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2023 #ONCabyss Fall Expedition
September 5-19, 2023
Explore highlights from ONC’s deep-sea fall expedition, including video streamed from the abyss by remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Odysseus.
Map of locations visited during the fall expedition.
Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) partnered with Pelagic Research Services for the last #ONCabyss voyage of 2023. This 14-day expedition onboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) John P. Tully took viewers off-shore and to depths of up to 2.6 kilometres to maintain the 800+ kilometre underwater cabled NEPTUNE observatory, located off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Exciting deployments included a new research project aimed at combating climate change. Come aboard and find out more!
ONC is supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Government of Canada, University of Victoria and Government of British Columbia.
New carbon dioxide removal tech in Canadian waters
NEPTUNE’s Clayoquot Slope site is now home to a new observation platform that is monitoring the power of Mother Nature for marine carbon dioxide removal technology (mCDR) - the first of its kind in Canadian waters.
ONC is partnering with Running Tide , a US-based ocean health company, over the next 12 months to investigate what happens to carbon-capturing biomass on the seafloor at a pressure depth of 1,250 metres, and its potential impacts on the deep sea environment as it resides there.
Under the spotlight will be Carbon Buoys (made from wood, mycelium, and locally sourced sugar kelp) that are designed to grow algae (or seaweed), that capture and convert carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into algal biomass through photosynthesis. Once the buoy reaches a point of negative buoyancy, it sinks to the seafloor.
The observation platform housing the Carbon Buoys was designed by ONC scientists and engineers.
“The biggest novelty of our design is that the lander’s shape is a nonagon. A nine-sided frame which includes a centrally mounted camera, capable of imaging 360 degrees.” - Kohen Bauer, ONC senior staff scientist.
Curious about the results? The project’s real-time ocean data, which are captured by the camera and underwater sensors, are publicly available on ONC’s Oceans 3.0 data management portal. The environmental sensors are picking up metrics including salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. ROVs will also collect water and sediment samples throughout the experiment to observe potential changes in sediment composition, as well as how the microbial community might respond to the presence of the Carbon Buoys.
Did you know? According to the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, global seaweed cultivation could remove around 100 million to 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Having robust scientific data available on the impacts of emerging carbon dioxide removal technologies is the foundation for informed decision-making to address the climate crisis.
Image L-R: Kohen Bauer (ONC senior staff scientist), Donald Lo (ONC project engineer), Alison Tune (Running Tide’s earth science & ecology team lead), Anna Savage (Running Tide physical oceanographer), and Kate Moran (ONC president/CEO).
Eavesdropping >2,000 metres under the sea
Ever wonder what hydrothermal vents sound like?
Fish sounds, venting superheated seawater, and tectonic plates slowly moving away from each other are just a few sounds in this extreme ecosystem soundtrack.
ONC is using a newly deployed hydrophone array to listen in at Main Endeavour Field (MEF). A single hydrophone can record the harmony of sounds across MEF – but this new array of four hydrophones arranged in a 3D shape can do more. Researchers can use the array to pinpoint the direction of the sounds recorded and identify which vent it originates from, providing insight into the natural processes of this ecosystem.
Dalhousie University researchers are using ONC’s MEF soundscape data and exploring the relationship between vent temperatures and their resulting sounds. Characterising hydrothermal vent sounds will allow researchers to locate new, unexplored vent sites from a longer distance.
Understanding the soundscape in this area could inform other discussions like the impacts of deep sea mining at hydrothermal sites in light of the interest in the resource potential.
Fun fact:
Black-smoker vents can develop tall chimneys, reaching tens of metres in height, due to superheated water depositing sulphide minerals when it meets cooler ambient water. ONC aims to record the sounds of these chimneys collapsing using hydrophones.
Selecting the best TBOS to send into the abyss. (L-R) Gregg Diffendale, Pelagic Research Services, Jesse Dorin, Pelagic Research Services, Albert Ruskey, ONC project engineer, and Matt Treadwell, ONC testing and development manager.
Household tools of science
Deep-sea conditions pose unique challenges for ONC’s ocean observing infrastructure that can impact the quality and continuous delivery of data. Over time, biological matter like algae and microorganisms grow and accumulate on ONC sensors. Biofouling, physical stress, and power connectivity are common issues – nevertheless, ONC is always ready with innovative solutions and technology.
Biofouling is no match for the scrubbing power of the Toilet Brush of Science (TBOS), which was applied several times during the #ONCaybss Fall Expedition!
