The Regional Class Research Vessels are outfitted with top of the line technologies, cruising the oceans with the singular goal of collecting DATA–numbers that help us understand the health of our ocean and climate so that we can make informed decisions about our future.
- What types of data are collected, and what instruments are used?
- Where do the RCRVs travel to collect data?
- Who are the scientists working aboard the ships, and how do they work?
- Can students practice using data?
- Can students use real data from the ship?
- This Data Science Education Portal will answer these questions and more.
Questions? Email SMILE Program or Oregon Coast STEM Hub.
All three Regional Class Research Vessels are outfitted with advanced technologies to both navigate the open seas, and study the ocean and atmosphere. Different instruments around the ship sense environmental conditions in real time. This allows operators and scientists to make immediate decisions based on the data, or store the information for later analysis. The numbers can also be broadcast back to shore as part of our unique “datapresence” capabilities.
To learn more about each system of equipment and sensors, click on the options below
Explore the Ship
To safely navigate and map the ocean surroundings, the ship has many sensors housed in the bridge, hull, and centerboard. These can do everything from point us towards true directional north, create 3D images of the waves surrounding the ship, and use pulses of sound to make visualizations of the seafloor below. Watch Ship Navigation and Seafloor Mapping video.
A flow-through water measurement system has been created by mounting sixteen different sensors to a wall in the bow thruster room. Surface water from the ocean is pumped to the lab and the water’s temperature,conductivity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll concentration, pH and CO2 partial pressure measured.
To build a picture of the meteorological conditions, eighteen sensors have been installed on the main mast and pilothouse. These measure wind speed and direction, air temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, and precipitation. Importantly, they also measure the sunlight in all different wavelengths of the spectrum.
In order to learn more about the water column from the surface to the seafloor, the ship can also deploy profiling sensors. Scientific sensors are typically attached to a circular frame that carries sampling bottles in what is called a rosette, and this “package” is lowered over the side of the vessel. The package then drops slowly through the water, making measurements along the way in order to create a vertical “profile” of water properties. The package sensor suite typically measures conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll concentration, turbidity and light intensity. Other parameters such as salinity are derived from the basic measurements
