Survey Ship Research Articles

Graphical User Interface (GUI) of GPS Data (Dumy Data)

Increasingly growing technology also develops software (software) for computers such as mission planner. This mission planner works to remotely control remote with telemetry support and GPS background to use graphical user interface (GUI) so that it can describe mapping of ship position existence and depth which have been passed by the tool. Meanwhile, for the simulation using autopilot (unmanned) which its manufacture using C + + language. What is done in this survey ship experiment is that it can transmit data to the graphical user interface for processing and mapping made in simulation we use dummy data to measure success in the manufacture. The hypothesis of this research is that graphical user interface can display soil contour graph that can show depth of river and use original map taken directly from Bingo maps online for tracking GPS. But in the simulation experiments in Visual Studio to display graphical user interface not in accordance with the hypothesis that should display 3D is still 2D.

Changes in the upper ocean mixed layer and phytoplankton productivity along the West Antarctic Peninsula.

The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) has experienced significant change over the last 50 years. Using a 24 year spatial time series collected by the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research programme, we assessed long-term patterns in the sea ice, upper mixed layer depth (MLD) and phytoplankton productivity. The number of sea ice days steadily declined from the 1980s until a recent reversal that began in 2008. Results show regional differences between the northern and southern regions sampled during regional ship surveys conducted each austral summer. In the southern WAP, upper ocean MLD has shallowed by a factor of 2. Associated with the shallower mixed layer is enhanced phytoplankton carbon fixation. In the north, significant interannual variability resulted in the mixed layer showing no trended change over time and there was no significant increase in the phytoplankton productivity. Associated with the recent increases in sea ice there has been an increase in the photosynthetic efficiency (chlorophyll a-normalized carbon fixation) in the northern and southern regions of the WAP. We hypothesize the increase in sea ice results in increased micronutrient delivery to the continental shelf which in turn leads to enhanced photosynthetic performance.This article is part of the theme issue ‘The marine system of the West Antarctic Peninsula: status and strategy for progress in a region of rapid change’.

Oxygen Saturation Surrounding Deep Water Formation Events in the Labrador Sea From Argo‐O2 Data

AbstractDeep water formation supplies oxygen‐rich water to the deep sea, spreading throughout the ocean by means of the global thermohaline circulation. Models suggest that dissolved gases in newly formed deep water do not come to equilibrium with the atmosphere. However, direct measurements during wintertime convection are scarce, and the controls over the extent of these disequilibria are poorly quantified. Here we show that, when convection reached deeper than 800 m, oxygen in the Labrador Sea was consistently undersaturated at −6.1% to −7.6% at the end of convection. Deeper convection resulted in greater undersaturation, while convection ending later in the year resulted in values closer to equilibrium, from which we produce a predictive relationship. We use dissolved oxygen data from six profiling Argo floats in the Labrador Sea between 2003 and 2016, allowing direct observations of wintertime convection. Three of the six optode oxygen sensors displayed substantial average in situ drift of −3.03 μmol O2 kg−1 yr−1 (−0.94% O2 yr−1), which we corrected to stable deepwater oxygen values from repeat ship surveys. Observations of low oxygen intrusions during restratification and a simple mixing calculation demonstrate that lateral processes act to lower the oxygen inventory of the central Labrador Sea. This suggests that the Labrador Sea is a net sink for atmospheric oxygen, but uncertainties in parameterizing gas exchange limit our ability to quantify the net uptake. Our results constrain the oxygen concentration of newly formed Labrador Sea Water and allow more precise estimates of oxygen utilization and nutrient regeneration in this water mass.

Numerical Analysis of Residual Stress and Distortion Use Finite Element Method on Inner Bottom Construction of Geomarin IV Survey Ship with Welding Sequence Variations

In the ship fabrication industry, welding is the most critical stage. If the quality of welding on ship fabrication is not good, then it will affect the strength and overall appearance of the structure. One of the factors that affect the quality of welding is residual stress and distortion. In this research welding simulation is performed on the inner bottom construction of Geomarin IV Ship Survey using shell element and has variation to welding sequence. In this study, welding simulations produced peak temperatures at 2490 K at variation 4. While the lowest peak temperature was produced by variation 2 with a temperature of 2339 K. After welding simulation, it continued simulating residual stresses and distortion. The smallest maximum tensile residual stress found in the inner bottom construction is 375.23 MPa, and the maximum tensile pressure is -20.18 MPa. The residual stress is obtained from variation 3. The distortion occurring in the inner bottom construction for X=720 mm is 4.2 mm and for X=-720 mm, the distortion is 4.92 mm. The distortion is obtained from the variation 3. Near the welding area, distortion value reaches its minimum point. This is because the stiffeners in the form of frames serves as anchoring.

