Modern science is starting to take amateur scientists’ observations seriously. The impressive performance of over 500 citizen scientists who signed on for a study counting sablefish off the Tofino coast is heartening proof that we can all play a part in understanding the ocean, says one of the Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) scientists who co-authored the study.

Ocean exploration is as exciting and complex as traveling into outer space. It involves cool tech, hard science, daring innovation, and a large team of highly qualified personnel. And thanks to underwater cameras and telepresence technology, the public can participate in Ocean Networks Canada’s (ONC) quest to know the ocean. Starting on 28 April, Expedition 2017: Wiring the Abyss is ONC’s first major expedition of the year. This ten-day operation involves a team of 35 scientists, engineers, technicians, and data specialists who will live aboard the Canadian Coast Guard Vessel John P. Tully.

How do you study a moving wall of water and sediment the size of a truck traveling at 30 kilometers per hour? A paper about a spectacular Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) dataset was recently selected as one of science journal Sedimentology’s Top 10 articles of 2016, as an example showcasing “good practice, innovative approaches, and noteworthy advances of our science.” Congratulations to marine geoscientist Gwyn Lintern and colleagues from Natural Resources Canada who published this paper on the tumbling delta dynamics laboratory platform.

Ocean Networks Canada applauds the Government of Canada’s recent announcements to protect the Pacific coast. During a February visit to Vancouver, the Honourable Dominic Leblanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard announced a suite of initiatives to ensure that our Pacific coast remains healthy, prosperous and safe for generations.

2017 is a big year for Canada: not only is our pioneer nation celebrating its 150^th birthday, but the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is 20 years old this month. To celebrate this milestone and showcase the far-reaching impact of two decades of Canadian innovation, CFI gathered stories that show how research builds community—making it timely to highlight the international ocean community that has constellated around ONC's world-leading ocean science infrastructure.

With media coverage of the recent earthquakes in Italy, New Zealand, Japan, Papua New Guinea, you might be wondering whether earthquake activity is increasing. Long-term earthquake statistics in the last 12 months indicate that it was an average year: there were no earthquakes of M8.0 or higher (one M8.0+ is the annual average) and 19 earthquakes with M7.0 - 7.9 (17 is the annual average). When in doubt, turn to scientific facts, especially in the post-truth era.

A five-year, $46.6 million investment from the Canadian government—through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)—will ensure that Ocean Networks Canada continues to lead the world in ocean observatory science and technology.

In June 2014, ONC installed a cabled water column profiling system in Saanich Inlet. The inshore profiling system consists of a surface buoy equipped with a meteorological station and a winch used to raise and lower an underwater instrument package through the water column. This year, University of Victoria postdoctoral researcher Jeff Sorensen is leading a project to study how the chemistry of the Saanich inlet changes over the course of a year.

Guest post by Dr. Jackson Chu, Post doctoral fellow, Fisheries and Oceans, Canada

How do you determine when a system has become oxygen deficient, or hypoxic, for the species in our marine ecosystems? Part of the answer comes from mapping where species are found in their habitat and then repeatedly mapping their habitat under changing oxygen conditions.

Ocean Networks Canada visiting scientist Pere Puig is a marine geologist whose expertise in deep sea sediment dynamics is contributing to our growing understanding of the importance of submarine canyons. And, as the grandson of a shrimp fisherman in northern Spain, Pere’s research is also having a direct influence on Mediterranean fishing practices.

In late summer 2016, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut found itself at the centre of an arctic crossroads of sorts: a pivotal meeting place where ice-bound history is melting into climate science. A week after the first luxury cruise ship sailed through a virtually ice-free Northwest Passage and anchored in Cambridge Bay, the wreck of Franklin’s ship The Terror was finally discovered just 200 km east. The coincidence in time and place of these two iconic voyages poignantly highlights how quickly the arctic climate is changing, the need to monitor these changes, and the growing importance of Cambridge Bay as an emerging arctic hub.

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Congratulations to Dr. Kelin Wang for being elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), an honour provided to only 0.1% of AGU’s 62,000 plus members. Kelin and his students are studying the geodynamics of subduction zones, especially processes related to the generation of large earthquakes and tsunamis around the world. His models for earthquakes inform building codes, risk assessments, and tsunami preparedness along the Pacific coast of North America. This work is relevant to the tsunami research being done at Ocean Networks Canada (ONC).

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. 

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.