From Pole to Pole OCEAN NETWORKS CANADA
Introducing Ocean Networks Canada
Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) operates worldleading observatories in the deep ocean and coastal waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic coasts of Canada, and in the Southern (Antarctic) Ocean.
ONC’s cabled observatories supply continuous power and internet connectivity to scientific instruments, cameras, and 12,000-plus ocean sensors. ONC also operates mobile and land-based assets, including coastal radar.
ONC’s observatories generate big data in the form of high resolution sensor measurements, video, and underwater sound recordings—used by more than 37,000 researchers, communities, and decisionmakers around the world.
The data collected by its cabled, mobile, and community-led observatories are accessible through the Oceans 3.0 data portal.
ONC is transforming ocean science through data technology innovation and partnerships that support ocean health, scientific discovery, coastal resilience, climate solutions, and a sustainable future for our planet.
ONC, an initiative of the University of Victoria (UVic), is one of Canada’s Major Science Initiatives. ONC acknowledges, with thanks, funding and support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Government of Canada.
Goals
1. Advance ocean observing
2. Develop and deliver world-leading data and ocean intelligence products and services
3. Enable ocean-based solutions for climate change mitigation and coastal resilience
Vision
Ocean Networks Canada enhances life on Earth by providing ocean intelligence that delivers solutions for science, society, and industry.
Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
ONC is building a culture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectively address and serve the interests of our global community. Achieving a comprehensive and profound understanding of the ocean requires diversity of perspectives, and an equitable and inclusive approach. In removing barriers to participation, we collectively advance our knowledge and understanding of the world. ONC has committed to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within ocean science and technology.
Ocean monitoring from pole to pole
We marked a huge milestone in Ocean Networks Canada's 18-year history on January 16, 2024, when we began ocean monitoring outside Canadian waters for the first time.
The new subsea observatory, a partnership between ONC and the Spanish National Research Council, provides near real-time data from the Antarctic Ocean, supplemented by data from the deployment of ONC’s deep-sea Argo floats in Drake Passage. These investments help answer the call by scientists around the world to help address the current data gap in the Southern Ocean, and expand our window into the changing ocean provided by ONC’s existing infrastructure on the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic coasts of Canada.
With unprecedented climate change impacting our planet, ONC’s ocean data and expertise in using that data has become increasingly crucial for understanding the impacts and the opportunities to slow this rate of change.
I invite you to explore this year’s annual report that showcases highlights of ONC’s recent technological and scientific advancements, ranging from earthquake early warning through to ocean-based climate mitigation solutions.
Utilizing the investment in ONC’s world-leading observatories positions Canada as a global leader in advancing its blue economy objectives. I am pleased to report our highest numbers to date of world users of ONC data and products, and increased awareness through global media coverage exposure and the post-pandemic return of in-person workshops and events.
With a shared goal of supporting a sustainable ocean future, ONC continues to expand our partnerships with Canadian Indigenous and coastal communities, utilizing and enhancing expertise that benefits both local communities and global initiatives. In its work, ONC also remains committed to the outcomes of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
ONC’s outstanding accomplishments showcased in this report are due to its passionate team of scientists, engineers, data specialists, and experts who are working towards the common goal of creating a sustainable coastal and deep-sea ecosystem in collaboration with our valued partners. At this pivotal moment in history, ONC is poised to help establish Canada as a thriving ocean-monitoring hub that will benefit generations to come.
Land and Sea Acknowledgement
We acknowledge and respect the lək wəŋən peoples on whose traditional territory Ocean Networks Canada's headquarters stand and the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land and sea continues to this day.
We also acknowledge the many Indigenous communities with whom we have the honour to collaborate on coastal monitoring and data management solutions.
Kate Moran President & CEO
WORLD-LEADING OCEAN OBSERVATORIES
ONC from pole to pole
Antarctic Ocean observatory goes live
January 16, 2024 marked a major milestone in advancing ocean observing when ocean data began flowing from the Antarctic Ocean, following the successful deployment of the first on site, real-time coastal observatory in the southern polar region.
New Argo Float fleet—autonomous "droids of the deep"
ONC’s deep-sea and coastal observatory infrastructure captures vital continuous data about the Pacific, Arctic, Atlantic, and Southern (Antarctic) oceans.
FY23/24 marked the first time that ONC extended its infrastructure outside Canadian waters, expanding the reach and depth of its ocean monitoring capacity.
ONC observatories support research on complex Earth processes in ways not previously possible, providing access to open, long-time-series ocean data from anywhere in the world, in near real time.
The new subsea observatory is designed to provide near real-time ocean data year round, and is located offshore Livingston Island near the Spanish Antarctic Station Juan Carlos I, north of the Antarctic Peninsula.
This observatory, the result of a valued partnership between ONC and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), is advancing understanding of biogeochemical and physical ocean processes at one of the most under-observed and rapidly changing parts of the planet that is critical to Earth’s climate system.
“Having access to this near-continuous data, from anywhere in the world, will help meet the current data gap challenge in the Southern Ocean.”
ONC further expanded its observing footprint in FY23/24 with the deployment of five Argo floats in the northeast Pacific Ocean and two in the Drake Passage of the Southern Ocean, bringing a new dimension to ONC’s deep-ocean observing system. Argo floats travel up and down between the seafloor and the surface, collecting ocean data throughout the water column.
ONC’s deep floats are the first to explore the northeast Pacific below two-kilometre depths, to a maximum depth of 4 km, while equipped with a dissolved oxygen sensor. Other metrics captured include temperature (heat storage), seawater salinity, and pressure. These droids are successfully transmitting ocean data that are open and accessible, expanding Canada’s contributions to the international Argo program.
