Ocean Networks Canada - EEWS

From Cosmos to Core: Wiring the Abyss Expedition 2018

kshoemak@uvic.ca — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 21:33:51 +0000

The deep sea holds answers to many scientific questions about the origin of life on Earth, our changing ocean, and even outer space. This year, Ocean Networks Canada’s (ONC) annual Wiring the Abyss expedition expanded infrastructure to monitor both deep sea and deep space⎯from the cosmos to the core⎯reaching new milestones for our offshore observatory in the northeast Pacific Ocean.

ONC’s annual maintenance expeditions allow for instrumentation to be added, maintained, and recovered, live streaming these deep sea operations in real time so everyone can #knowtheocean. Wiring the Abyss Leg 1, aboard Canadian Coast Guard ship John P. Tully, deployed instruments and new infrastructure using the heavy lift capability of the ROPOS remotely operated vehicle (ROV). During Leg 2, the exploration vessel (E/V) Nautilus completed the final positioning and installation of Leg 1 elements, and deployed more instruments. Over 27 days at sea, the team powered on, deployed, maintained or recovered 270 devices during 30 dives (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) John P. Tully (left) and E/V Nautilus (right).

Expansion of instruments: highlights

The successful completion of Wiring the Abyss 2018 included many new and exciting expansion achievements for ONC and for Canada.

To help us understand the cosmos, a neutrino experiment was deployed at Cascadia, our deepest site, to test the transmission properties of the water. The two specialized instrument arrays will evaluate the location for potential detection of neutrinos––subatomic particles that when studied can provide insight into the origin and evolution of the universe. These instruments were developed by a team at the Technical University of Munich in Germany––the same team that developed the IceCube South Pole Observatory––who watched the deployment of their instruments live from Germany (Figure 2). The collection of detailed measurements over two years will assess the deep-sea site for future use. Read more about this exciting neutrino experiment here.

Figure 2. The neutrino test site consists of a pair of 100-metre-long test strings that mimic what happens when a neutrino passes by. The team watched live as the experiment was deployed at a depth of 2,700 metres at ONC’s Cascadia observatory.

ONC completed the installation of the final offshore seismometers for British Columbia’s earthquake early warning system. Over the last three summers, ONC has installed a total of eight strong-motion sensors along the Cascadia subduction zone at Cascadia Basin, Clayoquot Slope, and Barkley Canyon. Two kinds of Canadian-built sensors were used—a Nanometrics Titan accelerometer (Figure 3) and an RBR tiltmeter. Using two different types of sensors provides a level of sophistication that adds redundancy and allows for improved signal comparison. The proximity of these offshore sensors to a possible megathrust earthquake could provide additional crucial seconds of warning. ONC will also be installing 26 sensors on land by March 2019, when ONC delivers the system to Emergency Management BC.

Figure 3. ROV Hercules carefully submerges an accelerometer inside the buried green caisson at Barkley Canyon, the final installation of ONC’s offshore earthquake early warning sensor system.

Wiring the Abyss 2018 successfully doubled the instrumentation at Endeavour Hydrothermal Vent Field, Canada’s first marine protected area and the world’s most international deep-sea cabled observatory site. Instruments from Canada, United States, United Kingdom, France, and China are now connected to ONC’s data management portal, Oceans 2.0. At the Main Endeavour Field, a string of three cabled Guralp Maris ocean bottom seismometers were added to a dense network of instruments to monitor seismic activity at this spreading mid-ocean ridge (Figure 4). A hydrophone was installed close to active venting activity, and three benthic resistivity sensors were added at Mothra, Main Endeavour and Main Endeavour South to monitor hot hydrothermal fluid and chloride concentration flowing from the vents. Media Factsheet on international sensors at Endeavour hot vents

Figure 4. A string of three cabled short-period seismometers were deployed at Endeavour, in a water depth of 2,200 metres. The Guralp team—who designed and manufactured the instruments—watched live from their England office.

