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Research Highlights
- Phase II - Full Speed Ahead 5-Aug-2011CODAR - Coastal Radar The installation of the first Coastal Radar (CODAR) station at Westshore Terminals, south of Vancouver, is well underway. When complete, in September, radial surface velocity data will be available through the VENUS website. The...
- VENUS Featured in Ocean News & Technology Annual Update 4-Jul-2011In June 2011 issue, Ocean News & Technology presented annual update on major ocean observing projects and initiatives that are taking place in different parts of the world. VENUS Phase II - Expansion was featured as part of the update. Full story is av...
- CODAR (Coastal Radar) Transponder 16-May-2011VENUS team members assemble a portable transponder in April 2011 at the Roberts Bank coal terminal in Tsawwassen. The transponder was used to map the antenna pattern of the planned "CODAR" (coastal radar) installation in a 1 km circle around the antenna...
- CODAR Radial Velocity Map in the Strait of Georgia 18-Apr-2011During the week of April 12th, the VENUS Engineering team tested several locations for CODAR antennae installation. This week's Image of the Week shows the radial coverage pattern from one of the proposed sites: Westshore Terminals, site 2. Ultimat...
- VENUS Phase II 26-Jan-2011Several projects have begun to take shape as part of the VENUS Phase II. Our current activities for Saanich Inlet centre on the profiling system. The former CTD Station SI-6, located 4 km south of the VENUS Node, was selected through consultations wi...
- VENUS Phase II: Geospatial Observing Systems 9-Dec-2010Now that the cabled infrastructure on the seabed is well established and robust, the VENUS Facility is entering a new growth phase following a successful grant award through the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Over the next 4 years VENUS will grow: A...
- Strait of Georgia Central Node Pod Recovered for Upgrades 10-Sep-2010The Strait of Georgia Central Node Pod was successfully recovered on August 28 using the Oceanic Explorer ROV. The Node Pod contains all the Node controllers and network switches. The upgrades will bring the internal workings of the Node up to the latest ...
- State of the Ocean 2009. VENUS perspective 28-Apr-2010Every year, DFO hosts an assessment of the “State of the Ocean”. Click here for the VENUS perspective in 2009....
- Decomposition in the Ocean 22-Feb-2010By Dr. Gail Anderson, (SFU School of Criminology) The decomposition of a body on land has been well researched and insect colonization patterns and rates are frequently used in homicide investigations to estimate elapsed time since death. However, very...
- Decomposition and Invertebrate Colonization of Cadavers in Coastal Marine Environments 1-Jan-2010Anderson, G. 2010. Decomposition and Invertebrate Colonization of Cadavers in Coastal Marine Environments. In Amendt, J.; Goff, M.L.; Campobasso, C.P.; Grassberger, M. (Eds.) 2009. Current Concepts in Forensic Entomology Approx. 350 p., Hardcover ISBN: 97...
- Groundfish overfishing, diatom decline and the marine silica cycle – Lessons from Saanich Inlet, Canada and the Baltic Sea cod crash 10-Sep-2009How can a small flatfish in Saanich Inlet help us understand the destabilization of an ecosystem in northern Europe? A new publication from VENUS research draws an unlikely connection between two distal coastal seas. Timor Katz is a PhD student at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem working with collaborators in Israel, Canada and the US to examine what happens when the “slender sole” flaps around in Saanich Inlet sediments. When groundfish resuspend sediment into the water during burying or feeding, dissolved silica is released – they measured three times the amount of silica in sediment clouds compared to clear bottom water. The inspired leap made by Timor, however, was to look at what happened elsewhere when groundfish stocks were destroyed by overfishing. In the Baltic Sea, cod – a bottom forager – were nearly eliminated in the mid 1980s. Coincidentally, diatom production diminished by 25%. Katz et al, (in press) propose that the loss of cod greatly reduced the amount of dissolved silica available for diatoms to construct their cell walls. Neither cod nor diatom populations have yet recovered.
- Groundfish overfishing, diatoms decline and the marine silica cycle – Lessons from the Baltic Sea cod crash and Saanich Inlet 1-Sep-2009Katz, T., G. Yahel, R. Yahel, V. Tunnicliffe, B. Herut, P. Snelgrove, J. Crusius and B. Lazar. 2009. Groundfish overfishing, diatoms decline and the marine silica cycle – Lessons from the Baltic Sea cod crash and Saanich Inlet. Global Biogeochemical Cyc...
