Ocean Networks Canada is kicking off a year of exciting research and innovation at the Endeavour node of the NEPTUNE observatory with a show of support from the Canadian Government.
Today’s $1.62 million funding commitment through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s 2012 Leading Edge Fund is intended for future study and continuous monitoring of the Endeavour Segment.
"This funding support will nearly triple Ocean Networks Canada's current instrumentation at this spectacular location in the deep ocean and will provide a new way...
Life is usually thought to be driven by energy from the sun. The deep ocean is devoid of sunlight, yet life persists. While most of the abyss relies on photosynthetic surface productivity, hydrothermal vent communities use a different energy pathway, relying on a process called chemosynthesis. Specialized chemoautotrophic bacteria oxidize inorganic molecules contained in hydrothermal vent effluent and use the released energy to produce organic matter (carbohydrates) from dissolved CO2.
On June 26, we completed our summer expedition, Wiring the Abyss 2012 aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson (University of Washington). Despite the inevitable challenges we encounter when deploying deep sea instruments, overall the cruise was a success.
On June 11, NEPTUNE Canada reached the halfway point for Wiring the Abyss 2012, this summer’s installation and maintenance cruise. Part of the original crew who set sail on May 27 returned to dry land at Bamfield after a very busy two weeks. They were replaced by a new contingent of crew members, who will remain with the ship until cruise end on 26 June. If you have been following on our cruise page, you’ll know that the first two weeks were very busy indeed!
Ocean Network Canada’s Kim Juniper and Verena Tunnicliffe share their experiences studying the Endeavour hydrothermal vents in the April 19th Vancouver Sun article One of Earth’s Most Remarkable Places.
This story is the fifth of a six part special series on the "Health of the Ocean." The paper’s online publication has also compiled a photo gallery of this unique ecosystem located 250 km off Vancouver Island and over two km below the ocean’s surface.
Fin whales are the world’s 2nd largest whale species (blue whales are the largest). These majestic creatures inhabit temperate to sub-arctic waters in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Within the Pacific Ocean basin, there are at least 3 geographically distinct populations.
In the North Pacific Ocean, fin whales have been observed as far north as the Chukchi Sea during the summer months while in winter, they spend their time off the coasts of Korea and Japan in the West Pacific, and off northern Baja California in the East Pacific.
Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) are instruments used in our subsea network and other oceanographic applications to measure the currents. We collect data from two types of ADCPs, manufactured by Nortek and RDI.
Our fall 2011 installation and maintenance expedition sailed September 10 – 30 aboard the R/V Thompson. It was a very active time for 7 Ocean Networks Canada staffers, 4 contractors, 1 Pacific Geosciences Centre technician, 1 volunteer, an 8-man ROPOS crew, 2 marine techs and the 21 crew members of the R/V Thompson. During our 20 days at sea, we completed 13 ROPOS dives at three locations, including a trip into Bamfield for parts.
During our adventures, we deployed 32 new instruments, including those attached to a Regional Circulation Mooring, retrieved-refurbished-...