Good news for the water column community. After three years, the refurbished vertical profiling system was reinstalled at Barkley Canyon upper slope and is collecting data once again.
Other maintenance tasks included relocating instruments, cleaning camera lenses, checking on or recovering devices and experiments, and repairing instruments showing irregularities in data––such as CORK 1027C, which needed a valve position changed to ensure that the correct pressure was recorded.

Using robots to observe marine life

In addition to conducting deep sea maintenance tasks and manoeuvres, ROVs are also equipped with high-resolution cameras that make it possible to conduct video surveys to study the biodiversity and abundance of both water column (gelatinous plankton and fish) and the seafloor (fish and invertebrate) benthic communities. ONC scientists onboard assisted the ROV pilots to regulate speed, height from the seafloor, and video camera settings to capture the marine life at the highest resolution possible. ONC has gathered 11 years of ROV video and data that are essential for understanding deep-sea biodiversity in the northeast Pacific (Figure 5).

Figure 5. A curious salmon shark was spotted swimming near the surface during an ROV dive ascent from Cascadia Basin.

New cameras at Mothra, Barkley Canyon mid-east, upper slope and axis are now connected and streaming. These cameras turn on at intervals throughout the day to visually monitor experiments, instruments, and the diverse marine life. Watch for yourself on our Sights and Sounds live video page.

Sampling the deep sea

During the expedition, onboard scientists collected over 80 samples from the deep sea, including sediment, benthic megafauna, water, hydrothermal vent fluid, and methane gas hydrate bubbles. Push core samples were taken at nearly every dive conducted at Endeavour, Barkley Canyon, Clayoquot Slope and Cascadia Basin (Figure 6), to support a variety of research projects, including the documentation of the region’s little-known benthic infauna (organisms living in the sediment).

Figure 6. Onboard EV Nautilus, the expedition team processes a push core sample taken at Cascadia Basin.

As part of a new collaboration with scientists from the Natural History Museum of London, benthic megafauna samples––organisms over one centimetre that inhabit the sediment-water interface––were collected at the Endeavour vent sites. Samples of other invertebrates––such as polychaete worms, crustaceans, corals (Figure 7), sea anemones, and brittle stars––were also collected for proper taxonomical identifications in an ongoing partnership with the Royal BC Museum.

Figure 7. A rock sample with resident corals and sponges collected at Clayoquot Slope Bullseye.

Methane hydrate seeps, gas, and fluid samples were taken at Endeavour hydrothermal vent field and at Barkley Canyon using a 'gas-tight’ bottle held over the hot fluids or cold methane bubble streams (Figure 8). These samples are key for determining the biogeochemical nature of the vent fluids and measuring the rates and amount of the methane emanating from the seafloor.

Figure 8. Sampling super-heated hydrothermal vent fluid using a gas-tight bottle.

Mapping the seafloor

The expedition took advantage of E/V Nautilus state-of-the-art multibeam echo-sounding equipment by mapping the ocean floor in areas of interest (Figure 9). Two surveys––between Endeavour and Clayoquot Slope and northwest of Barkley Canyon––mapped the lower portion of the continental slope around the subduction zone deformation front. These new maps will be valuable for determining future seafloor changes caused by the next Cascadia megathrust earthquake.

Figure 9. This image from E/V Nautilus’ Seafloor Information System shows the multibeam echo-sounding survey of an area between Clayoquot Slope and Barkley Canyon. The geographic (top) and water column (bottom) mapping fills gaps in existing high-resolution bathymetry along the continental slope to increase our understanding of the area.

Preparation leads to success

“Wiring the Abyss 2018 represented one of the most complex expeditions that ONC has completed. The sheer number of new instruments, platforms, and supporting infrastructure required months of preparations, focused work from ONC teams, multiple ships and ROVs and well planned and executed installations,” comments Adrian Round, ONC’s executive director of observatory operations.

Despite the challenge of working over two kilometres beneath the waves in one of the harshest environments on Earth, ONC is proud that our collective efforts achieved over 90 percent of its Wiring the Abyss Expedition 2018 goals.

Relive our expedition excitement on our video archive SeaTube, or find out what’s happening on the ocean floor right now via Oceans 2.0, where data from all of our cabled instruments can be viewed in real time.

