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RV Kaharoa

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RV Kaharoa (2008)
History
New Zealand
OwnerNational Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
Launched1981
HomeportWellington
General characteristics
TypeSurvey ship
Displacement300 tonnes
Length28.0 m (91 ft 10 in)
Beam8.2 m (26 ft 11 in)
Draft3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Speed10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph)

RV Kaharoa is a research vessel operated by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) of New Zealand. Launched in 1981, the vessel has undertaken a wide range of surveys, data from which has led to the discovery of several new species, such as a new species of eelpout, five new species of Fissuroderes and a new species of copepod in the genus Bradyidius. The ship has played a "key role" in the International Argo Project. A replacement vessel, RV Kaharoa II, is due in 2024.

History

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Launched in 1981, the ship is 28 metres (91 ft 10 in) long, with a 3.2-metre (10 ft) draft. It has a cruising speed of 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph).[1]

Keneperu Sound at sunset from the Kaharoa in 2008

RV Kaharoa is scheduled to be replaced by RV Kaharoa II in 2024. It is 8 metres (26 ft 3 in) longer than the Kaharoa and has increased capacity for staff, as well as laboratory and desk-based research.[2] Within NIWA, the ship was nicknamed 'The Little Ship That Can', due its size and performance.[2] The replacement is due to the Kaharoa reaching the end of its operational life.[3]

Research

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Scientific discoveries

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Autonomous landers, Observing the deepest places on Earth from RV Kaharoa

As a research vessel, it has been involved in a number of scientific discoveries. In 2012 the University of Aberdeen's OceanLab expedition found 'supergiant amphipods' up to 34 centimetres (13 in) long in the Kermadec Trench, identified as the species Alicella gigantea.[4][5][6] In 2013 a further iteration of the OceanLab project using the Kaharoa led to the discovery of a new species of eelpout, as well as new depth records for species of deep sea cusk eel and rattail.[7][8] RV Kaharoa also contributed to the discovery of five new species of Fissuroderes, found off the coast of Costa Rica and the Firth of Thames.[9] Another example of the ship's role in scientific discovery is that of a new species of copepod in the genus Bradyidius.[10]

Fisheries surveys

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The ship has also undertaken a wide range of fisheries surveys.[11][12][13][14] Some examples include: assessment of juvenile snapper, 2019–21;[15][16] species in the Hauraki Gulf with RV Ikatere;[17] amongst others. The ship was also used to survey the sea floor to measure and analyse the impact that Cyclone Gabrielle had on it in 2023.[18]

Argo float project

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The ship is part of the International Argo Project, a float deployment scheme focussed on climate and oceanic data,[19] as well as the Global Drifter Program.[20] The ship has deployed Argo floats since 2014, concentrating on getting the floats to areas with low maritime traffic in the Southern Hemisphere, sailing 79,996 nautical miles as part of the project.[20][21] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the crew of the Kaharoa undertook their longest voyage to date, to continue to support the deployment of Argo floats – work that had been delayed due to lockdown restrictions globally.[19] The ship has played a "key role in the global deployment ... of the Argo array".[22]

As of 2024, NIWA estimates the Kaheroa to have deployed about a quarter of all Argo floats.[23]

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to IMO 8000898.
  1. ^ "RV Kaharoa | NIWA". niwa.co.nz. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Passing on the torch | NIWA". niwa.co.nz. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  3. ^ "New research vessel for Niwa being built in Spain". www.stuff.co.nz. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  4. ^ "World's Largest Supergiant Prawns Sighted In New Zealand's Kermadec Trench". Asian Scientist Magazine. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  5. ^ "'Supergiant' crustacean found in deepest ocean". BBC News. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  6. ^ Jamieson, A. J.; Lacey, N. C.; Lörz, A. -N.; Rowden, A. A.; Piertney, S. B. (1 August 2013). "The supergiant amphipod Alicella gigantea (Crustacea: Alicellidae) from hadal depths in the Kermadec Trench, SW Pacific Ocean". Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. Deep-Sea Biodiversity and Life History Processes. 92: 107–113. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2012.12.002. ISSN 0967-0645.
  7. ^ NIWA. "New finds from the deep sea off New Zealand". phys.org. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  8. ^ "New fish discovered in one of deepest points on Earth | News | The University of Aberdeen". www.abdn.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  9. ^ Neuhaus, Birger; Blasche, Tina (10 July 2006). "Fissuroderes, a new genus of Kinorhyncha (Cyclorhagida) from the deep sea and continental shelf of New Zealand and from the continental shelf of Costa Rica". Zoologischer Anzeiger – A Journal of Comparative Zoology. 245 (1): 19–52. Bibcode:2006ZooAn.245...19N. doi:10.1016/j.jcz.2006.03.003. ISSN 0044-5231.
  10. ^ Bradford-Grieve, Janet M. (2003). "A new species of benthopelagic calanoid copepod of the genus Bradyidius Giesbrecht, 1897 (Calanoida: Aetideidae) from New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. 37 (1): 95–103. Bibcode:2003NZJMF..37...95B. doi:10.1080/00288330.2003.9517149. ISSN 0028-8330.
  11. ^ "Review of inshore trawl surveys off the west coast North Island". www.fao.org. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Inshore trawl survey of the west coast South Island and Tasman and Golden Bays, March–April 2019". www.fao.org. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  13. ^ Holmes, S. J., R. J. Hurst, and J. Hamill. "Estimation of fishing efficiency and catchability of key species on RV Kaharoa South Island trawl surveys." New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report (2021): 72.
  14. ^ Murray, Talbot, Kevin Bailey, and N. Z. Wellington. "Preliminary report of RV Kaharoa cruises K03/86 and K05/86-oceanography and albacore catch rates." First South Pacific Albacore Research (SPAR) Workshop, 9e12 June. 1986.
  15. ^ Parsons, D. M., and R. Bian. "Trawl surveys of the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty in 2020 and 2021 to estimate the abundance of juvenile snapper." New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Report 10 (2022): 138.
  16. ^ Parsons, Darren; Bian, Richard; Parkinson, Derrick; MacGibbon, Dan (2021). Trawl surveys of the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty in 2019 and 2020 to estimate the abundance of juvenile snapper (Report). Ministry for Primary Industries.
  17. ^ Kendrick, Terese H.; Francis, Malcolm P. (2002). "Fish assemblages in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. 36 (4): 699–717. Bibcode:2002NZJMF..36..699K. doi:10.1080/00288330.2002.9517124. ISSN 0028-8330.
  18. ^ "Revealed: The shocking damage Cyclone Gabrielle caused to the sea floor". Newshub. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  19. ^ a b "NIWA crew leaving for four months at sea, for ocean research project". Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Argo float deployments from the RV Kaharoa". Argo. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Argo Floats – RV Kaharoa". sites.google.com. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  22. ^ Church, John A.; Woodworth, Philip L.; Aarup, Thorkild; Wilson, W. Stanley (1 December 2010). Understanding Sea-level Rise and Variability. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-4443-4077-8.
  23. ^ "New research vessel to help with better results". Radio New Zealand. 19 August 2024.
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