- Salmon and eulachon in ecosystem space and time: a plea for wider collaboration and data integration 1-Aug-2009Haggan, N., Jackson, G.D., and Lacroix, P. 2009. Salmon and eulachon in ecosystem space and time: a plea for wider collaboration and data integration. In: Challenges for diadromous fishes in a dynamic global environment. Edited by R. Cunjak, M. Dadswell, ...
- VENUS about to grow with new funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation 22-Jun-2009We have just heard that the first part of an $11M request is granted. Last fall, forty-two scientists contributed to a new grant proposal to the Canada Foundation for Innovation with a companion submission for matching funds to the BC Knowledge Developmen...
- The VENUS Ocean Cabled Observatory 1-Jun-2009Dewey, R. 2009. The VENUS Ocean Cabled Observatory. CMOS Bulletin. Vol. 37, No. 3. Pages 77-82. Click here for paper. ...
- State of the Ocean 2008. VENUS perspective 1-Feb-2009In February 2009 DFO at IOS hosted the tenth annual assessment of the “State of the Ocean: 2008”. Across the board, scientists were reporting that 2008 was a cool year, from Oregon to Alaska, through Strait of Georgia and into the interior. This is clearly visible in our 3 years of data from Saanich Inlet (image file is in the email called “Stuff”), that supports the trend of 2007 being quite typical, 2006 quite warm, and 2008 coming in as a relatively cool year. More details about the State of the Ocean initiative are available at http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/CSAS/Csas/Publications/SAR-AS/2009/2009_030_e.htm.
- Fish activity: a major mechanism for sediment resuspension and organic matter remineralization in coastal marine sediments 9-Dec-2008Yahel G., Yahel R., Katz T., Lazar B., Herut B., Tunnicliffe V. 2008. Fish activity: a major mechanism for sediment resuspension and organic matter remineralization in coastal marine sediments, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 372: 195–209, doi: 10.3354/...
- Denitrification and Oxygen Cycling in Saanich Inlet 1-Dec-2008A poster presentation at the Fall AGU meeting in San Francisco in December 2008 was made describing recent water column measurements in Saanich Inlet, including observations from the VENUS Observatory. Summarized below in some of the poster sections are evidence for deep water renewal, tied to periods of weak neap tides, and Oxygen and Nitrogen cycling. Conclusions highlight that four distinct renewal events were captured in the fall of 2008, biogenic N2 was isotopically heavy, and the upward flux of N2 due to internal mixing requires a denitrification rate of 30 nmol/kg/day.
- Fish activity: a major mechanism for sediment resuspension and organic matter remineralization in coastal marine sediments 1-Dec-2008We quantify sediment resuspension due to groundfish activity in a partly anoxic basin using acoustic backscatter sensors, transmissometers, and remotely operated cameras on stationary and mobile platforms. Where these fish were present, a distinct benthic nepheloid layer (BNL) developed despite minimal bottom currents (<10 cm s–1). In contrast, water clarity was markedly higher over the adjacent anoxic and fishless zone. Sediment resuspension events, mostly by flatfish, occurred at a rate of >100 disturbances m–2 d–1 resulting in complete surface reworking every 2.5 d and a daily resuspension of 1.3 ± 0.7 l bulk sediment m–2 d–1.
- Event Detection in Zooplankton Acoustic Profiler Data 1-Oct-2008Spatio-temporal data is ubiquitous-everything evolves with time-be it stock market prices of a stock or the political ideology of a community. Such data tend to occur not just in traditional sciences but also in Social and Political Sciences. The advent of Global Positioning Systems and Transport GIS (TGIS) fuelled a need for understanding the spatio-temporal aspects of the data in data-mining techniques. Radio-tracked taxicabs and wildlife tracking are fine examples of the above. Geo-marketing, as in marketing to a specific set of consumers (cell phone users as an example) based on their spatio-temporal behavior is already catching on; telecommunication companies are expanding their networks based on such data.