Wielding the Breadknife of Science, ROV Odysseus successfully freed and recovered a seismometer that had its connecting cable trapped under a pile of rubble – likely due to an underwater rockslide.
Have you tried turning it off and on again?
The Benthic and Resistivity Sensor (BARS) records a suite of measurements including temperature, chloride concentration, and oxidation, allowing us to understand the chemical and geophysical nature of hydrothermal vents.
ROV Odysseus carried out a series of unsuccessful steps to troubleshoot one of the BARS at Main Endeavour Field, even deploying a new BARS. Finally, ROV Odysseus “simply” disconnected and reconnected power to the BARS - which proved to be successful in reinstating full data delivery.
Sometimes the best solution is the most simple.
Behind the dives
The team behind the dives. When you tune into #ONCabyss live dives, the people you hear talking are coordinating the ROV to ensure dive objectives are completed safely and efficiently.
Located at-sea and on-shore, these teams are working together to log dive operations, annotate encounters with critters, and share fascinating science and tech knowledge.
Find video recordings of ONC dives on SeaTube:
Catching bubbles
Who knew science involves catching bubbles?
ONC is monitoring deep-sea bubbles at Barkley Canyon using a newly deployed sonar. The sonar tracks methane bubbling up from the seafloor every hour with a 360-degree perimeter sweep.
Gas becomes trapped in an ice-like solid state as it escapes from the seafloor and becomes hydrates. These solid hydrates strongly impact seafloor organisms' communities feeding off the methane, and may alter seafloor stability when dissolved and can lead to events like underwater landslides.
Hydrates are of interest to some research communities for their potential as an energy source. Data from the new Barkley Hydrates sonar are available to researchers across the globe via the Oceans 3.0 Data Portal .
Fun Fact:
As microorganisms (like bacteria) eat seafloor organic matter, they release methane. Barkley Hydrates is unique as the methane is partially produced by ancient organic material being “cooked” by the Earth’s heat!
Science Party!
Scientists aboard the CCGS John P. Tully process ocean sediment samples in the lab during the 2023 #ONCabyss Fall Expedition–and have a little fun doing so!
Ocean monitoring through activities such as sediment sampling helps us understand the changes occurring in the ocean, and its role in moderating and potentially mitigating climate change. ONC’s world-leading observatories reveal the dynamics of ocean and Earth processes and cycles across time-scales–from hours and seasons, into decadal scales –supporting research on complex Earth processes in ways not previously possible.
(Top L-R) Albert Ruskey (project engineer), Matt Treadwell (testing and development manager) (Bottom L-R) Steve Mihaly (senior staff scientist), Bennit Mueller (scientific data specialist), Kate Moran (President and CEO) Credits: ONC
Coastal refresh at China Creek
The odds were ever in our favour! With ‘fair winds and following seas’, the #ONCabyss team completed our mission with time to spare. The Tully departed for Port Alberni and met up with staff from the Marine Technology Centre who were delivering a new Coastal Community Observatory for China Creek.
The new China Creek Community Observatory was deployed 111 metres under the surface, just south of Port Alberni. The platform is equipped with a CTD, oxygen sensor, fluorometer, hydrophone, and a camera.
You can catch the action on China Creek’s shore station camera .
The China Creek Community Observatory was first installed in 2019, a partnership between the Hupačasath (pronounced who-petch-ah-set) First Nation, C̓išaaʔatḥ (pronounced say-shot) First Nation, and ONC.
Explore the live data on ONC's website .
- Loading the Coastal Observatory onto CCGS John P. Tully at Port Alberni.
- Project Engineer, Albert Ruskey during the deployment of the China Creek Community Observatory.
- Kate Moran, ONC CEO and President, and Bennit Mueller, Scientific Data Specialist, examine the recovered China Creek Community Observatory on the deck of the CCGS John P. Tully.
L-R: Loading the new Port Alberni coastal community observatory onto CCGS John P. Tully; Albert Ruskey, project engineer, during the deployment of the China Creek observatory; Kate Moran, ONC CEO and president, and Bennit Mueller, scientific data specialist, examine the recovered China Creek observatory on the deck.
‘Sea’ you next year
Special thanks to the Canadian Coast Guard for providing an at-sea home for our scientists, engineers, and data professionals; and to our partner Pelagic Research Services who operate the “droid of the deep” that helps us to #KnowTheOcean.
That’s a wrap for ONC’s 2023 #ONCabyss expedition season! Stay tuned for the next #ONCabyss expedition in March 2024.