University of Hawaii R/V Kilo Moana Oceanographic Instrumentation

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

Kilo Moana is a 186 foot, general-purpose research vessel built in 2002 and operated by the University of Hawaii under a charter party agreement with the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The vessel is part of the US Academic Research Fleet (ARF) and is supported by the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS). Ship time is made available to academic researchers funded by the NSF, ONR, NOAA, NASA, and other federal and state agencies. In 2019, Kilo Moana had 286 funded days with 206 of them for NSF. In 2020, the vessel is scheduled to sail 236 days with 204 (86%) of them for NSF. The University of Hawaii requests funds for the replacement the their eXpendable BathyTherograph (XBT) system. XBT Deck Unit $17,210 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.