- Power delivery to Subsea Cabled Observatories 15-Sep-2008Woodroffe, A., Wrinch, M., Pridie, S. 2008. Power delivery to Subsea Cabled Observatories. Proc. Oceans 2008 – MTS/IEEE Quebec Techno-Ocean. pp6. DOI: 10.1109/OCEANS.2008.5151906. Click here for paper....
- Design and operation of a multi node cabled observatory 15-Sep-2008Woodroffe, A., Round, A. 2008. Design and operation of a multi node cabled observatory. Proc. Oceans 2008 – MTS/IEEE Quebec Techno-Ocean. pp.5. DOI: 10.1109/OCEANS.2008.5151905. Click here for paper....
- An Automated Video Event Detection for Cabled Observatory Video 15-Sep-2008Cline, D.E., Edington, D.R., Mariette, J. 2007. An Automated Video Event Detection for Cabled Observatory Video. Proc. Oceans 2008 – MTS/IEEE Quebec Techno-Ocean. pp5. DOI: 10.1109/OCEANS.2007.4449253. Click here for paper....
- VENUS Tests New Broadband Inverted Echo-Sounder 1-Jun-2008The VENUS cabled observatory is an innovative facility that can support a wide variety of instruments. Since the Saanich Inlet array was installed in February 2006, there have been many different instruments deployed and connected to the sub-sea infrastructure. Many of these instruments will be permanent and generate long time series for a range of research including process oriented studies, the detection of short and seasonal variations, and over time, climatic shifts or trends. The facility can also support user provided instruments for short and long-term studies, and instrument testing. Our latest addition is a broadband echo-sounder, similar to our Zooplankton Acoustic Profiler (ZAP).
- Major advances in cabled ocean observatories 27-May-2008Tunnicliffe, V., C. R. Barnes, R. Dewey. 2008. Major advances in cabled ocean observatories (VENUS and NEPTUNE Canada) in coastal and deep sea settings. Proc. US/EU-Baltic International Symposium, 2008 IEEE/OES, 7 pp., DOI: 10.1109/BALTIC.2008.4625496. C...
- Using the VENUS underwater network to assess condition leading to slope failures 24-May-2008Lintern, G., Hill P.R, Conway K. 2008. Using the VENUS underwater network to assess condition leading to slope failures. IN Proceedings of the IVth Canadian Conference on Geohazards: From Causes to Management. J. Locat et al. (eds), Presse de l’Universi...
- Using the VENUS Underwater Network to Assess Conditions Leading to Slope Failures 1-May-2008Failures on the Fraser Delta, British Columbia, have been attributed to a number of natural and human induced processes. Each of these processes occurs at a different time scale, from infrequent seismic events (earthquakes) to daily tidal processes. At least seven different hypotheses have been put forward over the past 40 years, yet despite several ship-based attempts no failures have been directly measured (rather they have been seen in repeat multibeam surveys). The Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea VENUS), a submarine cabled observatory, will provide power to the Fraser Delta, and will enable high bandwidth data to be collected and sent to shore in real time. Seismic piezometers will be deployed at various places in an array on the delta to cover both horizontal extent and depths on the delta slope from 30m to 150m This will give scientists, for the first time, a method to ensure that all of the processes of interest are measured at all time scales up to, during and after a failure takes place. The project is being executed by Natural Resources Canada under agreement with the University of Victoria, and as such the data will be made available freely to interested scientists and engineers. Furthermore, instrument ports will be made available on the network for researchers to connect their own specialized instruments for examining slope failures or other delta processes.
- Connecting with the Strait of Georgia – an overview of activities supported by NRCan using VENUS 13-Apr-2008Lintern, G., Hill, P.R., Conway, K. 2008. Connecting with the Strait of Georgia – an overview of activities supported by NRCan using VENUS Project. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 10, EGU2008-A-11537, 2008 SRef-ID: 1607-7962/gra/EGU2008-A-11537 EG...
- Building the world’s first multi-node cabled ocean observatories 8-Apr-2008Barnes, C.R., Tunnicliffe, V., 2008. Building the world’s first multi-node cabled ocean observatories (NEPTUNE Canada and VENUS, Canada): Science, realities, challenges and opportunities. Proc. Oceans 2008 – MTS/IEEE Kobe Techno-Ocean. pp.8. DOI: 10.1...