“The deep waters of the northeast Pacific have been losing oxygen due to climate change, which threatens ecosystem stability. The Deep Argo floats are providing measurements of dissolved oxygen more frequently and over a larger area than previously established, allowing us to better monitor critical changes in environmental conditions.”
Kohen Bauer, ONC Senior Scientist.
Staff with the 37th Spanish Antarctic Campaign, offshore from Juan Carlos I, deploying a subsea observatory, a partnership between ONC and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). Credit: Didac Casado, UTM-CSIC.
Jordi Sorribas Cervantes, director of the Unit of Marine Technology of the CSIC.
ONC infrastructure expanded in FY23/24 with the addition of the Southern Ocean observatory; Deep Argo floats in the northeast Pacific and Drake Passage; additional sensors to expand seismic activity and ocean acidification monitoring at Burrard Inlet; and, the addition of Starlink satellite support for real-time hydrophone data from Cambridge Bay.
Ocean Networks Canada Infrastructure
Major Observatory
Coastal Community Observatory
Coastal Observatory
Geo-Seismic Sensor (ONC)
Geo-Seismic Sensor (Natural Resources Canada & ONC)
Expeditions Recap
Observatory Maintenance & Ocean Science at NEPTUNE and VENUS
EXPEDITIONS
ONC routinely schedules expeditions on oceanographic vessels to maintain and upgrade its major cabled ocean observatories and conduct research.
Working with industry and science partners, teams of engineering and technical staff use remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to recover, install, and connect instrument platforms and sensors. Scientific samples are also collected for sensor calibration and site characterization.
Paired with ONC’s digital infrastructure, this complex network enables real-time ocean observation, data collection, and the testing of emerging ocean technologies.
Explore highlights from three ONC-led expeditions in FY23/24 to maintain ONC’s two major Pacific Ocean seafloor observatories—NEPTUNE and VENUS— located up to 300 kilometres off British Columbia’s coast, and at depths ranging from 100 to 2,660 metres.
Maintenance operations were conducted from a ship using an ROV equipped with robotic manipulators, sensors, lights, and camera.
#ONCabyss Expeditions
Meet ONC spokesdroid, Sea-H2O
To advance ocean literacy, ONC launched a fun, kidfriendly #ONCabyss StoryMap in FY23/24 aimed at fueling curiosity and youth connection to the ocean. From meeting a feisty wrestling octopus to seeing a whale skeleton buffet, audiences can experience the Pacific Ocean accompanied by ONC’s new ROV spokesdroid, Sea-H20.
These dives were live-streamed, with highlights shared on social media, enabling ocean enthusiasts around the world to join ONC’s undersea exploration.
New in FY23/24, ONC launched StoryMaps that package science and technology highlights from each expedition into an interactive digital format with videos, images, animations, and behind-the-scenes stories.
Map showing the sites within NEPTUNE (North-East Pacific Time-series Undersea Networked Experiments) and VENUS (Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea) ocean observatories.
Summer 2023 June 25th – July 18th
This 22-day expedition to maintain the 800+ kilometre NEPTUNE observatory aboard the exploration vessel (E/V) Nautilus marks the seventh year of partnership between ONC and Ocean Exploration Trust (OET).
Highlights:
• Mapped 3,811 square kilometres of seafloor
• Recovery of the final 3 neutrino sensor test moorings from Cascadia Basin
• Photogrammetry of Clayoquot Slope’s whale fall to construct 3D models of the skeleton
• ROV Hercules completed 20 dives and 264 hours of underwater operations
#ONCabyss Expeditions
Spring 2024 March 10th – 17th Fall 2023 September 5th – 19th
ONC partnered with Pelagic Research Services on this 14-day expedition onboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) John P. Tully to maintain NEPTUNE observatory.
Highlights:
• ROV Oceanic Explorer completed 9 dives and 78 hours of underwater operation
• Deployment of an ONC-designed Running Tide benthic lander. This research aims to combat climate change through ocean- based carbon dioxide removal
ONC partnered with Tidewater Canada onboard the CCGS John P. Tully to maintain VENUS observatory before the arrival of snowmelt, an annual cycle that brings high sediment volumes into the Salish Sea via the Fraser River.
Highlights:
• Eight sediment cores were collected for Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
• The Delta Dynamics Lab was recovered after 21 “tours of duty” to provide data on underwater landslides in the Strait of Georgia
• ROV Oceanic Explorer completed 8 dives and 30 hours of underwater operations
Minutes-to-hours: arrival times for tsunami on BC’s coast
Benefiting science, society, and industry SERVICES & SOLUTIONS
ONC and partners completed a tsunami inundation forecast for the Regional District of Strathcona that will improve resilience and emergency planning on the northwest Vancouver Island coast.
ONC delivers ocean intelligence products and services that support public and marine safety, scientific research, climate change mitigation, and coastal community resilience.
ONC ocean data, analysis tools, and ocean tech services support Canada’s progress towards building a sustainable blue economy.
ONC expertise and observatory infrastructure is advancing frontier research into emerging carbon dioxide removal solutions and technologies.
British Columbia (BC) coastal communities are vulnerable to tsunamis generated from earthquakes in the Alaska-Aleutian and the Cascadia subduction zones, which are capable of producing megathrust events.
Through a combination of modelling, mapping, community engagement, and Indigenous knowledge, the researchers identified the expected height (amplitudes), current speed and direction (velocities), inundation extents, and arrival times of tsunami waves and the areas that would be hardest hit. The project team used a two-eyed seeing approach that included historical records of past major events in the development of their coastal hazard assessment framework.
