NEPTUNE Canada: Hot Vents And Detective Work
There have been some surprises on NEPTUNE Canada’s 2011 summer maintenance expedition. A team of scientists and engineers embarked July 4 from Esquimalt, BC, aboard the research vessel Thomas G. Thompson to inspect and expand systems on the world’s first regional cabled ocean network, which began operations in December 2009.
Some site highlights to date:
ODP 1027, 2.7 km deep, July 5-7: Vast deep-sea plain
NEPTUNE Canada added a piezometer—an instrument designed by collaborators at the French research institute Ifremer to detect changes in water pressure in the soft sediment seafloor. The instrument will help us better understand tectonic movements and earthquakes in the region.
Endeavour, 2.3 km deep, July 8-10: Fields of hot vents near the tectonic spreading ridge
A BARS instrument—which helps scientists understand the hostile chemistry inside active hot vents—had shown electrical troubles after installation. The team discovered that a new vent chimney had sprung up under its power/internet cable. The instrument was retrieved and will be reinstalled in September.
ODP 889, 1.3 km deep, July 11: Continental slope
Data was downloaded from CORK, an instrument that fits into a hole drilled up to two kilometres into the ocean floor. It measures tectonic activity in the earthquake subduction zone off BC’s coast. The CORK was installed in 2010 by the International Ocean Drilling Program and will be connected to the NEPTUNE Canada network in 2012.
Barkley Canyon, 400-1,000 metres deep, July 12-20: The steep continental slope
The upper slope site was inspected following a sudden loss of communications in February 2011 due to a possible strike by a trawler net. All instruments are present but most have been flipped over and will require advanced testing. There was extensive damage to the extension cable, which led to the loss of communication. It will require considerable repair. The team plans to retrieve all the instruments within a week so they can be tested, refurbished and reinstalled next year.
The Thompson is currently at Barkley Canyon’s deeper study area some 700 metres beneath the surface. The team has retrieved the remotely operated crawler, Wally 2, for its regular scrubbing. Wally 2 is used to explore methane hydrate formations, a possible future energy source. Next week, the expedition will head to the Folger Passage site for instrument maintenance.
NEPTUNE Canada and VENUS make up the ONC Observatory, an initiative led by the University of Victoria. The observatory pioneers a new generation of advanced ocean observation systems that—using power and the Internet—provide continuous, long-term monitoring of ocean processes and events as they happen.
Observations by NEPTUNE Canada will have wide-ranging policy applications in the areas of ocean change, earthquakes and tsunamis, pollution, port security and shipping, resource development, sovereignty and security, and ocean management.
For more information visit www.neptunecanada.ca. Live video is streaming from the ship. Follow the cruise on the NEPTUNE Canada blog and on Twitter.
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Media contacts
>Dr. Martin Taylor (President, Ocean Networks Canada) at 250-721-7231 or onet@uvic.ca
Krista Zala (Communications & Engagement) at 250-853-3538 (o) 508-6157 or kzala@uvic.ca