- Determination of Elapsed Time Since Death in Homicide Victims Disposed of in the Ocean 1-Apr-2008Anderson, G. 2008. Determination of Elapsed Time Since Death in Homicide Victims Disposed of in the Ocean. Canadian Police Research Centre, Ottawa Ont (CAN). Click here for paper....
- A VENUS perspective in Saanich Inlet 25-Feb-2008Irvine J. and Crawford Wm. (Eds). 2008. A VENUS perspective in Saanich Inlet. IN State of Physical, Biological, and Selected Fishery Resources of Pacific Canadian Marine Ecosystems, J. Irvine and Wm. Crawford (Eds) Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat R...
- State of the Ocean 2007: A VENUS Perspective 1-Feb-2008The VENUS cabled ocean observatory has been operating in Saanich Inlet now for 2 years. Installed in February 2006, a suite of standard oceanographic instruments has been collecting data from a depth of 100 meters. Apart from a few gaps during the first year associated with a number of high voltage power outages, the record clearly shows both annual and inter-annual variations. The first set of images reveals variations in the hydrographic properties of temperature, salinity, density, and dissolved oxygen. These sensors are all co-located on the VENUS Instrument Platform (VIP) at 96 m depth, connected to the VENUS Node in Saanich Inlet. The final image is a composite of 9 daily echo-grams from the bottom mounted 200 kHz inverted echo-sounder, which tracks both fish and plankton populations.
- Zooplankton: the Mighty Migrators in Saanich Inlet 26-Nov-2007Zooplankton are an important component of marine food-webs, forming the energetic link between primary producers and higher trophic levels. Zooplankton can also play an important role in benthopelagic coupling, facilitating the exchange of biogeochemical material between the pelagic environment and the benthos. To avoid visual predators, many zooplankton species undertake diel vertical migrations (DVM) to minimize the risk of encounter with visual predators.
- Seiches in Saanich Inlet 1-Oct-2007Gower, J., Campbell, O. and Dewey, R. 2007. Seiches in Saanich Inlet. VENUS Newsletter, Fall 2007 issue: p.3. Click here for paper....
- The VENUS Cabled Observatory: Engineering Meets Science on the Seafloor 29-Sep-2007Dewey, R., Round, R., Macoun, P., Vervynck, J., and Tunnicliffe, V. 2007. The VENUS Cabled Observatory: Engineering Meets Science on the Seafloor. OCEANS 2007 – MTS/IEEE Vancouver Techno-Ocean. pp7. 10.1109/OCEANS.2007.4449171. Click here for paper....
- The Ocean Technology Test Bed: An Underwater Laboratory 29-Sep-2007Proctor, A., Bradley, C., Gamroth, E., Kennedy, J. 2007. The Ocean Technology Test Bed: An Underwater Laboratory. OCEANS 2007 – MTS/IEEE Techno-Ocean. pp10. DOI: 10.1109/OCEANS.2007.4449178. Click here for paper. Click here for paper....
- Underwater Window: Hi Definition Video on VENUS and NEPTUNE 29-Sep-2007Roston, J., Bradley, C. and Cooperstock, J.R. 2007. Underwater Window: Hi Definition Video on VENUS and NEPTUNE. OCEANS 2007 – MTS/IEEE Vancouver Techno-Ocean. pp8. DOI: 10.1109/OCEANS.2007.4449327. Click here for paper....
- Inverted Echo Sounder on a Cabled Observatory 29-Sep-2007Lemon, D., Chave, R., Clarke, M., Dewey, R., Macoun, P. 2007. Inverted Echo Sounder on a Cabled Observatory. OCEANS 2007 – MST/IEEE Vancouver Techno-Ocean. pp7. DOI: 10.1109/OCEANS.2007.4449192. Click here for paper....
- Developing in the dark: Software Development and Quality Assurance for the VENUS/NEPTUNE Canada Cabled Observatories 29-Sep-2007Leslie, M., Pirenne, B., Qi, D. 2007. Developing in the dark: Software Development and Quality Assurance for the VENUS/NEPTUNE Canada Cabled Observatories. OCEANS 2007 – MTS/IEEE Vancouver Techno-Ocean. pp5. DOI: 10.1109/OCEANS.2007.4449313. Click here ...
