Office of Naval Research 800 N. Quincy Street Arlington VA 22217-5660

A -- ARTIC RESEARCH FROM SUBMARINES POC Thomas B. Curtin, Code 322, (703) 696-5084. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) in collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) invites submission of proposals for basic research to increase fundamental understanding of processes in the Arctic Ocean utilizing a U.S. Navy submarine as a sampling platform. Research areas of interest fall into two broad categories: water mass and circulation trends and contaminant assessment. Background - Three principal Arctic Ocean upper water masses are a cold, low salinity mixed layer from the surface to about 50 m, cold halocline water between 50 and 200 m, and a layer of warm Atlantic water with a core between 300 and 500 m. The halocline, also a pycnocline, effectively decouples the warm Atlantic water from the surface layer, insulating the ice cover from a large subsurface heat source. The observed thickness of the pycnocline is much larger and the temperature much colder than can be explained using only river discharge and ice melt as sources. A current hypothesis is that the upper halocline is maintained by lateral advection and mixing from the broad continental shelves bordering the polar basin. Based on analysis of water properties including nutrients, the area from Spitzbergen to Severnaya Zemlya appears to supply the upper halocline water to the Eurasian Basin, while the Chukchi and northern Bering Seas feed the Canadian Basin. The annual rate of shelf water supplied to the polar basin is estimated to be about 2.5 x 106 m3/s. In contrast, the total freshwater supply to the low salinity surface layer from runoff and the Bering Strait inflow is about 0.15 x 106 m3/s, with an equivalent volume provided by ice melt during the summer. Lateral advection and mixing processes are sketchy. Once formed on the shelf in fall and winter, relatively dense water driven by gravity tends initially to sink and flow across shelf toward deeper water of similar density. Flow on this scale, influenced by the earth's rotation, generally tends to align with isobaths, inhibiting across shelf transport. This tendency is affected by Arctic basin geometry in which across shelf flow is predominantly northward. Transport may also be concentrated in narrow bottom troughs or in the bottom boundary layer. At the surface, particles including sediment may be trapped in ice and transported great distances in the wind-driven surface circulation. Trapping may occur through flooding or through bottom resuspension by ice gouging, storm events, traction/turbidity currents, tidal currents, and by benthic organisms. Once over the shelfbreak, an unknown proportion of dense shelf water sinks to abyssal depths. In the Eurasian Basin, tracer data indicate the main shelf source to be Atlantic Water, cooled in the Barents Sea. Eurasian Basin Bottom Water has a ventilation age of about 200 years. There is some evidence that this water mass circulates cyclonically as a boundary current in the Nansen Basin, upwelling and mixing in the interior to form Eurasian Basin Deep Water above 2600 M. This water mass, with a residence time of about 60 years, is above the Fram Strait sill depth, enabling exchange with the Greenland Sea. The bottom water mass in the Canadian Basin, although apparently of similar origin to that in the Eurasian Basin (Atlantic Water, not riverine), is about 400 years old. Differences are related to processes of formation and renewal which have not been directly observed nor dynamically modeled. Water Mass and Circulation Trends (Are clear regional warming signals appearing?). Recent transarctic (2600 km path length) acoustic propagation data indicate possible warming of the Atlantic water by an average of 0.2 to 0.4 C relative to pre-1990 climatology. Data from recent submarine and ice breaker cruises show that this change is more than a warming of the Atlantic water. The whole front between the waters of the eastern and western Arctic has apparently shifted from the vicinity of the Lomonosov Ridge to the Alpha and Mendeleyev Ridge with a corresponding change in circulation. This basin scale change has a time scale greater than interannual. Models indicate that changes in high latitude ocean properties and circulation have global climate impact. More data and research are needed to determine the nature, persistence and consequences of this water mass warming and redistribution. Contaminant Assessment (Are anthropogenic contaminants a threat?). Radionuclide and other chemical contaminants in the Arctic marine environment have been of concern. Recent efforts to provide data and models to ground a rigorous risk assessment indicate radionuclide concentrations and emission rates are generally low. The largest observed signals are from relic atmospheric bomb testing, fuel re-processing facilities in western Europe, and past power plant accidents. Future power plant accidents and waste contained within Russian river systems appear to be the main catastrophic threats. Contaminant transport time scales, pathways and diffusion rates are essential in evaluating and predicting local concentrations and determining the consequences of specific releases. Relevant data