Reasons to set sail
Because light and most other electro-magnetic waves (e.g. radio) only penetrate the sea surface a few metres, sound and physical tools remain the only viable way to reach the depths beyond. Both methods require a deployment platform, normally a ship, but increasingly an unmanned vehicle. The operation of research vessels is a complex and expensive exercise, so it is not one that is undertaken lightly. With more good ideas than funding available, there needs to be a system to allocate ship and equipment time. Consequently, scientists have to undergo a rigorous process to justify the need for their research and why it needs the use of a research vessel and/or other specialised equipment.
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Purpose of an expedition
The furtherance of scientific understanding is broadly based on accumulated knowledge reported in reports, paper, journals and conferences. As such, it is a scientist’s ability to generate such outputs from their time spent onboard a research ship that defines the quality of their work, while increasingly it is the societal and environmental impacts of this work which ultimately defines how successful it has been. As a result, the ‘life-cycle’ of a research cruise is one that covers several years, from the gestation of an idea right through to the ultimate reporting of scientific results.
Read more about the purpose of going to sea →
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Choosing a proposal
Scientists can apply to a range of different organisations for funding; some government run (including the EU), while others may be charities or commercial organisations. Whatever the funding route, NERC will only provide ship time 'free at the point of use' for science that is of an international quality, and it has a grading system against which proposals are assessed. NERC completes this assessment by a group of the researcher’s peers, referred to as the Peer Review College.
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International Working
International collaborations are an incredibly important component of supporting modern science at sea. Many issues facing marine science are global in nature and so require international solutions, such as the bartering or exchange of ships and equipment. In addition, when compared to other ship operators, research vessels form a niche area of activity in the shipping industry, so sharing of knowledge and best practice is vital.
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