAR - Autoridad Nacional de Asuntos Marítimos, University of Puerto Rico (UPR/BOOL), University of South Florida (USF/IMaRS).

Ship Based and AUV Mapping and Characterization of Benthic Habitats in the South Atlantic

Deepwater coral ecosystems are potentially threatened by fossil fuel development and bottom fishing, creating a need to map and characterize these unique habitats. Scientists from the National Underwater Research Center (NURC) utilize Nancy Foster to deploy, track, and recover an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). This AUV is equipped with a multibeam sonar system, side-scan sonar, and sub-bottom seismic profiler which collect detailed bottom imagery. The resulting data provide a better understanding of the distribution and composition of these important coral ecosystems.

The Florida Area Coastal Environment Program

The Florida Area Coastal Environment (FACE) program is primarily concerned with discharges, including treated wastewater, into Florida’s coastal ocean. Scientists aboard Nancy Foster visit sample sites just off the southeast Florida coast to measure ocean parameters such as nutrients, currents, salinity and temperature. FACE was created in 2002 to gather the long term data needed to address key scientific issues for coastal management in Florida, including the operation of infrastructure that is sufficiently protective and environmentally compatible. For more information, go to:www.aoml.noaa.gov/

Tsunami Source Potential in the Northeast Caribbean

NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) partner with Nancy Foster to locate submarine landslides and tectonic faults which have the potential to generate tsunamis. Scientists use the ship’s multibeam sonar system to generate bathymetric surveys of the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. These survey data will be merged with previously collected data to produce the first coherent high-resolution bathymetric map of the Northeast Caribbean. For more information, go to:www.pmel.noaa.gov/

Multidisciplinary Scientific Mission In and Around the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

Nancy Foster supports the ecological characterization of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). Scientists from FGBNMS and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) make dives of up to 130 feet to survey benthic fish and fauna. They also utilize the ship’s multibeam sonar system to characterize seafloor structure and biological cover. The research will enable managers to make informed decisions about the sanctuary’s future use. For more information, go to:www.flowergarden.noaa.gov/

Other operations

Nancy Foster partners with state and federal agencies in response to hurricane disasters. A full range of resources are available aboard the ship to conduct these vital missions. At the request of NOS’s Office of Coast Survey, hydrographic surveys are conducted to promote safe navigation by ensuring deep draft channels are clear of obstructions.

Nancy Foster also works with the National Buoy Data Center recovering buoys in need of repair. These buoys are used to acquire important sea state and meteorological data for the maritime community, as well as the National Weather Service, including the National Hurricane Center. The ship has the capability to deploy and recover tsunami (DART) and other smaller weather buoys.

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