Ocean Networks Canada - rov

Expedition 2019: Highlights Story Map

duncanlowrie@uvic.ca — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 19:36:10 +0000

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Science Machines: a pilot project to empower girls with science tools

kshoemak@uvic.ca — Thu, 10 May 2018 17:33:56 +0000

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has been supporting research in Canada for more than 20 years by providing scientists with state-of-the-art gear and facilities. The University of Victoria and Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) were recently involved in a new initiative that aims to get Canadian girls excited about science by introducing them to the amazing CFI-funded machines used to explore our world.

On 7 April, as part of the CFI’s Science Machines pilot initiative, ONC hosted a hands-on workshop with a local Girl Guide troupe to build their own miniature underwater robots, while learning how ONC uses remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to install and maintain its ocean observatories (Figure 1).

Figure 1. The Girl Guides create their own underwater robots, which included learning how to solder and use a drill.

CFI Communications Director Elizabeth Shilts (Figure 2) traveled from Ottawa to participate in the day-long workshop; so, ONC took the opportunity to ask Elizabeth about the story behind the Science Machines project.

Figure 2. CFI communications director Elizabeth Shilts explains to the Girl Guides how CFI supports science by providing research, laboratories, and equipment.

ONC: What is the goal of Science Machines?

Elizabeth Shilts: Science Machines is a pilot initiative developed by the CFI to get Canadian girls excited about science by introducing them to the amazing machines we use to explore our world. The intent of this project is to provide opportunities for Girl Guide groups to learn more about research machines and labs—and the people who run them.

ONC: Why is the Science Machines initiative important to the CFI?

Elizabeth Shilts: The CFI has supported researchers in Canada for more than 20 years. This means that a whole generation of bright minds have had the opportunity to advance their work using state-of-the-art labs, equipment, and facilities. The CFI wants to make sure that the next generation of researchers have what they need to turn their ideas into discoveries and innovations that will change the world. We see Science Machines as a way to not only raise awareness at an early age about the value of the CFI, but also to show young people how critical it is for researchers to have the right tools at hand to do their work.

ONC: Tell us about the day you spent with the Girl Guide troupe.

Elizabeth Shilts: My intention was to see how the program was being run and to get a sense of how engaged the Girl Guides were in the activity since this would help us evaluate the value of the pilot. I was inspired to see how this group of talented girls were so enthusiastic and attentive to the instruction. The ONC leaders engaged the girls from the minute they arrived, and kept them engaged the whole day (Figure 3). Everyone seemed to be having so much fun learning.

Figure 3. The women in STEM behind the Science Machines pilot: Maia Hoeberechts, ONC associate director, user services; Elizabeth Shilts, CFI communications director; and Monika Pelz, ONC education and engagement coordinator.

ONC: What surprised you about the experience?

Elizabeth Shilts: I was surprised how every one of the girls took turns trying their hand at each part of the project, whether it was soldering circuit boards, drilling holes and cutting pipes, or assembling the final product. In the process, they realized it wasn’t as hard as they imagined. I saw first-hand the true value of hands-on learning.

ONC: Did the Science Machines pilot project fulfill your expectations?

Elizabeth Shilts: The ROV program was one of three Science Machines pilots that took place at the University of Victoria in 2018. Earlier in the year, we hosted a Girl Guides session on stem cells, our body’s “supercells”, and another session investigated samples with advanced microscopes to “reveal the invisible”. Based on my first-hand observation of the ROV program, the enthusiasm of the girls and Pathfinder leaders, along with the positive response from the Minister, suggests to me that the pilot has been a success (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Girl Guides Josie Zemanek (left) and Naomi Schoeck (right) showcased their mini-ROV’s to the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science (centre) during a recent visit to Victoria.

ONC: What's next for the Science Machines initiative?

Elizabeth Shilts: We will be reviewing feedback from all three Science Machines sessions to determine how best to proceed with the program starting in the new school year. Ultimately, we would like to expand the program to other CFI-funded universities and colleges. We will also work with Girl Guides Canada to help us determine the best next steps for moving forward.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to the University of Victoria and ONC for participating in our pilot and to the great group of Pathfinders and leaders who participated!

ONC: Thank you Elizabeth! We look forward to hearing what’s next for the Science Machines project.