Wiring the Abyss Leg 2: 23 July – 3 August 2018

kshoemak@uvic.ca — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 17:59:45 +0000

In July 2018, a team of 48 scientists, engineers, communicators, and crew aboard the exploration vessel Nautilus conducted around-the-clock operations to maintain and expand instrumentation on Ocean Networks Canada’s cabled observing systems off Canada’s west coast.

Highlights include an exciting new neutrino experiment at Cascadia Basin to determine whether this location can support a large-scale neutrino detector array in the future; expanded instrumentation at Endeavour, including new sensors and cameras to improve our understanding of this dynamic hydrothermal vent ecosystem; installation of the final earthquake early warning seafloor sensors at Cascadia Basin, Barkley Canyon, and Clayoquot Slope; and reinstallation of the refurbished vertical profiling system at Barkley Canyon’s upper slope.

Follow along with the Twitter hashtag #ONCabyss

Data from Alaska’s Magnitude 7.9 Earthquake and Tsunami

kshoemak@uvic.ca — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 19:23:39 +0000

On 23 January 2018, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurred in the Gulf of Alaska at 1:35 am PT. A tsunami warning was issued for the west coast of Canada and the United States. The tsunami warning was cancelled at 4:40 am PT.

Ocean Networks Canada’s (ONC) real-time sensors detected the earthquake and the subsequent small tsunami that rippled out across the northeast Pacific (Figure 1).

Figure 1. The relative timing of the magnitude 7.9 Alaskan earthquake and the subsequent small tsunami as detected by ONC real-time sensors.

The resulting tsunami wave was relatively small because this was a strike-slip earthquake characterized by side-to-side motion, which displaces less water than the vertical motion of a subduction zone earthquake.

This morning's 7.9 earthquake occurred along a strike-slip fault. The horizontal movement of the two plates in a strike-slip fault, typically limits the threat of tsunami's pic.twitter.com/o7kgwNHqxS
— Greg Diamond (@gdimeweather) January 23, 2018

the Alaska earthquake generated a small tsunami detected by @Ocean_Networks sensors off Canada's westcoast #tsunami pic.twitter.com/MK0K0SLOi8
— Kate Moran (@katemoran) January 23, 2018

Alaska #tsunami just passed @Ocean_Networks bottom pressure station at Clayoquot Slope: 3-cm sea level drop; not big but there.https://t.co/b27CdUo3as pic.twitter.com/T6A8FT2SdT
— Martin Scherwath (@mscherwath) January 23, 2018

Friday 26 January is the anniversary of the last big Cascadia subduction zone earthquake that occurred in 1700, with an estimated magnitude of 8.7-9.2, which caused a widespread tsunami that devastated coastal Japan (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Modeled tsunami caused by the 26 January 1700 megathrust earthquake. Image courtesy of Kenji Satake.

This close call presents a perfect opportunity for British Columbians to become better prepared. Know the risks, have a plan, get a kit - these are the three major components of preparedness. Get started with help from Prepared BC (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Are you prepared for an emergency?

ONC’s earthquake and tsunami technology, research, data, modelling, and alert systems are being developed in collaboration with partners from government, science, academia, and industry in Canada, the United States, and around the world.

Earthquakes shed light on British Columbia’s early warning system

kshoemak@uvic.ca — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 21:04:13 +0000

In September 2017, Ocean Networks Canada's (ONC) seismic sensors collected real-time information on two recent and very different earthquakes: one distant quake off Mexico’s west coast and a much smaller regional event near Ucluelet, British Columbia. Both seismic events provide insight into British Columbia’s earthquake early warning system, currently in development.

Early warning for Mexico’s magnitude 8.1 earthquake

On 7 September, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck off Mexico’s southwest coast near the Guatemalan border. ONC’s sensors detected the seismic waves over 4,700 kilometres away (Figure 1).

Figure 1. ONC’s interactive earthquake data dashboard displays data from the magnitude 8.1 quake, detected by ONC’s sensitive underwater sensors 4,700 kilometers away.