Project partners include Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k:tles7et’h’ First Nations and Nuchatlaht First Nation, Northwest Hydraulic Consultants, and Northwest Seismic Consultants.
Ocean-based climate change mitigation
ONC engaged with three companies in FY23/24 to advance research into marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) to combat the climate crisis.
ONC’s observatories offer a unique ocean laboratory to transparently monitor and assess the efficacy of potential emerging mCDR climate solutions and technologies, with camera and sensor data available on Oceans 3.0.
ONC installed ocean monitoring systems on a Cascadia Seaweed farm to provide environmental knowledge about seaweed growth enhancements to address food security and climate change. ONC is in discussions with Planetary Technologies for the development of monitoring, reporting, and verification of their proposed ocean alkalinity enhancement solution in Canadian coastal waters. And ONC designed and deployed an observational platform outfitted with Running Tide carbon buoys and samples of kelp substrate to investigate the potential of biomass sinking as a carbon dioxide removal strategy.
Maximum wave height for a Cascadia-generated tsunami in Esperanza Inlet and Nootka Sound (from the Northwest Vancouver Island (NWVI) Tsunami Risk Project). Colours show wave height from 0 metres (white) to above 7 metres (dark purple).
Project engineers ready the ONC-designed benthic lander (observational platform) outfitted with wood/mycelium buoys and kelp substrate before deployment at NEPTUNE’s Clayoquot Slope site. Credit: Running Tide.
Earthquake Early Warning
ONC’s Earthquake Information Messaging Service continued its operational phase in FY23/24, successfully providing test subscribers with notifications of incoming ground shaking at their location arising from earthquakes.
The system has seismic sensors on Vancouver Island and offshore near the Cascadia Subduction Zone. This ‘land+seafloor’ network provides additional notice compared to land-only systems for most offshore earthquakes—including megathrust subduction events.
Once launched, this service will enable operators of critical infrastructure in BC to take protective measures—such as slowing trains, pausing surgeries, shutting off gas valves and diverting flights—to save lives and infrastructure.
All live data from ONC’s seismic network will also be made available for integration into the ShakeAlert® Earthquake Early Warning System, which is used by both the Canadian and United States governments for public alerting.
Real-time tsunami data
ONC observatories measure wave heights using bottom pressure recorders. Additional real-time wave height, ocean surface current, and wind direction data are provided by high resolution coastal radars, including a state-of the art WERA (WavE RAdar) system in Tofino, BC.
These systems can detect storm surges and tsunamis up to 80 kilometres from shore, providing critical warning time. ONC data from these sensors inform official tsunami alerts issued by Alaska’s National Tsunami Warning Center.
“Knowing where coastal vulnerabilities lie and the predicted areas at risk strengthens hazard awareness, allowing decision-makers and communities to mitigate, prepare, respond, and recover from emergencies.”
Deep sea carbon storage poses minimal earthquake risk
Research from the ONC-led Solid Carbon project in 2023 showed that storing carbon dioxide (CO2) in deep ocean basalt has less than a 1% risk of triggering seismic activity. Furthermore, scaling the technology up could see about 10 gigatons of CO2 safely injected per year by 2050, which is almost half of the atmospheric reductions necessary to keep the planet habitable for people.
Integrating six proven technologies, Solid Carbon will use direct air capture and repurposed offshore oil and gas sector injection technology to pump CO2, powered by renewable energy, into sub-seafloor basalt where it will mineralize in a short time period. In its final year of a seven-year feasibility study, funded by the UVic-hosted Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, the project’s next step is to advance to a pilot injection demonstration at Cascadia Basin, a monitoring site within ONC’s NEPTUNE observatory that has the capacity to store up to 15 years of global CO2 emissions.
Solid Carbon benefits of sequestering carbon dioxide deep below the ocean floor increase because of the physics of this gas. As the gas is pressurized with depth, its volume is dramatically reduced in its supercritical state.
Soroush Kouhi, ONC Applied Science Specialist, NWVI Tsunami Risk Project.
SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES
Science highlights
ONC observatory records summer ocean temperatures
In 2023 ONC recorded the highest daily average summer temperatures at two NEPTUNE seafloor observatory sites in the northeast Pacific Ocean since continuous live monitoring started there in 2009.
deep Barkley Upper Slope site, record seasonal temperatures also persisted, largely exceeding the 14-year daily average temperature range at that location.
ONC’s deep-sea and coastal observatories represent the widest range of environments of any oceanobserving infrastructure on Earth.
Thousands of seafloor instruments advance scientific research, and provide a real-time window into how the ocean is changing over hours, days, seasons, and decades. These observatories support research on complex Earth processes in ways not previously possible.
Researchers can access ONC data, instruments, and cameras from anywhere in the world via the data management portal Oceans 3.0.
The anomalous summer ocean temperatures at the 95-metre deep Folger Deep site alerted ONC data specialists to conduct extra analyses to confirm the data. Further offshore, at the 400-metre
Possible factors causing the warmer summer waters at different locations include excess heat from climate change, changes in wind patterns, and variations in the upwelling of deeper waters.
Delta Dynamics Lab completes 21 tours of duty
The Delta Dynamics Lab (DDL), maintained and operated by ONC, headed for a well-earned retirement in March 2024 after 21 successful deployments in the Fraser River Delta.
The final hoisting of the two-tonne lab during the spring 2024 #ONCabyss expedition caps a 16-year joint geohazard investigation between ONC and NRCan at the mouth of the Fraser, which deposits more than seven million tonnes of sediment each year into the Strait of Georgia.
The DDL significantly advanced global understanding of underwater landslides and slope stability— information critical for protecting, for example, global telecommunications cables that provide 98% of our Internet connectivity. This submarine observatory project contributed to federal public safety programs related to natural hazards.
