Despite the usual complexity of working in the deep sea—with a global pandemic to boot—Ocean Networks Canada successfully maintained, upgraded and expanded hundreds of offshore, inshore and coastal ocean observing instruments and sensors this year. This interactive ESRI story map summarizes the year’s highlights and successes in advancing technology, science, community engagement and partnerships on all three of Canada’s coasts.

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ONC’s new researcher in residence program invites global researchers across basic and applied science to advance interdisciplinary research using our ocean observatory systems and 14 years of archived data. Craig Smith, from the University of Hawaii, is a researcher in residence at ONC until June 2020 where he will focus his research on benthic ecology using whale falls.

To celebrate the first anniversary of Ocean Networks Canada’s (ONC) home at the University of Victoria’s ocean-climate building at the Queenswood campus—which officially launched on 10 January 2019—we unveiled a stunning commissioned artwork by world-renowned Coast Salish artist Luke Marston. Born into a family of artists, Marston has been carving since he was a child. In 2015, Marston created a large bronze sculpture in Stanley Park commemorating the adventures of Gas Town pioneer Portuguese Joe Silvey and his Coast Salish family. Read more about the piece and get a behind-the-scenes look at Luke's work. 

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In August ONC hosted an international gathering of scientists to look at the oceanographic applications of high frequency radar. Participants travelled to Race Rocks, a Marine Protected Area at the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to visit one of ONC’s recently installed oceanographic radar. Click through to watch the video and learn more.

Ocean Networks Canada will receive a $7.2 million boost to advance its ocean observatory science and technology activities, the Canada Foundation for Innovation announced today.

On May 7, 2018, Ocean Networks Canada and EMSO ERIC signed an important new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Victoria, BC. The MoU formalises and further strengthens the already close collaborative relationship between ONC and EMSO ERIC at both the strategic and working level.

One of Ocean Networks Canada's goals as a Centre of Excellence is to strengthen domestic collaboration nationally. To meet this objective, in 2012 ONC’s Innovation Centre facilitated the creation of the Ocean Technology Alliance Canada (OTAC), linking Canada's regional associations to help grow the economic capacity of Canada’s ocean technology sector. In December 2016, OTAC was formally incorporated as a national association for the ocean technology sector. In August 2017, a new OTAC website was launched to take this Canada-wide blue economy collaboration to the next level.

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’s preliminary tsunami models for Barkley Sound and the City of Port Alberni were integrated into Emergency Management BC’s first ever full-scale earthquake and tsunami response exercise: Exercise Coastal Response in Port Alberni June 7 - 10.

Today, Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) completed installation of a community ocean observatory and two land-based high-frequency radar stations within Ts’msyen Territory at Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Similar observatories were installed at Kitamaat Village and Campbell River.

Visit the Prince Rupert Community Observatory.

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) installed a new community observatory at the Discovery Pier in Campbell River, within Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw and Coast Salish territories in the Strait of Georgia.

Now in its second year of funding, the Ocean Networks Canada Smart Ocean™ Systems initiative is making significant progress with plans to install new ocean monitoring stations along the B.C. coast as far north as Prince Rupert.

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Biofouling—unwanted marine growth on submerged instruments—can compromise in situ installations in ocean water by obscuring camera lenses, blocking lights, interfering with sensors and encrusting underwater structures. In 2014, AML Oceanographic Ltd. launched the industry’s first commercially available UV-based antifouling system, UV•Xchange, that protects virtually any submerged surface.