Trophic Level, Food Preference and Feeding Ecology of Rachycentron canadum (Linnaeus. 1766), in Hormuzgun province Waters (Northern Persian Gulf and Oman Sea)

The aim of this study was to assess the ecological factors associated with feeding by Rachycentron canadum (cobia) in the waters of Hormuzgan Province, Iran. Specimens were collected seasonally from Sep. 2014–Sep. 2015 from the Ferdows-1 survey ship and from landing areas in the city of Bandar Abbas. A total of 577 cobia were collected (340 male, 237 female) (20–161 cm Total length). Our results provide the first estimates of trophic level (TL) (4.4 ± 0.76, mean ± SE), consumption per biomass (Q/B) (6.13), and aspect ratio of the caudal fin (ARc.f) (3.1) for R. canadum in the Hormuzgan Province. We also found that osteichthies made up more than 80 percent of the relative importance of particular prey (IRI %), indicating that R. canadum primarily preys on these species. The immature group tended to feed on shrimp, crabs, and mollusks, and predominance of shrimp, crabs, and mollusks was also observed among the stomach contents of cobia ranging from 20–40(c.m). Hierarchical clustering revealed that the frequencies of different types of prey could be used to divide the length classes into three groups. A compare means test comparing the immature and mature groups and a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) comparing length classes revealed that the immature group and the 20-40 length class tended to feed on shrimp, crabs, and mollusks. Also, we found that males generally fed more than females in all seasons and that R.canadum had an average dietary intake. Our results suggest that the removal of top predators, such as cobia, could disturb the entire ecosystem because they play a fundamental role in maintaining a balance in the populations of their prey. Also, because diet is important for aquaculture, the findings of this study can be used to prepare a food formulation for cobia that resembles the native diet.

Influence of the Phytoplankton Community Structure on the Spring and Annual Primary Production in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea

AbstractSatellite ocean color observations revealed that unusually deep convection events in 2005, 2006, 2010, and 2013 led to an increased phytoplankton biomass during the spring bloom over a large area of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea (NWM). Here we investigate the effects of these events on the seasonal phytoplankton community structure, we quantify their influence on primary production, and we discuss the potential biogeochemical impact. For this purpose, we compiled in situ phytoplankton pigment data from five ship surveys performed in the NWM and from monthly cruises at a fixed station in the Ligurian Sea. We derived primary production rates from a light photosynthesis model applied to these in situ data. Our results confirm that the maximum phytoplankton biomass during the spring bloom is larger in years associated with intense deep convection events (+51%). During these enhanced spring blooms, the contribution of diatoms to total phytoplankton biomass increased (+33%), as well as the primary production rate (+115%). The occurrence of a highly productive bloom is also related to an increase in the phytoplankton bloom area (+155%) and in the relative contribution of diatoms to primary production (+63%). Therefore, assuming that deep convection in the NWM could be significantly weakened by future climate changes, substantial decreases in the spring production of organic carbon and of its export to deep waters can be expected.

Unified Tanker Survey and Inspection Regime in Terms of Reducing Psychophysical Strain of the Crew

The paper focuses on analysis of the effect of various surveys and inspections on the psychophysical behaviour of the crew. After analysing the scope and the extent of each regime, the authors identified more than 60% of surveys overlapping each other. Furthermore, the results of the survey conducted among seafarers indicate that the present method of carrying out ship surveys and inspections have a negative effect on the psychophysical condition of the crew. Therefore, a new method of tanker inspections has been proposed in order to reduce the psychophysical strain of the crew. The proposed method would minimise the annual duration of the inspections up to 30% and improve inspection time coordination without compromising quality and safety of the ships.

Design of Pull Box Members on the Landing Pier Using Finite Element Analysis of a Steel Plate

In this study, pull box members were designed by finite element analysis of a steel plate covering a pull box to secure its safety on the landing pier dedicated to the large research survey ship. It was assumed that the maximum load is due to the 250 tonf class crane used for unloading work when the working environment in the upper part of the landing pier was considered. The safety of the pull box was evaluated by the comparison between the yield strength of the steel plate and the result of stress analysis on the steel plate due to the crane load. It was found that the stress at the plate from the crane load exceeded the yield strength of the steel(205MPa) when the upper part of the pull box was protected by a 1950×1950mm steel plate cover. In order to compensate for this, a concrete filled steel tube(CFT) column with a diameter of 150 mm and a steel thickness of 10 mm was reinforced at the center of the plate, and the finite element analysis was carried out. However, the maximum stress at the steel plate was higher than the yield strength of the steel in some load cases so that it was tried to find appropriate thickness of the steel plate and diameter of the CFT columns. Finally, the analysis results showed that the safety of the pull box was secured when the thickness of the steel plate and the diameter of the CFT column were increased to 30mm and 180mm, respectively.

