ONC Spring Expedition 2015 – March 28 to April 2 at the Strait of Georgia Observatory

One of the major goals of this spring expedition was to lay one kilometre of new fibre optic cable at the Delta Dynamics Lab (DDL) as the original copper-based wire had reached maximum capacity for data transfer. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has been working with DDL data since 2008 and also providing ship time for one expedition per year on the coastal observatory to assist with ONC’s science projects.

Highlightng this spring's expedition: the new DDL extension cable awaits installation.

Gwyn Lintern, marine geoscientist with NRCan’s Geological Survey of Canada in Sidney, B.C., knows well that slope failures are notoriously difficult to measure and require very high bandwidths for long periods of time.

“By using the new ONC cable, we now have high bandwidth capabilities,” says Dr. Lintern, “and we’ve become one of very few organizations worldwide capable of measuring underwater live underwater mass sediment transport events. This new fibre optic cable will allow greater capacity to transmit data from our Delta Dynamics Lab, through ONC to the NRCan offices.”

The ongoing long-term studies of shifting sediments at the mouth of the Fraser River continue to inform scientists’ understanding of underwater landslides and their effect on BC’s coastal waterways and communities. NRCan has published numerous scientific papers, using the data collected over the ONC network, on subjects such as delta sedimentation patterns and slope stability.

Read more about NRCan activities at the DDL: Connecting with the Strait of Georgia (Lintern et. al. 2008)

 Related stories:

• Fraser Delta: a dynamic environment
• Delta Dynamic Laboratory Lost and Found
• Spring Expediton 2015: ONC heads back to sea