Deep-sea earthquake swarms detected at Endeavour
On March 6, 2024, more than 200 earthquakes per hour were detected, and heard, five kilometres below the ocean surface off the British Columbia coast. ONC sensors and hydrophones provided real-time data as these events unfolded at the NEPTUNE observatory’s Endeavour hydrothermal vents research site.
Researchers believe this could be an early indication of new seafloor forming offshore of Vancouver Island, a rare phenomenon that hasn’t been observed in 18 years, but one that is unlikely to pose any risk to coastal communities.
“We can use earthquake activity to track the level of built-up stress at the Endeavour segment in real-time using seismic data provided by Ocean Networks Canada. More earthquakes mean more stress build-up.”
Zoe Krauss, University of Washington marine seismology PhD candidate.
Scientific publications using ONC data FY23/24
By the numbers:
• 56 peer-reviewed journal articles
• 60 book chapters, abstracts, conference proceedings, presentations, posters
• 11 theses (3 PhD, 7 Master’s, 1 undergrad)
• 16 Professional trade/ industry publications
Published research highlights:
New methods using hydrophone data to identify and study whale calls
The extent of hypoxia off Canada’s west coast
Methods to avoid whale strikes by ships
Indigenous knowledge use in conservation and ocean management
New machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) methods applied to ONC data
Swarm of earthquakes recorded at NEPTUNE's Endeavour site on March 6, 2024. The white and yellow dots show the location of ONC instrument platforms and moorings, respectively. The orange square shows the location of the site node and white lines indicate fibre-optic cables. This map was generated from data by ONC and the University of Washington Earthquake Catalog.
TRANSFORMING OCEAN SCIENCE
Comprehensive ocean observation involves multiple perspectives.
ONC is transforming ocean science by providing real-time data and technology innovation, and through diverse partnerships, including with Indigenous communities.
ONC’s enhanced coastal monitoring weaves together Indigenous and western knowledge systems to inform decision-making for a sustainable ocean future.
“We know in our family history that we are the survivors of the last big earthquakes, the big tsunamis.”
Tim Paul, Hesquiaht carver & painter.
Tsunami 11th Relative
Filmmaker and ONC Indigenous community liaison Pieter Romer produced a 26-minute documentary, Tsunami 11th Relative, that showcases the importance of integrating Indigenous knowledge with ocean science to enhance coastal community resilience. The film stems from communities’ involvement with the Northwest Vancouver Island Tsunami Risk Project (details, page 8).
Following the documentary's launch during Tsunami Preparedness Week 2023, ONC led a successful film tour, with more than 400 screenings nationally and internationally.
Why ONC is carbon neutral
ONC takes responsibility for the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its operations by becoming carbon neutral, an interim alternative to net-zero emissions in a world still reliant on fossil fuels. In fall 2023, ONC received a Carbonzero Certification for 2022—the third consecutive year of successful tracking, reporting, and offsetting annual carbon emissions.
Port Alberni Library Tsunami screening April, 2023.
Scan to watch film
An artistic interpretation of the science behind a deep-sea whale fall
How an artist sees the world introduces new viewpoints on ocean science. Artist-in-Residence and trained biologist Neil Griffin joined ONC in fall 2023 to fuse the creative with the scientific in a series of lyric essays titled Whale Fall. The essays explore the ecological stages of whale decomposition from the creature’s last breath to its incorporation into the deep-sea ecoscape. Griffin is ONC’s fourth Artist-inResidence.
Artist-in-Residence predecessors, Dennis Gupa (2021) and Colin Malloy (2022), delivered virtual presentations at the February 2024 Ocean Sciences Meeting, while ONC-sponsored Indigenous Artistat-Sea Jessica Joseph, of the Songhees Nation, presented Perspectives of an Indigenous Artist on a Deep-Sea Research Expedition.
The Artist-in-Residence Program is a partnership between ONC and the UVic Faculty of Fine Arts, with additional support from the Faculty of Science and the Office of Research Services.
ONC farewells Kim Juniper
One of the world’s leading oceanographers, Kim Juniper, passed away on 7 June 2024 during Ocean Week Canada: a time in our annual calendar when we raise awareness about the importance of connecting to and protecting the ocean.
Dr. S. Kim Juniper was Ocean Network Canada’s Chief Scientist, and a driving force behind the transformation of ocean science that ONC will continue to advance on the world stage that he helped us join.
Juniper was one of the leading contributors to the original design of the NEPTUNE observatory, and helped build ONC’s expert science team that is advancing ocean observing. Under his leadership, scientific monitoring has expanded in step with the expansion of ONC’s observatories on the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and polar regions.
Juniper changed the way we view and approach ocean science, championing multiple perspectives for ocean monitoring as well as scientific measurements. Under his leadership ONC built programs that continue to bring the arts into the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) sectors — changing STEM to STEAM.
ONC’s Artist-in-Residence Program, inspired and led by Juniper, connects new and diverse audiences with the ocean. Most recently, Juniper played a key national and international role in advancing respectful Indigenous partnerships which use the “ two-eyed seeing ” approach to ocean science.
Dr. Kim Juniper was a mentor to countless students and colleagues, a dear friend, and an inspirational leader and visionary. We are proud to carry his legacy forward.
“ONC is committed to empowering Indigenous and coastal community leadership through partnerships that support community-led ocean observatories on all three coasts of Canada, and by sharing multiple ways of knowing in the development and delivery of ocean science education and outreach.”
Kim Juniper
Coastal Community Observatories
COMMUNITYBASED MONITORING
ONC has installations and local partnerships with Indigenous and coastal communities on the three coasts of Canada.