High-resolution sea duck distribution modeling: Relating aerial and ship survey data to food resources, anthropogenic pressures, and topographic variables

ABSTRACT Anthropogenic developments in marine coastal zones potentially overlap with areas of conservation interest, including important areas for birds. Ideally, spatial patterns of species abundance should be considered at ecologically relevant spatial resolutions (high resolutions) to inform spatial planning and environmental assessments. Most planning so far, however, has relied on coarse-resolution distribution maps from atlas projects or models often based on limited datasets (few surveys), and relationships with environmental variables have rarely been taken into account, leaving many studies and recommendations vulnerable to criticism. We therefore combined the strengths of a detailed database of spatially explicit aerial and ship surveys with high-resolution environmental predictors and species distribution models to predict detailed density patterns for 3 sea duck species, as part of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) in the southern Baltic Sea. We also compared the results from 2 differen...

Optical Backscattering Measured by Airborne Lidar and Underwater Glider

The optical backscattering from particles in the ocean is an important quantity that has been measured by remote sensing techniques and in situ instruments. In this paper, we compare estimates of this quantity from airborne lidar with those from an in situ instrument on an underwater glider. Both of these technologies allow much denser sampling of backscatter profiles than traditional ship surveys. We found a moderate correlation (R = 0.28, p < 10−5), with differences that are partially explained by spatial and temporal sampling mismatches, variability in particle composition, and lidar retrieval errors. The data suggest that there are two different regimes with different scattering properties. For backscattering coefficients below about 0.001 m−1, the lidar values were generally greater than the glider values. For larger values, the lidar was generally lower than the glider. Overall, the results are promising and suggest that airborne lidar and gliders provide comparable and complementary information on optical particulate backscattering.

Seismic survey noise disrupted fish use of a temperate reef

Marine seismic surveying discerns subsurface seafloor geology, indicative of, for example, petroleum deposits, by emitting high-intensity, low-frequency impulsive sounds. Impacts on fish are uncertain. Opportunistic monitoring of acoustic signatures from a seismic survey on the inner continental shelf of North Carolina, USA, revealed noise exceeding 170dB re 1μPa peak on two temperate reefs federally designated as Essential Fish Habitat 0.7 and 6.5km from the survey ship path. Videos recorded fish abundance and behavior on a nearby third reef 7.9km from the seismic track. During seismic surveying, reef-fish abundance declined by 78% during evening hours when fish habitat use was highest on the previous three days without seismic noise. Despite absence of videos documenting fish returns after seismic surveying, the significant reduction in fish occupation of the reef represents disruption to daily pattern. This numerical response confirms that conservation concerns associated with seismic surveying are realistic.

Going Fishing: Activism against Deep Ocean Mining, from the Raukūmara Basin to the Bismarck Sea

Corporations and states are positioning the immensely deep waters and undersea lands of the Pacific Ocean as frontiers that are only just becoming known and important through their efforts to extract fossil fuels, copper, gold, and silver, among other materials. Despite these aggressive attempts to territorialize the ocean as a frontier, seabed mining has become an embattled site in the Pacific, where it is opposed by social movements in specific locales and in networks through the ocean and beyond. In this essay, I explore the art and media activism of these struggles, focusing on Greenpeace photographs of a Te Whānau-ā-Apanui fishing boat crossing a seismic survey ship contracted to Petrobras in the Raukūmara Basin, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Hawaiian artist Joy Enomoto's Nautilus the Protector woodcut prints, in which a nautilus battles mining infrastructure in the Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea. Against but also far beyond engaging mining, activists express close connections between people and the ocean, including deep waters and lands, countering mining narratives in which such connections are predicated on physically penetrating into and exposing the depths. Through creative, improvised tactics—such as linking fishing to a struggle against fossil fuel extraction, or using woodcut printing, a fast and cheap media form, to animate different imaginaries against a flood of high-tech corporate representations of the ocean—activists find ways to rework conditions of economic disparity and of aggressive exclusion from proposed mining sites.