across all seasons is lacking. More research is needed to quantify the relative roles in contaminant transport of sea ice drift, cross-shelf circulation, topographically trapped (along continental margins or ridges) currents, and frontal jets associated with water mass boundaries. The proposed research must conform with the following operational constraints. The sampling period is Fall 1996 with embarking and debarking from San Diego, California on or about 1 September 1996 and 15 November 1996, respectively. The area of sampling is limited to that area defined by the Chief of Naval Operations, specifically within the perimeter defined by straight lines connecting the following vertices: 87-00N / 015-00W, 86-35N / 060-00W, 80-00N / 130-00w, 80-00N / 141-00W, 70-00N / 141-00W, 72-00N / 155-00W, 75-30n / 175-00E, 78-30N / 172-00E, 80-30N / 163-00E, 78-30N / 126-00e, 84-20N / 110-00E, 84-25N / 080-00E, 85-10N / 057-00E, 83-50n / 033-00E, 84-05N / 008-00E. Maximum vessel depth will be 800 feet. Existing sensors and sampling capabilities include: (1) water samples, (2) temperature or sound velocity profiles taken by expendable probe, (3) Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) profiles taken by expendable probe, (4) continuous underway CTD data taken from sail mounted SUBCTD system, (5) bathymetry recorded by installed fathometers, (6) ice profile data from upward looking, narrow beam sonar, (7) ice image data from upward looking video and sidescan sonar, (8) navigation data at a non-classified level. Available space for additional equipment is limited. All temporary equipment for a submarine must be formally approved by NAVSEA and then authorized by the Type Commander. Therefore, any equipment in addition to that mentioned above must meet NAVSEA approval no later than 15 April 1996 in order to be considered for authorization by the Type Commander. Space for scientific personnel is also limited. The number of scientific personnel embarked will be limited to those absolutely needed to accomplish the goals of the science program. Embarked scientists must be U.S. citizens, must meet submarine physical requirements, and must have a current secret clearance. Data may be obtained for offboard scientists by collaborating colleagues onboard or by technical personnel from the Arctic Submarine Laboratory by arrangement. Every effort will be made to ensure that acquired scientific data are declassified as soon as possible, nominally within 30 days, after the ship's return to home port. This notice constitutes a broad agency announcement (BAA #SUB) as contemplated in FAR 6.102(D)(2). There will be no formal requests for proposals or other formal solicitations regarding this announcement. The period of performance may be up to two years in length. Approximately 10 awards totaling $1-2M are anticipated. Proposals may be either single investigator or integrated and multi-disciplinary. An original and six copies of the proposal should be sent to the Office of Naval Research, High Latitude Program, Code 322, Ballston Tower One, 800 North Quincy Street, Room 704, Arlington, VA 22217-5660. Proposals may be directed for consideration by a specific agency by indicating such on the cover page. ONR will forward such proposals, but a second original should also be sent simultaneously to the appropriate agency program. Proposals will be reviewed individually by each agency according to its own policy, and collectively by an multi-agency Science Steering Committee. Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria: (1) scientific and technical merit of the research, (2) qualifications and experience of the principal investigator(s) and other key research personnel, (3) capabilities, related experience and facilities that are critical to the proposed objectives, (4) relevance of the proposed research to agency program priorities, (5) realism of the proposed cost, and (6) availability of funds. The Government reserves the right to select for award, all, some, or none of the proposals (either in their entirety or part thereof) received in response to this announcement. To be considered for the 1996 Cruise, full proposals submitted in response to this Announcement must be received no later than 15 August 1995. Proposals selected for award will be announced on 1 November 1995. To provide uniformity in format, proposals should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the guidelines provided in the NSF brochure, Grant Proposal Guide. The Guide is available on the Science and Technology Information System (STIS). Copies are also available from the Forms and Publications Unit, Room P15, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230, (703) 306-1130 (voice), pubs@nsf.gov (internet). Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions, as determined by the Secretary of Education to meet the requirements of 34 CFR Section 608.2 and 10 U.S.C. paragraph 2323 (a)(i)(c), are encouraged to participate. Questions regarding proposal business issues and legal matters relating to this BAA should be directed to Mr. Mark Kurzius, Code 252A, Office of Naval Research, Ballston Tower One, 800 North Quincy Street, Arlington VA 22217-5660, Phone: (703) 696-2610. (0159)

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