At UVic in advance of major funding announcement:? Naomi Schoeck (12, grade 7/Arbutus) & Josie Zemanek (14, grade 9/Claremont secondary) built these working ROV sea perch models with @Ocean_Networks and open source technology pic.twitter.com/FPML3efAxZ
— Saanich News (@saanichnews) April 11, 2018

ONC’s ROV program evolved out of an earlier youth engineering initiative ⎯GROOVE (Girls Remotely Operated Ocean Vehicle Exploration)⎯in collaboration with St. Margaret’s School. Funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada in 2017, this hands-on learning program was developed to provide experience and education to underrepresented populations.

Thompson Expedition Summary: June 2013

dwowens@uvic.ca — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 07:00:00 +0000

We are back in the office after nearly 3 weeks at sea aboard the University of Washington’s R/V Thompson. The team followed the Operations Plan that was set out over the last 6 months and achieved most of the planned goals. The weather co-operated perfectly for dive operations, resulting in no weather downtime. The remotely operated vehicle (ROV) crew ensured that there was as little vehicle downtime as possible and was quick to resolve any problems subsea and on deck.

Here is a summary of what was accomplished on the NEPTUNE Canada June 6-26 Installation/Maintenance Expedition aboard the R/V Thompson with the Oceaneering Millennium ROV.

By the Numbers

20 days
19 dives
9 visiting scientists and engineers
8 ROV and navigation crew members
4 guest staff on the communications team
14 Ocean Networks Canada staff
10 connected instruments deployed and 4 recovered, plus several autonomous instruments deployed.

Endeavour

Mothra

We completed 10 dives focussed on laying the Mothra-Midpoint cable. The first 3 were cut short due to vehicle hydraulic issues. The Oceaneering Team had only 4 weeks prior to shipment for design and manufacturing of the cable laying system. With input from Ocean Networks Canada, we devised a system that straps the cable spooling device under the ROV cage. Unfortunately, the cable lay was ultimately unsuccessful due to issues with mating the hydraulic connector between the ROV cage and the cable laying system. We retrieved the Mothra cable spool and cable laying system for further investigation on shore.
4 push core sediment samples.
Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) rosette.

Endeavour North (a.k.a. RCM North)

We attempted to remediate last summer’s failure at the Endeavour North site. We tested the junction box (JB-08) with a spare and troubleshot connectivity at the node port. Replacing the junction box did not alleviate the failure and the node appears uncompromised, implying a failure in the cable system. Testing at the Node also suggested that the existing Mothra Node-Midpoint cable is also compromised.

Main Endeavour Field

Successful deployment of a 600 kHz Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), Benthic and Resistivity Sensors (BARS), Tempo-mini, temperature loggers, Remote Access water Sampler (RAS) and calibration with gas tight water samples for RAS and BARS.
Detailed photogrammetric survey of Grotto for 3D reconstruction.
Tubeworm sampling.
CTD rosette.

Cascadia Basin (formerly ODP 1027)

Replaced existing Seabird Microcat for a CTD with oxygen sensor.
Deployed a 75 kHz Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP).
Deployed a low-frequency hydrophone.
Deployed a Bottom Pressure Recorder (BPR) experiment including 3 pressure sensors.

Clayoquot Slope (formerly ODP 889)

Recovered the Controlled-Source Electro-Magnetic (CSEM) experiment transmitter and receivers.
Conducted a visual inspection of the SCIMPI (Simply Cabled Instrument Measuring Parameters Insitu) and SHRIMPI (SHoRt Instrument Modular Probe Installation) instruments, and recovered SHRIMPI.
Visual inspection of gas venting site at Clayoquot Slope.
Water sampling (CTD rosette) directly over gas venting site at Clayoquot Slope.

Science

Opportunistic organism sampling.
Opportunistic rock sampling.
Extensive multibeam sonar survey over the Endeavour segment of the Juan de Fuca ridge.

Tully Leg 2 Summary: May 2013

dwowens@uvic.ca — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000

That’s a wrap!

The evening of May 22, 2013 is fair and sunny. The seas are calm, and the atmosphere on board is cheerful. This afternoon, we finished the last tasks on the NEPTUNE Canada portion of the Ocean Networks Canada Installation and maintenance cruise. We are on the long transit back to Saanich Inlet to continue the last 2 days of work on the VENUS network. Thanks to the Tully crew and the ROV crew, along with all the cruise participants for making the operations a success!