These community-led observatories and programs connect oceanographic instruments, training, and scientific support with traditional knowledge and stewardship built over generations.
ONC works with coastal communities, Indigenous governments, and organisations across Canada to co-develop ocean monitoring initiatives that meet local needs, support ocean health, and advance Indigenous ocean science leadership.
ONC builds small-scale cabled observatories that are customized for their host community and provide year-round, real-time ocean monitoring.
Most are equipped with a high-definition video camera and lights, hydrophone, and a suite of sensors to measure seawater properties such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, and turbidity. Instruments of special local relevance can be added, such as a profiler in Cambridge Bay to measure ice thickness.
ONC supported 10 coastal community observatories in FY23/24, with more partnerships under development (see infrastructure map, page 3).
“I wanted to find out about the water and the information of the data around here.” [It is important Inuit are involved in this kind of research], “for the people and the community to know what is happening to our environment and oceans.”
Youth Science Ambassador Program
ONC supported four young people as Youth Science Ambassadors who were living in the partner communities of T’Souke, Gitga’at, and Wei Wai Kum Nations as well as the Nunavut hamlet of Kugluktuk during FY23/24.
Youth Science Ambassadors (for Indigenous youth aged 18-30) are employed part-time to work with local knowledge holders to develop and deliver learning activities that emphasize the place-based Indigenous knowledge held within their territory. Ambassadors gain valuable scientific skills as well as experience in education and leadership.
Kevin Kullualik, 2023 Iqaluit Community Fishers Marine Project community member.
Community Fishers
Community Fishers partners are monitoring—by boat or snowmobile their local ocean conditions and marine habitat at more than 350 sampling sites on the three coasts of Canada. In FY23/24 the Community Fishers program continued to attract additional coastal and Indigenous community partners. Data products that are used by communities, including biocultural metadata, were also enhanced.
Community Fishers are supported by ONC to collect high-quality oceanographic data, as well as interpret and use this information for local benefit. The main instrument used is a CTD, which measures seawater salinity (conductivity) and temperature relative to depth. This training program leads to a certification through UVic Continuing Studies and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), supporting community members’ career advancement. Community Fishers training was delivered to 98 trainees in FY23/24. Many communities share their data through the open Oceans 3.0 data portal with their ownership and control retained through data agreements.
Sharing knowledge in meaningful ways
Communities are sharing their ocean monitoring knowledge through traditional reports as well as more accessible digital formats. For example, a StoryMap was co-created by the community and ONC at the completion of a three-year baseline monitoring project in Iqaluit. This tool, available in English and Inuktitut, allowed the sharing of different perspectives, and contributed to community members’ discussions about future economic developments in their region.
BIG DATA
Increasing demand for ONC data
Demand for ONC’s online data resources is continuing to grow within Canada and around the world. More than 37,000 researchers, communities, and decision-makers are now registered to access ONC data products, tools, and education resources. ONC’s seismic data made available through EarthScope (formerly known as IRIS) and data from ONC’s Application Programming Interface (API) saw significant jumps in demand. Potential drivers include new product offerings, increased profile from news coverage, and the post-pandemic return of conferences and workshops.
User growth over the last decade
ONC ocean observing networks generate big data in the form of high-resolution sensor measurements, video, and underwater sound recordings from the Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, and Antarctic Oceans.
These FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) data— accessible to everyone via ONC’s Oceans 3.0 data portal—are used by over 37,000 researchers, communities, and decision-makers around the world.
A fundamental feature of the data collected by ONC’s coastal and Indigenous partners is data ownership, control, and attribution by the communities conducting the research. ONC ensures datasets are as open as possible.
Data supporting maritime safety
Operational in all weather conditions, day or night, ONC’s high frequency, land-based coastal oceanographic radars measure ocean surface currents—contributing to forecasting severe weather and wind conditions, making ship navigation safer.
ONC’s data portal Oceans 3.0 generates maps of the surface currents every hour, providing a real-time observation of current conditions.
ONC also collects and archives Automatic Identification System (AIS) data from the Canadian Coast Guard, which identifies passing vessels, noting its ship type, position, heading, speed, and destinations. Combining AIS and ONC hydrophone data can help reduce marine mammal collisions and improve shipping routes by showing ocean ‘traffic jams’.
Using AI to detect orcas in the Salish Sea
A near real-time orca detector that uses sound and acoustic context awareness is being developed for the Salish Sea, with potential uses including the identification of the area’s endangered southern resident killer whales.
Fabio Frazao, a PhD student from Dalhousie University and one of the first recipients of the $20,000 Roy Hyndman Ocean Observing Award, completed his one-year project with ONC during FY23/24.
Frazao expanded his artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to use hydrophone data from ONC’s VENUS observatory to learn from thousands of orca vocalizations and other recorded sounds, including their sound sequences. The detector was then tested on 65 hours of acoustic data to detect and classify orca sounds like whistles, echolocation clicks, and low-frequency pops. The algorithm was also trained on environmental cues like rain and thunder, vessel sounds, and marine mammal calls, to reduce misidentifications in a sea of sounds.
Frazao’s work will contribute to the development of the Humans and Algorithms Listening to Orcas (HALLO) tool. The data will be available through HALLO to governmental agencies to alert vessels of the orcas’ presence, and to help navigate traffic around them. This research was presented at the Acoustical Society of America conference in Ottawa.
Deep space meets deep sea
Progress towards creating the first neutrino telescope in the Pacific Ocean took another step forward in FY23/24 with instruments recovered from NEPTUNE’s Cascadia Basin site, and shipped to Germany for pre-launch checks.