- Acoustic Observations of Zooplankton Distribution in Saanich Inlet, an Intermittently Anoxic Fjord 1-Jan-2007Beveridge, Ian Alexander 2007. Acoustic Observations of Zooplankton Distribution in Saanich Inlet, an Intermittently Anoxic Fjord. Masters Thesis, University of Victoria Library. Click here for paper....
- Distribution, Density and Feeding Biology of Munida quadrispina (DECAPODA, GALATHEIDAE), and other scavengers, in Saanich Inlet in Relation to Food Resources and Low Oxygen Conditions 1-Jan-2007Peters, Kamira L. 2007. Distribution, Density and Feeding Biology of Munida quadrispina (DECAPODA, GALATHEIDAE), and other scavengers, in Saanich Inlet in Relation to Food Resources and Low Oxygen Conditions. Honours Thesis, University of Victoria Library...
- Tales from the Tomb: Marine Skeletal Carbonate Preservation 1-Dec-2006The most abundant shells and skeletons of marine animals are made of calcium carbonate. When and if these skeletons are buried, they form a large part of the fossil record and are the main way carbon is removed from the surface global carbon cycle into the earth’s crust. Understanding the “when and if” is therefore key to knowing how to read the biological history of climate change on earth and how to estimate changes such as marine acidification in the carbon cycle.
- What happens to a body when it’s dumped into the ocean? 1-Nov-2006Anderson, G. and Tunnicliffe, V. 2006. What happens to a body when it’s dumped into the ocean? Canadian Chemical News, November-December 2006. Click here for paper....
- Observations of Biologically Generated Turbulence in a Coastal Inlet 22-Sep-2006Kunze, E., Dower, J. F., Beveridge, I., Dewey, R., Bartlett, K. P. 2006. Observations of Biologically Generated Turbulence in a Coastal Inlet. Science, 313: 1768-1770. Click here for paper....
- Forensic Investigations in the Saanich Inlet 1-Aug-2006In a homicide, knowing the time a person died is vital to the police investigation. When a person has been dead for more than a few days, it is very difficult for a pathologist to determine time of death. It is then that the police turn to forensic entomologists to interpret the insect evidence on the body to estimate time of death. Insects can be used to estimate elapsed time since death from a matter of hours after death to a year or more.
- Fish Kick Up Nutrients 1-May-2006Ocean plants – algae and phytoplankton – depend on nutrients for photosysnthesis. These nutrients – especially phosphorus – are often lost from the photic zone when they sink to the seafloor. Some loss is recovered by chemical diffusion and resuspension by currents. We know that fish activity can stir up nutrients in shallow lakes, but their role in the marine realm was not known.
- A Need for Underwater Ethernet Standards and Practices 1-Jan-2006Lerner, S., Maffei, A., Sonnichsen, F., Fischer-Carne, P., Round, A. 2006. A Need for Underwater Ethernet Standards and Practices. IN Proceedings of the Workshop of Scientific Use of Submarine Cables and Related Technologies. 191p. Click here for paper....
- The VENUS Experience. A case study of the philosophy, design and implementation of an undersea observatory network in coastal British Columbia 1-Jan-2006Hart, P., English, J., Round, A., Macoun, P. 2006. The VENUS Experience. A case study of the philosophy, design and implementation of an undersea observatory network in coastal British Columbia. IN Proceedings of the Workshop of Scientific Use of Submarin...
- Research Plans for a Mid-depth Cabled Seafloor Observatory in Western Canada 18-Dec-2003Tunnicliffe, V., Dewey, R.K. and Smith, D.A., 2003. Research Plans for a Mid-depth Cabled Seafloor Observatory in Western Canada. Oceanography, Vol. 16, pp. 53-59. Click here for paper....
- VENUS: Future Science on a Coastal Mid-Depth Observatory 1-May-2003Dewey, R. K. and Tunnicliffe, V. 2003. VENUS: Future Science on a Coastal Mid-Depth Observatory. Proc. 3rd Intl. Workshop of Scientific Use of Submarine Cables and Related Technologies, pp. 232-233. Click here for paper....