The epicenter was located about 515 kilometres from Mexico City, which is home to the world’s first earthquake early warning system. SASMEX was developed within six years of the deadly earthquake that devastated the country in 1985. During last week’s quake, this investment likely saved lives when Mexico City residents received more than 86 seconds of warning before the quake’s major shaking began at approximately 11:49 local time (Figure 2).

Figure 2. This Mexico City TV news clip shows Mexico’s earthquake early warning system SASMEX in action on 7 September 2017. The early warning siren starts to sound more than 86 seconds before major shaking begins.

“On 7 September 2017, SASMEX was likely responsible for saving lives and preventing injuries as people were able to take protective actions before the shaking started,” comments ONC’s Innovation Centre Business Analyst, Teron Moore. “The successful performance of the Mexican earthquake early warning system is a clear opportunity for British Columbia to ramp up efforts to complete our own system before the 'big one’ hits.”

British Columbia’s earthquake early warning system

In February 2016, the Government of British Columbia invested $5 million for ONC to develop and install an earthquake early warning system. British Columbia’s earthquake early warning system will be installed, tested, and delivered to Emergency Management BC by March 2019. Once completed, the system will be capable of providing British Columbians with advance warning of a large mega-thrust earthquake occurring on the Cascadia subduction zone.

Unlike Mexico’s land-based sensors, British Columbia’s earthquake early warning system has the advantage of underwater sensors deployed on or near the Cascadia subduction zone. The closer a sensor is to the earthquake’s epicentre, the more advance warning can be provided (Figure 3).

Figure 3. How does earthquake early warning work? Seismic instruments can rapidly detect an earthquake as its energy travels through the earth and communicate a warning before shaking arrives. Upon a non-destructive primary P-wave detection, accelerometers send notifications before the damaging secondary S-waves arrive.

To date, ONC has deployed three strong-motion accelerometers from Canadian company Nanometrics. These instruments are designed to detect the primary non-destructive P-waves of large nearby seismic events. Engineered to withstand and record strong local events, these sensitive underwater sensors were nevertheless able to record the seismic waves that radiated from the Mexican quake’s hypocentre 4,700 kilometers away (Figure 4).

Figure 4. ONC’s sensitive strong-motion accelerometers picked up the Mexican earthquake 4,700 kilometres away.

In addition to strong-motion accelerometers, ONC’s broadband seismometers⎯also installed underwater in the eastern Pacific⎯advance our scientific understanding of tectonics and seismogenic (earthquake generating) processes. Despite being more sensitive than the accelerometers, broadband seismometers lack the rapid P-wave detection and reporting capabilities of the strong-motion accelerometers.

Figure 5. Map of underwater and land-based earthquake early warning infrastructure.

Find out more about British Columbia’s earthquake early warning system here.

Ucluelet’s M3.8 earthquake

Meanwhile closer to home, on 5 September ONC’s strong-motion accelerometers detected the primary P-waves that initiated the magnitude 3.8 earthquake near Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island. There were no reports of damage but shaking was felt in nearby Tofino, Port Alberni, and Nanaimo (Figure 6).

Figure 6. ONC’s seismic sensors detected primary P-waves prior to a M3.8 earthquake near Ucluelet. Detection time depends on the distance between the earthquake’s epicentre and the seismic sensor.

ONC operates real-time sensor networks under water and on land using the advanced data management system Oceans 2.0. ONC’s ability to deploy sensors close to the fault at the Cascadia subduction zone adds valuable warning time to decision makers and for those in harm’s way.

Great British Columbia ShakeOut drill happens 19 October

On 19 October at 10:19 a.m., millions of people worldwide will practice how to “Drop, Cover and Hold On” during the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill. British Columbians are invited to join in by registering for the 2017 Great British Columbia ShakeOut (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Participating in the Great British Columbia ShakeOut is a great way for your family or organization to be prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes.

Deployed: the first spike for British Columbia's earthquake early warning system

mkasprzik@oceannetworks.ca — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 23:00:23 +0000

In June 2016, Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) successfully deployed and connected the first of several earthquake early warning sensors on the Cascadia subduction zone. It will be part of a network of seismic sensors that ONC will install underwater and on land as part of an earthquake early warning system funded by Emergency Management British Columbia (EMBC).