Since 2018, the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment (P-ONE) has been testing Cascadia’s suitability using sophisticated light sensors placed on long mooring strings. The sensors have been recording and sending this data to ONC’s Oceans 3.0 data portal, where they are accessible to the project’s international team of scientists.
Neutrino particles can only be observed by the Cherenkov light they emit when they collide with other particles, making this quiet and dark 2.6 kilometre deep site an ideal location to analyse their trajectory and origin. The system, once deployed, will be complementary to similar observatories at the South Pole (IceCube) and in the Mediterranean (KM3Net).
Recovered P-ONE optical module encasement onboard EV Nautilus during the summer 2023 ONCabyss expedition.
Artistic rendering of ONC hydrophone data over a hydrophone array.
KNOWLEDGE & LEARNING
Connecting people and ocean
Ocean science for K-12
ONC works with Indigenous community partners and other organisations to develop and deliver educational programs that fuel curiosity, build capacity, and advance ocean knowledge. These education programs equip and empower learners using science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM).
ONC’s programs—which reach learners from K-12 through to graduate school and professional environments, and in communities—apply ocean intelligence to foster ocean stewardship and climate action.
ONC’s education program interweaves observatories’ data with local knowledge to create ocean science learning opportunities. ONC offers a wide variety of educational materials and resources for K-12 educators to enable the easy integration of ocean science into their lesson plans.
In 2023, ONC updated its popular #KnowTheOcean Activity Book that fosters youth connection with the ocean through science, Indigenous knowledge, and personal experiences. The book and the artwork inside were created in partnership with Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists.
ONC’s #OceanDecadeChallenge program, developed in partnership with Girl Guides of Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, continued to garner significant interest, with 2,783 youth in nine provinces and 71 cities earning crests for completing ocean science activities during FY23/24. This program is one of the Canada-led United Nations Ocean Decade projects.
Post-secondary education opportunities
ONC contributes to knowledge mobilization in the expanding ocean sector by incorporating ocean technology advances and scientific discoveries into educational materials for the post-secondary level.
By fostering a greater understanding of ocean observatories—their value, relevance, and importance to the global ocean, climate, and planet— ONC helps to inform decision-making processes with scientific and place-based knowledge.
In FY23/24, ONC offered a total of 228 courses, workshops, guest lectures, training sessions, and summer schools, reaching 7,802 students.
Participants in an ONC-hosted Canadian Association for Girls in Science event, designing a deep sea hydrophone stand, combining ocean engineering and creative problem-solving skills for deep sea monitoring.
ONC post-secondary education coordinator, Wylee Fitz-Gerald, presenting to UVic Students in the EOS 350, “Understanding the Oceans” course.
Bringing ocean science to communities
For the second year in a row, ONC partnered with UVic and Camosun College to bring Science Rendezvous to Victoria, attracting more than 1200 participants in May 2023. Science Rendezvous—which grew from a virtual experience in 2021 is now a free national event to raise public interest and excitement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). ONC staff hosted three UVic campus activities to share knowledge about ONC ocean data and services and to inspire the next generation of ocean stewards.
ONC was again a key player in the steering committee for Ocean Week Victoria, (June 2-11, 2023), working with two dozen community groups on event planning and promotions centred around World Oceans Day (June 8).
Special ONC contributions include radio trivia as well as the release of ONC’s new World Ocean Council Ocean Titans film, Beyond the Abyss, Ocean Intelligence for a Sustainable Planet.
Ship2Shore
Distance is no barrier to sharing ocean science! ONC’s Ship2Shore program engages classrooms and communities with at-sea expeditions through live satellite-connected events. Teachers, students, and community members are able to speak directly with scientists, educators, and crew during expeditions, and take virtual tours of ship facilities. ONC hosted/ co-hosted 29 events in FY23/24, reaching an audience of 1,130 people at 34 schools and informal learning organizations.
Linking traditional ecological knowledge & ocean literacy
Speakers from throughout Pacific nations participated in the International Pacific Marine Educators Network (IPMEN) conference hosted by Ocean Networks Canada on July 17, 2023.
IPMEN is an international network that seeks to conserve, manage, and restore the integrity of ocean ecosystems in the Pacific.
The conference explored perspectives from traditional ocean voyaging to tsunami preparedness, as well as protocols for scientists and educators working with traditional communities.
ONC’s Jesse Dool engaging with children at a World Ocean Day event in Sidney, 2023, using the Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition's (COLC) giant floor mat. Since inception in 2018, COLC has operated as an independent national project office. ONC served as COLC’s administrative home from April 2021 to March 2024. Currently, Dalhousie University (Ocean Frontier Institute) serves as COLC’s administrative headquarters, as COLC empowers Canadians to understand, value, and care for the ocean. Credit: Shawn Thompson, COLC
Connecting with classrooms via the Ship2Shore program during the 2024 ONCabyss Summer Expedition.
Mainstream media
ONC'S REACH
ONC is at the forefront of ocean knowledge sharing through media communications and innovative storytelling tools and platforms.
ONC amplifies the impact of its research and data through mainstream, scientific, and social media.
Visibility in the media matters— high-profile research can influence policy, strengthen connections with other leading scientific organisations, and support evidence based decision-making. It can also inform the public about vital issues, such as climate change.
ONC is recording year-on-year growth in securing mainstream media coverage of its news and research announcements within Canada and around the world. In FY23/24, ONC promoted 19 original web stories on social media, and issued five news releases through UVic.
