NEPTUNE CANADA FORGES NEW MARINE SCIENCE PATH
Jul 3, 2009
THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA'S ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR NEPTUNE OCEAN OBSERVATORY PROJECT NOW ENTERS ITS FINAL PHASE BEFORE COMPLETION.
A LAUNCH CEREMONY FOR THE PROJECT WAS HELD AT CFB ESQUIMALT FRIDAY.
U-VIC SAYS OVER THE NEXT TWO-AND-A-HALF-MONTHS SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS WILL INSTAL THE LAST OF THE EQUIPMENT TO THE OCEAN FLOOR, TO FINISH WHAT THEY CALL "THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST ADVANCED CABLED OCEAN OBSERVATORY."
DR CHRIS BARNES, A RESEARCHER WITH THE PROJECT EXPLAINS SOME OF NEPTUNE'S CAPABILITIES.
"IF WE WANT TO LOOK AT LIFE IN THE OCEAN, THEN WE'LL HAVE CAMERAS AND DIFFERENT KINDS OF SENSORS ... WE HAVE HYDRAPHONES THAT ALLOW US TO RECORD THE VOCALISATIONS OF WHALES OR MARINE MAMMALS AND SOME OF THOSE WHALES DIVE DOWN 2 THOUSAND METRES HUNTING FOR SQUID FOR FOOD."
FIVE 13-TONNE NODES WILL BE LOWERED, ADDING MORE THAN 400 INSTRUMENTS AND SENSORS. THE OBSERVATORY ENCOMPASSES 8 HUNDRED KILOMETRES OF FIBRE OBTIC BACKBONE CABLE ON THE SEA FLOOR CONNECTING TO UVIC'S SHORE STATION IN PORT ALBERNI.
SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCHES WILL HAVE 24 HOUR ONLINE ACCESS TO THE DATA GATHERED BY NEPTUNE.
UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA PRESIDENT DAVID TURPIN SAYS NEPTUNE CANDA WILL PLAY A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN ADVANCING OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE OCEAN IN WAYS NOT PREVIOUSLY POSSIBLE.
WEATHER PERMITTING, THE INSTALLATION WILL BE COMPLETED BY LATE SEPTEMBER. DATA IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN FLOWING FROM THE PROJECT IN LATE 2009.
- LIZ MCARTHUR/RYAN PRICE
