Coastal communities are facing a variety of rapid environmental changes. Real-time data from cabled observatories can be used by community members to make informed decisions about their coastal and marine resources.
In March 2016, Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) continued to push the innovation envelope by deploying three community observatories along the British Columbia coast: in Campbell River, Kitamaat Village, and Prince Rupert (Figure 1). After a year in operation, this first anniversary review celebrates the successes, challenges, and future for ONC’s community observatories.
Imagine an area of the size of Ontario ‒ gone. That’s roughly the amount of Arctic sea-ice that has melted in the last 30 years: over 1 million square km. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg: some climate change forecasts are predicting an ice-free summer Arctic Ocean by as early as 2030.
Understanding sea-ice change is critical to life in the high north, particularly when it comes to getting around. Local transportation and commercial shipping are defined by the Arctic’s shifting seasonal extremes, which is becoming harder to predict. Not only is the thickness and extent of the frozen ocean shrinking, but the dates of freeze-up, break-up and the duration of solid...
New “Ocean Sense” learning program aims to make global connections with world-leading ocean observatory technology
Mill Bay, BC. - Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), an initiative of the University of Victoria, today launches a pilot ocean science educational program at Brentwood College School to complement its growing network of community observatories program, which saw its prototype installed off the school dock two years ago, in the waters of Mill Bay, BC.
“Ocean Sense” is a free, novel online educational program based on analyzing, understanding and sharing ocean data collected by the observatories.
Coastal communities are facing a wide range of rapid changes due to a changing environment. Lack of up to date scientific data limits community members in their ability to make informed decisions about their own coast. The University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks Canada offers a unique solution for bridging this gap in environmental monitoring, community involvement and scholastic outreach through the community observatory. To complement the expanding community observatory network, Ocean Networks Canada is introducing an educational program, “Ocean Sense: local observations, global connections” that will be piloted at Brentwood College School in Mill Bay, British Columbia, and Kiilinik High School in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut during the 2014-2015 school...