Metrics
• More than 50 individual media interviews of ONC staff
• More than 3,000 news stories printed, broadcast or online
• Global audience reach (‘eyeballs’) up to 3.1B
• Value of CAD $40M in advertising equivalent
ONC was one of 30 pioneers and change ambassadors invited to be featured in a global docuseries for charting new paths towards a healthy and sustainable ocean. Ocean Titans is a World Ocean Council series hosted by Reuters. The nine-minute film dedicated to ONC launched on World Ocean Day 2023.
Social Media
ONC continued to boost followers and engagement in FY23/24 on its social media platforms LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram. Our top story is below; see more examples on page 25.
New outreach products in FY23/24
ONC is utilizing new digital tools to connect audiences with ocean science. These include a digital touchscreen that invites users to explore ocean data services and solutions, and digital StoryMaps of expedition highlights.
Jessica Stigant, ONC Associate Director, government relations and partnerships, demonstrates the new ONC touchscreen at the 2023 Salish Sea Symposium.
661M reach
Covered by Canadian Press, CBC News, Vancouver Sun, Global News, MSN.com and more...
Covered by CBC News, ICI Radio-Canada, CTV News, Vancouver Sun, Canadian Press, Times Colonist and more…
Covered by CBC News, Europa Press, Global News, National Post, Canadian Press and more...
Conferences
In FY23/24, ONC hosted 49 stakeholder and public events (symposia, conferences, open houses) with staff also participating in 82 external events.
Industry-focused events included a booth and presentations at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas, and at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Denver, Colorado. ONC joined the Government of Canada’s Pavilion and co-led a panel on “Ocean-based carbon dioxide removal to combat the climate crisis.”
ONC’s outreach continued to build connections within the global ocean leadership community through presentations, information booths, and expert panels at the: National Indigenous Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum, Nanaimo, BC; Oceans Conference & Exposition in Biloxi, Mississippi; Canadian Science Policy Conference in Ottawa; ArcticNet in Iqaluit, Nunavut; American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting hosted in San Francisco; Salish Sea Symposium in Vancouver, and the Ocean Sciences Meeting in New Orleans.
In August 2023, ONC showcased its products, services, and use of Canadian technology during an Open House at the Marine Technology Centre (MTC). Seventy people representing local industries, not-forprofit, and BC provincial ministers attended.
ONC engaged with many federal departments, briefed the Prime Minister’s Office, and hosted BC provincial ministers: Hon. Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs Economic Development and Innovation; Hon. Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness; and Hon. Grace Lore, Minister of Children and Family Development.
Hon. Brenda Bailey (centre) with ONC staff touring Canadian technology at ONC’s Marine Technology Centre.
ONC's busy booth at the AGU Fall Meeting 2023.
Kudos to colleagues
ONC is proud to congratulate two members of its executive team who were recognized during FY23/24 for their tremendous respective contributions to chemistry and engineering.
In a career that spans the United States White House through to her current role as President and CEO of Ocean Networks Canada, Kate Moran was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada in recognition of “her innovative leadership as a researcher, policy advisor and administrator in ocean engineering, and climate action.” The announcement was made on June 30, 2023.
“We recovered the first paleoclimate record showing that the perennial sea ice that has been in place on the planet for millions of years was going to be gone in a lifetime,” she says. “Today Ocean Networks Canada is working with partners on new ocean-based solutions for adapting to the current impacts of climate change and for removing carbon from the atmosphere to keep the planet habitable for us, and the world rich in biodiversity.”
Kate Moran, on her experience of co-leading a 2004 expedition of the first scientific drilling in the Arctic Ocean to obtain sediment and rock samples for climate change research.
Daniela Loock , ONC Director of Corporate Services, was elected as a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) in recognition for her contributions in chemical characterization, environmental assessment, and monitoring of field sites in remote locations, from the Canadian Arctic to Iceland and the deep Pacific Ocean.
The award also recognizes Dr. Loock’s contribution to facilitating collaborations between academic scientists, the private sector, government agencies (including military), and Indigenous groups to better understand the environment at these sites. In her current role she leads ONC’s Corporate Operations, Communications, and Learning & Community Engagement divisions.
Rebecca Denlinger ONC Board Chair
I have come to know first-hand the importance of transforming ocean data into knowledge that is vital for scientists across Canada and around the world, as well as for decision-makers, whether they work within coastal communities or on the world stage.
The ocean affects every life on earth, from humans to the smallest organisms; in fact, the oceans are to the Earth’s climate as the climate is to Earth’s weather. As Canada’s largest Major Science Initiative, ONC is globally recognized for its expertise in the design, installation, operations, and management of ocean monitoring infrastructure. I would also like to acknowledge the importance of ONC's leadership and partnership in incorporating Indigenous participation and knowledge into the work to better understand our blue planet.
ONC’s world-leading activities play a critical role in our growing understanding of the ocean. Careful stewardship of ocean data—its capture, recording, tagging, sharing—is essential to developing innumerable solutions, most especially in response to the current challenges of climate change.
I would like to offer my congratulations and thanks to past and current Board members, the ONC management team, the 160+ staff who make the magic happen, and to the President and CEO, Dr. Kate Moran—a true friend to the ocean. It is their respective contributions that have made the achievements of this past year possible. It is my honour and pleasure to be a member, and Chair, of the Board of Directors for this vital and dynamic organization.
Daniela Loock, ONC Director of Corporate Services.
ONC’s valued partnerships
COLLABORATIONS
Canada is home to the world’s most advanced ocean observatories thanks to the support for Ocean Networks Canada from government, science and academia collaborators, industry, and Indigenous and coastal community partners.
