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salish sea

Jul 31, 2020

Endangered southern resident killer whales return to a quieter Salish Sea

Every year, Salish Sea residents eagerly await the return of the southern resident killer whales to their Summer feeding grounds. In late June, the orca community’s three extended family groups or pods were spotted off the coast of Vancouver Island. This year a total of 73 orcas—made up of J, K, and L pods—have returned to a quieter ocean due to the COVID-19 shutdown, and recent sightings suggest that a member of J pod is pregnant.

To find out more about these endangered social mammals and their future, we spoke to Ocean Networks Canada’s junior staff Scientist Kristen Kanes, who specializes in passive acoustics research methods to study at-risk cetaceans.
...

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Southern Resident Killer Whales | resident orcas | salish sea | Hydrophone | Kristen Kanes

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May 13, 2020

Do fish talk? An innovative experiment to study fish using sound and imaging
Apr 26, 2017

Saanich Inlet and the science of dead zones
Nov 28, 2016

A Tenth Anniversary Inshore Maintenance Cruise
Jun 1, 2016

Listening station to study impact of ship noise on whales
Sep 15, 2015

In the News: Reaching Blue's Victoria debut
Jun 6, 2014

Magnitude 6.6 Earthquake
Apr 24, 2014

Nov 28, 2016

Saanich Inlet and the science of dead zones

Saanich Inlet is one of the best-studied marine basins in the world. The combination of easy access and unusual features has attracted researchers to this glacially carved fjord since the 1930’s. A unique feature is the combination of geography, dense plankton populations, and deep water that is a natural “dead zone”—an area depleted in oxygen. Once a year, in the late summer or early fall, oxygen is restored. The result is a fascinating study area for biologists, chemists, and sedimentologists.

ONC installations in Saanich Inlet, BC

ONC installations in Saanich Inlet, British Columbia.

In June 2014, Ocean Networks Canada (...

Read more

hypoxia | saanich inlet | salish sea | Jeff Sorensen | dead zones | vertical profiling system | vertical profiler

Related Stories

New research explains why Saanich Inlet is good for the climate
Jul 31, 2020

Endangered southern resident killer whales return to a quieter Salish Sea
Jul 31, 2020

The extent of habitat compression and hypoxia in Saanich Inlet from the 2016 hypoxia cycle
Oct 28, 2016

A Tenth Anniversary Inshore Maintenance Cruise
Jun 1, 2016

A decade of discovery in Saanich Inlet
Feb 28, 2016

3D Cameras in the Ocean
Sep 20, 2014

What's the Deal with Flatfish?
Sep 19, 2014

Jun 1, 2016

A Tenth Anniversary Inshore Maintenance Cruise

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship John P. Tully in Saanich Inlet.

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship John P. Tully in Saanich Inlet.

Ocean Networks Canada's tenth annual expedition season began on 28 April 2016 with an 8-day cruise to maintain the ocean observing instrumentation and platforms in Saanich Inlet and the Strait of Georgia. The Canadian Coast Guard Ship John P. Tully and the ITB Subsea Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Oceanic Explorer supported the recovery, repair and deployment of seafloor installations and...

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Fraser | fraser delta | ddl | delta dynamics lab | Gwyn Lintern | river delta | strait of georgia | salish sea | venus | SLIP | Seismic Liquefaction In Situ Penetrometer | slumps | slope failure | slope stability | hypoxia | saanich inlet | forensics | pigs | csi | sfu | simon fraser university | gail anderson | decomposition | experiment | oxygen

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New research explains why Saanich Inlet is good for the climate
Jul 31, 2020

Endangered southern resident killer whales return to a quieter Salish Sea
Jul 31, 2020

Expedition 2019: Highlights Story Map
Nov 14, 2019

Oceans 2.0: An Internet of Things for the Ocean
Feb 9, 2018

Cool tech, hard science and daring innovation - Expedition 2017: Wiring the Abyss
Apr 27, 2017

Tumbling to success: delta dynamics laboratory becomes scientific highlight
Apr 24, 2017

Saanich Inlet and the science of dead zones
Nov 28, 2016

Jun 6, 2014

In the News: Reaching Blue's Victoria debut

On June 6 at UVic's Cinecenta, Ocean Networks Canada hosts the Victoria premiere of Reaching Blue, a documentary film on the health of the Salish Sea. This report by Scott Cunningham for CTV Vancouver Island News features ONC’s Kate Moran and the film’s producers, ONC’s Andy Robertson and Victoria filmmaker Ian Hinkle...