Here is a summary of what was accomplished in the last 13 days during our maintenance of NEPTUNE’s platforms and instruments:

By the numbers

13 Days
18 Dives
6 ROV pilots, 23 Tully crew, 14 Science party participants
6 Instrument Platforms maintained and redeployed
42 CTD rosettes
61 new and existing instruments affected by maintenance activities

Barkley Canyon

POD 1 (Canyon Axis)

A new camera with a Ti pan and tilt was deployed on a tripod away from the platform.
Cable for Nortek HR-Profiler was changed from 15m to ~10 m to mitigate data transmission issues.

POD 2 (Upper Slope)

A new high-frequency hydrophone was deployed at a maximum feasible distance away from acoustic instruments at Upper Slope.
Sediment trap samples were retrieved, trap was reset and redeployed
A new camera with a Ti pan and tilt was deployed, replacing the camera with “tunnel vision” and aluminum pan and tilt. An issue with the junction box arose which prevents the P&T on the camera to be used. Camera is in a fixed position, pointing approximately 45 degrees to the seafloor.
INDEEP experiment deployed out of the fixed field of view of the camera.

Upper Slope Platform

A Seabird 16+ CTD with oxygen on a tripod away from the instrument platform replaces Microcat.
The vertical profiling system platform was recovered.

POD4 (Canyon mid-east)

Imagenex sonar retrieved due to power supply noise issue.
A Seabird 16+ CTD with oxygen on a tripod away from the instrument platform replaces a
Seabird 16+ with fluorometer and oxygen sensors on the platform.
POD4 camera under platform was removed and replaced by POD3 camera (see below).

POD 3 (Canyon mid-west):

Sediment trap samples were retrieved, trap was reset and redeployed.
Replace Kongsberg rotary sonar for seal maintenance.
The POD1 camera with a new Ti P&T was deployed on a tripod away from the platform. Note that a new camera was intended for this site, but due to an electrical issue with the lasers, the POD1 camera was redeployed at POD3 instead.
Recover the plankton pump. On inspection on the deck, it was discovered that the instrument did not sample as planned.
Cable for Nortek HR-Profiler was changed from 15m to ~10m to mitigate data transmission issues

Barkley Hydrates:

A Seabird 16+ CTD with oxygen on an underwater mateable connector was deployed.
A Kongsberg rotary sonar on a tripod for tracking Wally and imaging hydrate mounds was deployed.
A 2nd tripod was deployed for later instrument connection.

Folger Passage

Folger Deep

A Seabird 16+ CTD with oxygen on an underwater mateable connector was deployed in addition to the Aanderaa optode at the same location.
A new HF hydrophone was deployed replacing the existing hydrophone. RDI 300kHz ADCP replaced on the platform.

Folger Pinnacle

Survey of Folger Pinnacle cable

Science Operations

Sonar surveys for venting and subseafloor structure
Effingham Inlet ROV visual survey
CTD casts for understanding oxygen pathways on the shelf
Tully Canyon ROV visual survey
Visual surveys to characterize surrounding environment for video cameras at PODS 1, 2, 3
Visual transect from POD 1 Canyon Axis to Barkley Hydrates along cable route
Barkley Hydrates “Coral Cliff” ROV visual survey
Opportunistic organism sampling

Tully Leg 1 Summary: Apr-May 2013

dwowens@uvic.ca — Fri, 10 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Today marked the end of Leg 1 - servicing installations in the Salish Sea - wrapped up after a successful 10 days of operations. At 09:00 the newly arrived leg 2 crew stood in the sun on dock with the happy, but tired, leg 1 crew. We began loading our gear and instruments right away with the ship's crane and finished at 14:00. It took us until evening to rearrange it like a giant block puzzle and tie it all down. All those hours playing TETRIS finally paid off.

The CanPac ROV Team spent the day conducting maintenance on the Remotely Operated Vehicle and working through the various tooling required for leg 2.

The big event of the day was the installation and configuration of the satellite system which will enable high bandwidth communication for leg 2. We began in the morning by setting up network equipment in anticipation of the satellite system's arrival. The frame finally arrived on the dock at 13:30 enabling the pedestal, dish and ISO connectors to be installed. The entire assembly was hoisted onto the CanPac Divers containers on the aft deck at 16:15 with most of the science crew outside watching.