ONC works closely with valued partners to support Canada’s marine conservation goals, blue economy strategy, and the goals of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
As Canada pursues its ocean conservation target, Ocean Networks Canada works closely with federal partners, industry, science, and communities to monitor the ocean and deliver data. This year's collaborative partnerships had an overarching focus on Canada’s contributions towards global marine conservation targets of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.
ONC’s governance structure—Board of Directors, International Science Advisory Board, and the Ocean Observatory Council—contributes to strategic goals and priorities. ONC is an initiative of the University of Victoria, which is the home base for ONC’s observatory operations.
Government Partners
As one of Canada’s national research facilities, ONC’s world-leading infrastructure could not exist without the support from Government of Canada funders: the Canada Foundation for Innovation through its Major Science Initiatives Fund, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) through Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan.
The continued operations of ONC’s national ocean infrastructure ensures the delivery of essential ocean data and data products to users across the globe, and the continued collaborative impact of scientists and technologists who share their discoveries with the world.
In addition, ONC’s community observatories on the three coastlines of Canada are growing a network of Indigenous and coastal community-led programs that are co-developed with Indigenous partners.
Tang.ɢwan—ḥačxwiqak—Tsigis
ONC supported the DFO-led Northeast Pacific Deep-sea Exploration Project (NEPDEP) conducted in partnership with the Council of the Haida Nation, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Quatsino First Nations and the Pacheedaht First Nation, from May 26, 2023 until June 12, 2023.
“We are delighted that ONC is contributing its expertise and infrastructure to Antarctica and Southern Ocean research to advance knowledge as well as Canadian leadership in polar science and technology.”
The expedition explored deep-sea ecosystems to inform marine conservation planning, collecting, and archiving important video data of culturally, ecologically, and biologically significant areas within a proposed new marine protected area (MPA). DFO’s use of ONC’s SeaTube tool allowed DFO scientists to annotate in real-time and to share openly important discoveries of new seamounts, hydrothermal vents, and cold seeps. In addition, ONC conducted an acoustic survey of three DFO priority seamount sites. Three of ONC’s deep-sea nodes are within the new Tang.ɢwan—ḥačxwiqak—Tsig is MPA off Canada’s Pacific coast that was announced in 2024.
David Hik, POLAR Chief Scientist and Executive Director.
The ONC-supported 2023 NEPDEP expedition discovered a venting underwater volcano and cold seep with a thriving nursery site for octopus & skates. Credit: NEPDEP Partners & CSSF ROPOS.
CIOOS partnership
For a third year, the Government of Canada’s Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System’s (CIOOS) data collection grew, providing an open, web-based portal to access ocean data nationally. ONC continues to be the largest contributor from all three of Canada’s coasts, providing 1,429 data sets (and growing). These data support the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development by contributing to the UN Decade societal goals, including efforts to create a predictable and accessible ocean for generations to come.
Digital Research Alliance of Canada
The Digital Research Alliance of Canada provided ONC with data storage and computing resources. The Alliance also supported some of ONC’s research data management projects, and provided funding for the World Data System—International Technology Office.
Indigenous communities’ partnerships
DFO’s Oceans Management Program provided an opportunity to expand ONC’s Community Fishers program in FY23/24, supporting Indigenous-led collection of high-quality oceanographic data within their territories. This program provided the instrument, training, and data management support for up to eight new communities. See pages 14-15 for more information about ONC’s community partnerships.
Industry partners
In partnership with industry, ONC is developing and delivering world-leading ocean intelligence products and services.
“It’s exciting to see ONC’s transformative leadership in ocean science expand internationally to inform climate solutions beyond Canada’s three coasts. This partnership demonstrates how coastal communities and scientists from around the world can drive technological innovation and scientific discovery."
Lisa Kalynchuk, Vice-President, UVic Research & Innovation, on the launch of the Antarctic Observatory.
Ocean Visions, a non-profit organisation, is working with ONC to lead and enable solutions for marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), and address gaps in areas such as conducting controlled field trials, and establishing monitoring, reporting, and verification protocols.
ONC supports the Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST), Pacific Canada’s hub for the sustainable blue economy that is accelerating marine technology startups and helping them scale.
Running Tide and ONC have partnered on a deep sea experiment to study the possible impacts of sunken biomass within a benthic ecosystem. The research will provide foundational science information on sequestering atmospheric CO2 by sinking terrestrial and marine biomass to the deep seafloor.
Cascadia Seaweed cultivates local species of kelp on low-impact ocean farms in partnership with coastal First Nations. The company and partners are collaborating with ONC to coalesce traditional and cutting-edge ocean monitoring techniques, and researching how coastal kelp farms can provide habitat for migrating Pacific salmonids and their food sources.
ONC expeditions involve many partners, including Ocean Exploration Trust, who partnered with ONC for the 7th year during the 2023 #ONCabyss summer expedition.
Financials
FY23/24
The ONC Society audited financial statements for FY23/24, posted to the ONC website, reflect external contracts and services. The revenues and expenditures are included in UVic's audited financial statement. Scheduled activities for FY23/24 were carried out as planned. Totals are net of in-kind.
$15,152,286 Personnel
$8,668,497 Maintenance & Repairs
$2,883,162 Services
$835,379 General Administration & Other
$6,922,257 ONCS Operational Expense
$17,514,678 Canada Foundation for Innovation
$9,900,000 Federal Government
$7,013,873 Ocean Networks Canada Society
$1,456,000 University of Victoria
$34,461,581 TOTAL
$35,884,551 TOTAL
oceannetworks.ca
A UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA INITIATIVE
ONC is primarily funded by: the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Government of Canada, University of Victoria, and Government of British Columbia.
Associate members: Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, Dalhousie University, and EMSO-ERIC.
We are thankful for our many partners in industry, government, research, community, and higher education.