Medical support to Operation CORPORATE

AbstractThis article describes the medical support to Operation CORPORATE, and is derived from a range of sources, including surgical operative logbooks, journals and contemporaneous official reports.Eight hundred and fifty-five surgical procedures were performed by deployed medical units between 14 May and 13 July 1982 in support of Op CORPORATE. The rate peaked on the busiest day, 12 June 1982, when 86 operations were performed. The vast majority of operations were wound management procedures, although 20 laparotomies, four thoracotomies and six craniotomies were also performed. The four forward Role 2 (R2) surgical facilities at Ajax Bay, Teal Inlet, Fitzroy and on board SS CANBERRA collectively performed 354 operations.Argentine and British casualties were evacuated from the area of operations on board three Argentine vessels and three British HECLA-class survey ships. Between them, HMSs HECLA, HYDRA and HERALD made a total of nine 1000-NM journeys between the Falkland Islands and Montevideo, Uruguay, caring for a total of 601 patients. From Montevideo, British casualties were transferred by RAF VC-10 back to the UK.Reflection on how a previous generation supported this operation may inform decision-making when similar challenges are faced in the future.

The East Australian Current, upwellings and downwellings off eastern-most Australia in summer

The complex influences of the East Australian Current (EAC) and winds on the waters of the continental shelf were addressed with a ship survey, moored and drifting instruments, satellite images and wind and sea level measurements. The study revealed intrusions of continental slope water reaching the inner continental shelf when the EAC was near the shelf edge and wind stress was near zero or upwelling favourable (northerly). The process was the onshore movement of a southward flowing stream of water originally from the continental slope. One event was captured near Cape Byron and Evans Head when these waters upwelled to the surface. When the wind stress turned northward, it reversed the inner shelf current and drove downwelling. Variations in the wind stress also modulated the strength of the EAC out across the shelf to the upper slope. The strength of the EAC per se varied with a time scale of 2–3 months; these variations decreased in amplitude westward until they were undetectable at the inner shelf. The EAC had a subsurface speed maximum of up to 1.6ms–1 at 100–150-m depth above the continental slope and was seen to accelerate with both time and distance southward along the 190-km length surveyed by the ship.

Estimation of Effective Swath Width for Dual-Head Multibeam Echosounder

Abstract Many surveying companies and maritime institutions are now using multibeam systems for their operations, either offshore or in coastal and inland waters. Since the time the first multibeam echosounder appeared (late 1970s) the technology has advanced enormously. Modern systems now boast far greater angular coverage (typically 120°-150°) and form hundreds of beams. Dual-head multibeam systems can potentially cover the entire sector (180°) underneath the ship. However surveyors must be aware that the outer beams of these acoustic systems return the most errors causing that the effective swath width is shorter than what the manufacturers declare. The paper presents the methods of estimating of effective (usable) swath width of dual-head multibeam echosounder EM 3002D. Results of the hydrographic survey performed by the polish navy survey ship ORP ‘Arctowski’ have been showed in the article.

Whale, Whale, Everywhere: Increasing Abundance of Western South Atlantic Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Their Wintering Grounds.

The western South Atlantic (WSA) humpback whale population inhabits the coast of Brazil during the breeding and calving season in winter and spring. This population was depleted to near extinction by whaling in the mid-twentieth century. Despite recent signs of recovery, increasing coastal and offshore development pose potential threats to these animals. Therefore, continuous monitoring is needed to assess population status and support conservation strategies. The aim of this work was to present ship-based line-transect estimates of abundance for humpback whales in their WSA breeding ground and to investigate potential changes in population size. Two cruises surveyed the coast of Brazil during August-September in 2008 and 2012. The area surveyed in 2008 corresponded to the currently recognized population breeding area; effort in 2012 was limited due to unfavorable weather conditions. WSA humpback whale population size in 2008 was estimated at 16,410 (CV = 0.228, 95% CI = 10,563–25,495) animals. In order to compare abundance between 2008 and 2012, estimates for the area between Salvador and Cabo Frio, which were consistently covered in the two years, were computed at 15,332 (CV = 0.243, 95% CI = 9,595–24,500) and 19,429 (CV = 0.101, 95% CI = 15,958–23,654) whales, respectively. The difference in the two estimates represents an increase of 26.7% in whale numbers in a 4-year period. The estimated abundance for 2008 is considered the most robust for the WSA humpback whale population because the ship survey conducted in that year minimized bias from various sources. Results presented here indicate that in 2008, the WSA humpback whale population was at least around 60% of its estimated pre-modern whaling abundance and that it may recover to its pre-exploitation size sooner than previously estimated.

