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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.
Characterization of Navassa National Wildlife Refuge Navassa is a small, uninhabited Caribbean island located between Haiti and Jamaica . Once used for guano mining in the 1800s, today it is a National Wildlife Refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Aboard Nancy Foster, scientists from the Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research (CCFHR) use sidescan sonar, multibeam sonar, drop cameras, remotely operated vehicles, and diver surveys to generate underwater habitat maps of Navassa that are used for resource management. Interviews with local fishermen help determine the abundance of artisanal fishing gear, type of gear used, benthic habitats fished, catch landed, and impact to benthic resources. The waters surrounding Navassa Island are characterized physically through use of Conductivity – Temperature – Depth (CTD) sensors, Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers, and installation of long-term temperature loggers. The data gathered will be used to model benthic productivity and to determine potential susceptibility to coral bleaching. In addition, scientists are assessing the population status of certain wildlife species, including conchs and turtles that have been newly targeted by artisanal fishers. Nancy Foster also provides U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel access to Navassa Island for terrestrial sampling and scientific observations. For more information, go to The Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research
Habitat Recovery Rates of Injured Seagrass in Southeastern Caribbean Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research (CCFHR) scientists aboard Nancy Foster sample seagrass in areas surrounding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Data gathered are used to determine habitat recovery rates and to calibrate seagrass injury and disturbance recovery models. Fish communities associated with bank-shelf and mangrove habitats are quantitatively sampled to determine the value of these resources as nursery and adult fishery habitats. Other projects include conducting benthic habitat surveys to confirm existing habitat maps, and collecting Ciguatoxic fishes, such as barracudas, for developing a toxin standard. For more information, go to: The Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research.
Coastal Erosion Studies along the South Carolina Shoreline Using bathymetric mapping and sub-bottom analysis, scientists from Coastal Carolina University identify areas of the seafloor that can be mined for sand. Once harvested, the sand is used to re-nourish beach areas that are subject to substantial erosion from long shore currents, hurricanes, and strong winter storms known as “Nor’easters”. These mapping efforts allow agencies to identify the location of sand prior to starting renourishment projects, making them more efficient and cost effective. Scientists gather core samples to determine the types of minerals and sediment that can be mined to supplement re-nourishment projects. These data can also be used to describe the geological history of South Carolina ’s Coast. For more information on this project, go to: Center for Marine and Wetland Studies.
Atlantic Coral Reef Abundance and Distribution Assessment – Ocean Exploration Researchers from Duke University Marine Laboratory and the National Undersea Research Center (NURC) at University of North Carolina at Wilmington sail aboard Nancy Foster to study the composition and distribution of coral communities. Scientists use multibeam sonar, drift camera visual surveys, photo-documentation, and hand collection of coral by scuba divers to create detailed habitat maps. The research examines how coral species have changed over the past 20 years due to temperature increase. For more information, go to: www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.
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 www.nos.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 Scientists from NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center and Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab (AOML), along with investigators from the University of the Virgin Islands, utilize Nancy Foster to conduct oceanographic surveys within the Virgin Island banks ecosystem, found south of the United States Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands. Yellowfin grouper, Nassau grouper, tiger grouper, dog snapper and other economically important fish use these banks for spawning. However, the biological and physical processes which drive production on these banks, the circulation connecting them, and the flows across them have yet to be quantified. Absent such data, management decisions like Marine Protected Areas are based on professional judgment rather that quantifiable, defensible scientific information. Scientists conduct research in this area to address this data gap. For more information, go to: www.aoml.noaa.gov/
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/
Integrative Assessments of Coastal Ocean Waters Researchers from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and the Environmental and Protection Agency (EPA) assess the condition of coastal-ocean waters aboard Nancy Foster. Scientists use Conductivity – Temperature – Depth (CTD) sensors, bottom grab samplers, and hook and line fishing to characterize coastal waters starting approximately one mile from shore and extending to the 100-meter shelf break. Data collected include salinity, dissolved oxygen, sediment grain size and organic content, chlorophyll levels, and chemical contaminants. Resulting data can be used to make estimates of the region’s health and to determine how environmental conditions may be changing with time. For more information, go to:www.coastalscience.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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•  Updated: October 19, 2009