NEPTUNE Canada

Biophysical Linkages

Biophysical Linkages Underlying Variability in Coastal Ocean Processes off the West Coast of Vancouver Island

Principal investigator(s)

John Dower

Co-investigators

Susan Allen, Rick Thomson, Jay Cullen, Diana Varela, Maycira Costa, Svein Vagle, Steve Mihály, Brad de Young

Discussion & Collaboration

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Abstract

We will deploy a vertical profiler that will be equipped with a suite of physical, chemical and biological sensors. Our primary objective is to use data collected by the profiler to help develop a mechanistic understanding of the biophysical linkages that drive variability in coastal ocean processes off the west coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI).

The profiler will measure a range of oceanographic parameters including temperature, salinity, currents, nutrients, CO2, fluorescence, light and plankton. Although the WCVI has been studied for 50 years, many key questions remain. For instance, although we know that the timing and intensity of the spring bloom varies annually, we do not yet know the physical and chemical underpinnings of this variability, or how the variability is transferred to higher trophic levels. Part of the problem has always been our inability to sample these processes at the appropriate frequencies. The real-time sampling capabilities of the NEPTUNE array will give us the data to start.

Study Sites/Locations

The vertical profiler will be deployed on the continental slope off the WCVI at a depth of ~400m. It will be positioned several kilometers north of the main Barkley Canyon. This site was chosen to represent “typical” conditions along the WCVI and to be far enough upstream from Barkley Canyon so as to be out of the direct influence of any “canyon effects.

Equipment Summary

The profiler itself includes a winch package, which sits on the bottom, and a buoyant profiling package which will rise to the surface. When not in use, the profiling package will be “parked” at depth (to reduce biofouling). Although the regular duty cycle will involve a series of pre-programmed profiles per day, the profiler can also be instructed to remain at a given depth or to increase its number of profiles in response to interesting events (e.g. plankton blooms). The profiling package is equipped with the following instruments: a CTD, an oxygen sensor, a 400 kHz current profiler, two fluorometers (regular and CDOM), a transmissometer, upward- and downward-looking radiometers, a nitrate sensor, a CO2 sensor, a 125 kHz zooplankton acoustic sensor and a broad-band hydrophone. An upward-looking ADCP will also be mounted alongside the winch.

How this project will foster collaboration

The research team includes a diverse array of expertise, spanning physical chemical and biological oceanography. Some team members have a long history of previous collaborations; while others have only recently joined the oceanographic community on Canada’s west coast. By co-locating all of these instruments on a single profiler, team members will be able to jointly explore the interrelationships and linkages among various physical, chemical and biological processes on the WCVI, which will facilitate direct collaboration among the team. The WCVI is also an area of considerable ship-based oceanographic research. Data from this profiler will thus provide a link to that community of researchers, too, insofar as the continuous real-time data from the profiler will help to contextualize the data collected during short-term ship-based surveys. Finally, by making all of these data-streams freely available to other researchers, it is our hope that this open access will foster new collaborations far beyond those among the team members.

Resources & References

To be added.