Entangled Tropical Knowledges: Towards a Poetics of Knowledge and Place-Making in Nineteenth Century Voyaging Narratives

Footsteps mark the land as people walk through the north eastern Queensland tropics. Here, in the mid-1800s, botanical explorers from the survey ship HMS Rattlesnake scour their newly encountered environment for species that will be sent as specimens to the growing collections in London. Local Aboriginal people walk with them, perhaps as guides, possibly interpreters. The narratives for this voyage refer to some individual Aboriginal people who accompanied the Europeans as cotaiga, companion – a word from one of the Cape York Peninsula languages. Meetings and encounters between these voyagers and the local people take place around conversations and communications concerning local environmental knowledge. In this paper I look more closely at these ‘knowledge encounters’, to consider the complex poetics of entanglements between local Indigenous knowledges and Western modes of knowledge and representations of the local environment. Interrogating the voyaging narratives for their depictions of these encounters-in-place, my paper will meditate upon philosophies of movement, of walking and being in place, and of place making in the tropics. The paper will also ask questions about the role of historical representations of entangled tropical knowledge formations in present day concerns about climate and environmental change.

Summertime in situ monitoring of oxygen depletion in Amursky Bay (Japan/East Sea)

For more than three months in 2011, in situ monitoring of temperature (T), salinity (S) and dissolved oxygen concentrations (DO) was carried out using a Water Quality Monitor (WQM) station deployed on the seafloor of Amursky Bay (Japan/East Sea). During this period, hypoxia in the bottom waters persisted for 93 days. In the summers of 2012 and 2013, the spatial distribution of DO was measured during ship surveys. Using these time series of DO, the biological oxygen demand (BOD) and ventilation rates in bottom waters were estimated from May 10 to August 7.The seasonal change in the dominant direction of the wind, which occurs twice a year (spring and autumn), was an important natural factor in development and termination of seasonal hypoxia in the bay. Dominant southern winds in the summer induced downwelling circulation on the northwestern part of the Japan/East Sea shelf. Under this circulation, hypoxia developed in the bottom waters of Amursky Bay.In autumn, dominant northern winds induced upwelling, causing the advection of cold, oxygenated seawater into the bay, ending the period of hypoxia.Short-term fluctuations in wind direction in the summertime influenced spatial and vertical distribution of T, S and DO. At the end of the summer, the oscillation of the downwelling/upwelling circulations revealed complicated temporal-space distributions of hydrological parameters in Amursky Bay.

Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae (Cetartiodactyla: Balaenopteridae) group sizes in line transect ship surveys: An evaluation of observer errors

Accurate estimates of group sizes through line transect sampling methods are important to correctly ascertain the abundance of animals that occur in groups. Since the average observed group size is a component of the distance sampling formula, bias in these data leads to biased abundance estimates. This study aimed to evaluate the potential errors in group size estimation during line transect ship surveys to estimate abundances of the humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski 1781). In a research cruise along the Brazilian coast, an experiment to collect group size information was conducted from two different sighting platforms on the same vessel. Group sizes were recorded by primary observers at first sighting (PO1) and, in some cases, after some time (PO2). A tracker (T) was located on a higher platform to estimate the sizes of groups detected by the primary observers, but tracked one group at a time until it passed abeam. Thus, the dedicated effort to obtain multiple group counts (i.e. higher platform, more time and no responsibility for detecting new groups) was expected to provide more accurate numbers. PO2 estimates were compared with PO1 estimates, and T estimates were compared with both PO1 and PO2. Additionally, ratios between T and both PO2 (R1) and PO1 (R2), and between PO2 and PO1 (R3) were calculated. To investigate a possible improvement in abundance estimates, a correction factor (CF) was computed from the ratio of T and PO2 means. Primary observer self-correction (= 1.60, CV% = 70.3) was statistically similar to the correction for the tracker (= 1.62, CV% = 84.1). CF resulted in 1 and would not improve abundance estimates. This study supports that observers conducting line transect surveys on large whales have the potential to provide group size information that is as adequate as the correction procedure adopted.

Visibility of River Plume Fronts with an X-Band Radar

A land-based X-band radar was employed to observe river plume fronts at the mouth of the Tenryu River, Japan. Time-averaged radar images captured fronts extending offshore from the river’s mouth as bright streaks. Comparisons between satellite optical images and radar images confirm that streaky features in the radar image represent color river plume fronts. Further corroboration comes from field observations of water temperature, salinity, and turbidity conducted simultaneously with the radar measurements. When a survey ship crossed the front, the measured properties varied discontinuously, suggesting that water from the river and sea converged there and also that a downwards current was present. Variation of visibility of the fronts was assessed and compared with the rate of variation of water level and the wind speed and direction. The radar is able to image fronts when the water level is decreasing during ebb tide and the wind speed is over 3 m/s along shore. Surface ripple waves are generated by the local wind, and if they propagate across the front, wave heights increase, causing higher backscatter of the emitted radar beam. This observation gives further evidence on the imaging mechanism of river plume fronts with X-band radars in relation to wind direction.