On 13 August 2012 the University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) was granted a research license from the Nunavut Research Institute, with approval from the Nunavut Impact Review Board, to install and maintain a small, cabled seafloor observatory for five years in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Installation was completed by the end of September 2012.

This community observatory, a scaled-down version of UVic’s seafloor networks, is the first location in Canada’s Arctic for year-round, continuous undersea monitoring of the northern environment. Its purpose is to offer science-based support for greater understanding and protection of fragile arctic marine ecosystems. Data streaming from the instruments support cutting-edge research as well...