Coastal communities are facing a variety of rapid environmental changes. Real-time data from cabled observatories can be used by community members to make informed decisions about their coastal and marine resources. In March 2016, ONC continued to push the innovation envelope by deploying three community observatories along the British Columbia coast: in Campbell River, Kitamaat Village, and Prince Rupert. After a year in operation, this first anniversary review celebrates the successes, challenges, and future for ONC’s community observatories.

For International Women’s Day, we celebrate two powerful ocean leaders who stand on guard for the sea on Canada's east and west coasts. On the Pacific coast, ONC CEO Dr. Kate Moran (left) is an internationally renowned ocean engineer who has led several major oceanographic expeditions. And on the Atlantic coast, Dr. Wendy Watson-Wright is CEO of Dalhousie University's brand new Ocean Frontier Institute. Dr. Watson-Wright brings 25 years of experience in the marine scientific research community including serving as Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s assistant deputy minister of science. This dynamic duo are leading the way for global ocean research and stewardship.

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) applauds the Government of Canada for putting the ocean at the top of its agenda.

Yesterday, 7 November 2016, the Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $1.5 billion national Oceans Protection Plan that outlines measures to implement world-leading ocean safety and monitoring systems and strengthen engagement with Indigenous and coastal communities. This historic initiative will protect Canada’s ocean and coastal ecosystems for generations to come.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is providing Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) with more than half a million dollars to organize its Pacific fisheries science, marine mammal and ocean data. This pilot project will use ONC’s powerful data management system, Oceans 2.0, to support science and make DFO data more open, accessible and user-friendly for their decision-making stakeholders, academia and Canadians. Oceans 2.0 is recognized by the International Council for Science as part of the World Data System.

An investment of $577,000 has been made by CANARIE to enhance access to and processing of big data collected by Ocean Networks Canada (ONC). ONC’s cabled ocean observatories support hundreds of underwater and on-land sensors that generate a huge volume of continuous, high-resolution data about the ocean.

As shrinking sea ice ushers in a new era for arctic tourism, Ocean Networks Canada’s (ONC) newly expanded Cambridge Bay observatory becomes a vital tool for monitoring ocean health and marine safety.

A small ONC team was in Cambridge Bay from 21-28 August, maintaining and upgrading the observatory and building relationships with the community. Stay tuned for an update on the recently expanded Arctic Ocean monitoring system.

Ocean Networks Canada’s (ONC) Expedition 2016: Wiring the Abyss returned to port on June 25 after 40 days at sea off the west coast of Canada. This ambitious undertaking involved 149 people aboard three ships, and included three remotely operated vehicles (ROV) making 44 dives to deploy, maintain and recover 180 instruments and lay 18 km of fibre-optic cable. The dynamic 24/7 operations engaged viewers across the world via live stream and featured regular Q&A with scientists, educators and engineers. 

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) is partnering with researchers and organizations to add critical ocean sensors from sea to sky.

ONC staff visit Prince Rupert for the 38th annual Seafest.

The first leg of Ocean Networks Canada’s 2016 offshore Wiring the Abyss expedition was a landmark success, a fitting tribute to the organization’s tenth anniversary. Round-the-clock ship operations were conducted at four of the five NEPTUNE node locations aboard the exploration vessel E/V Nautilus. The C/S Wave Venture conducted joint cable operations with the Nautilus from 12-27 May at three node locations. Both ships mobilized at the Victoria Ogden Point facility.

The experiment includes three packages: one contained three rib sections of a humpback whale (stranded in Alaska several years back); another contained a block of Douglas Fir; and a third contained a large piece of carbonate collected from a methane seep located off the coast of California. 

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Check out the events Ocean Networks Canada is participating in and join us for Expedition 2016: Wiring the Abyss! We invite you to get to #knowtheocean.

Kelly Carignan and Matthew Love introduce their Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of US coastal regions. DEMs are a vital tool in tsunami forecasting and water level inundation modelling.

Mia Otokiak, ONC's new Arctic Youth Ambassador, will be working on community engagement in the Arctic.