On June 10, Reaching Blue will be part of a World Ocean Day film screening at the Vancouver Public Library, followed by a conversation about the oceans. Presented in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation and Ocean Networks Canada.

Reaching Blue is...

Read more

reaching blue | salish sea

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Endangered southern resident killer whales return to a quieter Salish Sea
Jul 31, 2020

Saanich Inlet and the science of dead zones
Nov 28, 2016

A Tenth Anniversary Inshore Maintenance Cruise
Jun 1, 2016

Praise for "Reaching Blue" in Washington DC
Mar 30, 2015

World Oceans Day 2014 Celebrations
May 30, 2014

Maintaining the VENUS Observatory: March 2014 Expedition
Mar 7, 2014

Introduction to the Strait of Georgia
Aug 15, 2013

Mar 7, 2014

Maintaining the VENUS Observatory: March 2014 Expedition

Twice a year, the Ocean Networks Canada engineering and science teams head out to sea to service and maintain our coastal observatory in the Salish Sea.

Just west of the dock at the Institute of Ocean Sciences, the Saanich Inlet array lies in 100 m of water. Operating since 2006, this fjord network was the first comprehensive cabled ocean observatory in the world. A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is deployed from the deck of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship, John P. Tully and lowered to the bottom, where it can access and service the instrument suites connected to the network.

Research here includes benthic ecology, plankton dynamics, and monitoring complex seasonal biogeochemical cycles. At each station, VENUS maintains a standard...

Read more

salish sea | strait of georgia | venus | expedition | fraser delta | saanich inlet | Tully | maintenance | forensics

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Dec 1, 2020

New research explains why Saanich Inlet is good for the climate
Jul 31, 2020

Endangered southern resident killer whales return to a quieter Salish Sea
Jul 31, 2020

Sensors, science and sampling: March 2020 expedition highlights
Apr 8, 2020

Watch Live: Wiring the Abyss Expedition 10 – 24 September
Sep 6, 2019

Watch Live: Wiring the Abyss Leg 1, 7 – 21 May 2019
May 8, 2019

Collaborating to understand the central coast of British Columbia
Apr 11, 2018

Aug 15, 2013

Introduction to the Strait of Georgia

A rockfish at ONC's Strait of Georgia observatory.

Strait of Georgia at a Glance:

  • Region: Between southern Vancouver Island and the Fraser River Delta of B.C., in the southern portion of the Strait of Georgia, a major shipping route along the Pacific Northwest coast.
  • Instrument Platforms: 6 (3 at Central node and 3 at East node)
  • Depths:
    • Central node:...
Read more

venus | strait of georgia | Whales | salish sea | Acoustics | BC Ferries | VENUS Ferry System

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New research explains why Saanich Inlet is good for the climate
Jul 31, 2020

Endangered southern resident killer whales return to a quieter Salish Sea
Jul 31, 2020

Oceans 2.0: An Internet of Things for the Ocean
Feb 9, 2018

Do fish talk? An innovative experiment to study fish using sound and imaging
Apr 26, 2017

Collaborative stewardship for the Pacific coast
Mar 2, 2017

Saanich Inlet and the science of dead zones
Nov 28, 2016

Monitoring Saanich Inlet and the Strait of Georgia: Fall inshore expedition (2016)
Oct 31, 2016

Apr 27, 2013

Fraser Delta: a Dynamic Environment

River deltas are known for their dynamic nature. Most of the rivers naturally carry silt that eventually enters the ocean and settles at the bottom, continuously changing the shape of the seabed. Seasonal events, such as freshets - when glaciers’ snowmelt enters the river stream - are the time when the seafloor at deltas can change rapidly causing events called “slope failures” or “subsea landslides”.  Fraser River delta is one such location where subsea landslides occur regularly, in particular during the spring freshet season (May-June). Natural Resources Canada leads several research programs studying seafloor processes and conducts regular surveys of the delta area. 

...