Cable runs and terminations were completed by 18:30 and the system was powered up. Calibrations, verifications and network testing continued for several more hours. Testing included clockwise and counter-clockwise spin tests with the Tully, a.k.a. doing donuts in Pat Bay. The spin tests confirmed we have a 15 degree dead zone facing the ship's mast. The system is now functioning (enabling us to send you this log), but requires a few tweaks in the morning to get the streaming video online. We have two VoIP phones with Houston area codes, but don't expect a Texas accent when you call, and saying "Houston, we have a problem!" is not funny to us.

The satellite technicians from Oceaneering, Hung Phan and Gary Cheramie, along with Ocean Networks Canada's Nic Scott were transferred to shore after a long, but ultimately successful, day of system setup. We are currently underway to Barkley Canyon Upper Slope, looking forward to our first day of offshore operations tomorrow.

Here is a brief summary of the accomplishments during the maintenance of the VENUS installations:

By the numbers

13 Days
28 Dives
5 ROV Pilots
23 Tully crew
23 Science party participants (full and part-time)
3 CTD Rosette casts
12 cabled platforms serviced and 11 re-deployed
3 autonomous moorings serviced: two recovered, one redeployed
2 extension cables laid and connected to service Fraser River Delta Site
76 instruments serviced during the leg

Saanich Inlet

Bottom Boundary Layer (BBL) Platform recovered
DISCo Digital Stills Camera System recovered
HD Forensics Camera: Recovered and redeployed
MicroSquid Benthic Oxygen Flux Platform – recovered and redeployed (twice) Autonomous Sill Mooring - redeployed

Strait of Georgia – Central

Bottom Boundary Layer Platform deployed
Autonomous CTD & DO mooring recovered

Strait of Georgia – East

Delta Extension Cable (south) end found and connected
IOS Hydrophone Array deployed
ONCCEE Hydrophone Array deployed
Autonomous CTD & DO mooring recovered

Strait of Georgia – Delta

Delta Extension Cable (north) end found and connected to Delta Node
Delta Node deployed
Delta Dynamics Laboratory (DDL) cable laid
DDL Platform deployed
ONCCEE Hydrophone Array deployed
Seismic Liquefaction In situ Penetrometer (SLIP) deployed

Science activities

Sonar surveys of Howe Sound
Sonar Surveys of Delta Slope
ROV transect survey from Saanich Inlet into Patricia Bay
3 ROV transect surveys of Saanich Inlet cliffs in the Squally Reach area

Strait of Georgia Array Online

rlat@uvic.ca — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 08:00:00 +0000

After several months of “silence”, our instruments in the Strait of Georgia are alive again, with data streaming into the database, and out to users via the website.

According to Paul Macoun, “it was a short and intense cruise aboard the Oceanic Surveyor”. A small team of two from Ocean Networks Canada, and the crew of the Remotely Operated Vehicle Oceanic Explorer reinstalled instrument platforms at the Central and Eastern nodes in the Strait, and recovered three experiments from Saanich Inlet.

In the Spotlight

rlat@uvic.ca — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000

A Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) has just re-deployed a seafloor camera to Saanich Inlet following maintenance. To continue the year-long observations of animal behaviour, the camera must be positioned exactly. While the ROV pilots align the camera with the scales on the seafloor, an observer on shore is examining the positioning and sending final instructions on alignment.

Endeavour Hot Vents Featured in State of the Ocean Series

rlat@uvic.ca — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Many of these images have been captured during NEPTUNE’s semi-annual maintenance cruises by the deep sea remotely operated vehicles such as ROPOS, owned and operated by the Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility (CSSF).

Ocean Networks Canada - rov

Expedition 2019: Highlights Story Map

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Science Machines: a pilot project to empower girls with science tools

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Thompson Expedition Summary: June 2013

By the Numbers

Endeavour

Mothra

Endeavour North (a.k.a. RCM North)

Main Endeavour Field

Cascadia Basin (formerly ODP 1027)

Clayoquot Slope (formerly ODP 889)

Science

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Tully Leg 2 Summary: May 2013

That’s a wrap!

By the numbers

Barkley Canyon

Upper Slope Platform

POD4 (Canyon mid-east)

POD 3 (Canyon mid-west):

Barkley Hydrates:

Folger Passage

Folger Deep

Folger Pinnacle

Science Operations

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Tully Leg 1 Summary: Apr-May 2013

By the numbers

Saanich Inlet

Strait of Georgia – Central

Strait of Georgia – East

Strait of Georgia – Delta

Science activities

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Strait of Georgia Array Online

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In the Spotlight

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Endeavour Hot Vents Featured in State of the Ocean Series

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