Stacked in the image below are 48 plots generated from 16 sensors of the VENUS Ferry System installed on a BC Ferries M/V Queen of Alberni. The comprehensive system monitors oceanographic and atmospheric conditions along ferry transits between Nanaimo (Duke Point) and Vancouver (Tsawwassen).

Oceanographic parameters collected by the system include seawater temperature, salinity, density, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and the relative concentration of chlorophyll.

Meteorological measurements focus on marine atmospheric boundary layer conditions and include air temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed and direction, incoming solar radiation, and out-going irradiance.

The image shows a day of data collected on Jan 5th, 2013. For each parameter, data are plotted in a number of distinct ways to show alternate characteristics of the geospatial and temporal nature of the variations.

The data collected by the ferry system are retrieved daily through a series of communications over the cellular network between the ferry and VENUS shore station. Check out the latest ferry data plots at the BC Ferry data plots page.