Read more

Fraser | fraser delta | ddl | delta dynamics lab | Gwyn Lintern | river delta | strait of georgia | salish sea | venus | SLIP | Seismic Liquefaction In Situ Penetrometer | slumps | slppe failure | slope stability

Related Stories

New research explains why Saanich Inlet is good for the climate
Jul 31, 2020

Endangered southern resident killer whales return to a quieter Salish Sea
Jul 31, 2020

Expedition 2019: Highlights Story Map
Nov 14, 2019

Oceans 2.0: An Internet of Things for the Ocean
Feb 9, 2018

Cool tech, hard science and daring innovation - Expedition 2017: Wiring the Abyss
Apr 27, 2017

Tumbling to success: delta dynamics laboratory becomes scientific highlight
Apr 24, 2017

Saanich Inlet and the science of dead zones
Nov 28, 2016

Nov 13, 2012

Animated Surface Currents Data Product

24-hour CODAR data animation for Nov 8. 2012. Southern Strait of Georgia.

Another animated data product has been added to the VENUS data plots gallery.

This animated image depicts measurements of the surface ocean currents in the Strait of Georgia over a recent 24-hour period.

The currents are measured using a “CODAR” (Coastal Ocean Dynamics Applications Radar) system. The VENUS...

Read more

CODAR | surface currents | radar | vectors | strait of georgia | data products | salish sea

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Jul 31, 2020

Expedition 2019: Highlights Story Map
Nov 14, 2019

Real-time ocean current data for safe navigation
Oct 25, 2019

Real-time radar data spurs international gathering
Jul 26, 2017

Saanich Inlet and the science of dead zones
Nov 28, 2016

A Tenth Anniversary Inshore Maintenance Cruise
Jun 1, 2016

Observing Seasonal Marine Changes with BC Ferries
Apr 29, 2016

Sep 26, 2012

Saanich Inlet Hypoxia Paper Published

Saanich Inlet Digital Camera data

For a year, the VENUS camera photographed the same area of seafloor in Saanich Inlet. A recent paper examines the response of the benthic animals to changing levels of oxygen. Only a few species cope with hypoxia but the high numbers suggest that food availability and refuge from oxygen-starved predators is a good strategy for some. The research predicts marked changes on the continental shelf with growing “dead zones”.

... Read more

saanich inlet | salish sea | hypoxia | oxygen | low oxygen | benthic ecology

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New research explains why Saanich Inlet is good for the climate
Jul 31, 2020

Endangered southern resident killer whales return to a quieter Salish Sea
Jul 31, 2020

The cumulative effects of bottom trawling and low oxygen on marine life
Jan 30, 2017

Saanich Inlet and the science of dead zones
Nov 28, 2016

The extent of habitat compression and hypoxia in Saanich Inlet from the 2016 hypoxia cycle
Oct 28, 2016

A Tenth Anniversary Inshore Maintenance Cruise
Jun 1, 2016

A decade of discovery in Saanich Inlet
Feb 28, 2016

Jan 23, 2012

Internal Waves Near Fraser River Mouth

The VENUS observatory measures the tide and large surface waves with our pressure sensors, but internal waves also exist and can sometimes been seen in the inverted echo-sounder data. Here is a one hour record of the 200 kHz ZAP inverted echo-sounder data from the Delta Dynamics Laboratory (DDL) on 11 January 2012 (20:00 UTC). The train of solitary internal waves shows up as an undulating layer of scattering material in the upper 20m.

Internal waves are generated when an “internal” density interface is disturbed. The ocean is stratified in density, with dense sea-water always underlying less dense (lighter) sea-...

Read more

Fraser River | ddl | ZAP | Internal waves | waves | salish sea | density interface | flotsam | stratification

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Endangered southern resident killer whales return to a quieter Salish Sea
Jul 31, 2020

Expedition 2019: Highlights Story Map
Nov 14, 2019

Cool tech, hard science and daring innovation - Expedition 2017: Wiring the Abyss
Apr 27, 2017

Tumbling to success: delta dynamics laboratory becomes scientific highlight
Apr 24, 2017

Saanich Inlet and the science of dead zones
Nov 28, 2016

A Tenth Anniversary Inshore Maintenance Cruise
Jun 1, 2016

Newer, greater capacity for the Delta Dynamics Lab
Apr 28, 2015

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