The first EEWS sensor being deployed on the Cascadia subduction zone.

In February 2016, the Government of British Columbia announced an investment of $5 million to develop an earthquake early warning system that will provide British Columbians with up to 90 seconds of warning in advance of the arrival of ground shaking after the 'Big One' occurs. The Cascadia subduction zone is an active seismic region that is expected to produce a major earthquake in the future. An early warning alert will save lives and protect infrastructure.

With the support of the University of Alaska’s research vessel Sikuliaq and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s remotely operated vehicle Jason, ONC deployed the EEWS sensor on the Cascadia subduction zone during its recent Expedition 2016: Wiring the Abyss. This EEWS sensor—a Titan accelerometer—is encased in a glass sphere to withstand the pressure in water depths of 850 m at Barkley Canyon.

Following deployment, the sensor was successfully connected to ONC’s observatory infrastructure and data management system, Oceans 2.0. ONC scientists have already been able to analyze data from recent minor earthquakes.

“We are among the first in the world to install these types of sensors in the ocean for earthquake early warning,” says Kate Moran, president of Ocean Networks Canada.

A green caisson embedded into the ocean floor is filled with glass beads to provide a stable environment for the EEWS sensor to detect seismic activity at the Cascadia fault.

A crab watches as the EEWS sensor is carefully inserted into the caisson.

After deployment, the EEWS is covered with glass beads and then connected to ONC's observatory infrastructure and powerful data management system, Oceans 2.0.

Earthquake Early Warning Backgrounder

RELATED STORIES

Ocean Networks Canada to coordinate earthquake early warning for BC – media release February 2016
Making progress on earthquake early warning – web story January 2016
First BC Offshore Earthquake Early Warning Sensor Up and Running - CBC News story 20 July 2016
Earthquake warning sensors installed off B.C. coast - Global BC news story, 27 July 2016

ONC detects M6.1 earthquake near Haida Gwaii

vkeast@uvic.ca — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 22:41:22 +0000

Seismic sensors on Ocean Networks Canada’s seafloor observatory installed offshore Vancouver Island detected an earthquake in the Northeast Pacific Ocean on the morning of 24 April 13:56:16 UTC (7:00 a.m. PDT)

The magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck offshore the Haida Gwaii Region, with its epicentre about 280 kilometres south west of Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

Figure1: ONC Earthquake Sensors and 24 April earthquake epicentre

The Haida Gwaii event was preceded by a magnitude 5.5 earthquake off the coast of Northern California twelve and a half hours earlier. It is unclear whether these earthquakes, occurring about 1300 km away from each other, are in some way related. It is, however, intriguing that the events were located at the southern and northern reaches of the Cascadia subduction zone and that the ONC seismometer at Endeavour detected numerous small local events during the same period of time.

Figure2. Seismic activity recorded by Endeavour seismometer on 24 April. Each horizontal line represents one hour of vertical ground motion (even hour black; odd hour blue). Bigger earthquakes show as large excursions crossing several rows. Small events right after each fourth hour are caused by electrical interference from the camera that observes hot vent fauna at the Endeavour location.

For more information: Martin Heesemann, ONC staff scientist

Sign up for alerts via the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
Check for recent significant earthquakes in Canada

Ocean Networks Canada - EEWS

From Cosmos to Core: Wiring the Abyss Expedition 2018

Expansion of instruments: highlights

Using robots to observe marine life

Sampling the deep sea

Mapping the seafloor

Preparation leads to success

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Wiring the Abyss Leg 2: 23 July – 3 August 2018

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Data from Alaska’s Magnitude 7.9 Earthquake and Tsunami

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Earthquakes shed light on British Columbia’s early warning system

Early warning for Mexico’s magnitude 8.1 earthquake

British Columbia’s earthquake early warning system

Ucluelet’s M3.8 earthquake

Great British Columbia ShakeOut drill happens 19 October

RELATED STORIES

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Deployed: the first spike for British Columbia's earthquake early warning system

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ONC detects M6.1 earthquake near Haida Gwaii

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