NEPTUNE
Science
Overview
NEPTUNE is driven by the major challenges and questions
in ocean science. The unique design of the project, with
interactive laboratories and remotely
operated
vehicles (ROVs) supplied with communication and power, spread over a vast
area, will enable researchers to study processes previously beyond of the
capabilities
of traditional oceanography. An interdisciplinary approach will enable
researchers to answer some of the most complex and pressing
questions of ocean and earth
science today. NEPTUNE will push back the frontiers of science using state-of-the-science
technology.
NEPTUNE
Canada major research themes
A vast array of scientific sampling and observing instruments will provide
researchers the means to advance knowledge of the interacting geological,
physical, chemical, and biological systems of the deep ocean.
Current methods of ocean observation,
both ship-based sampling and satellite imaging, have limitations.
The most pressing challenges of ocean observation today
include:
- Poor sampling of rare and extreme events
- Difficulty resolving significant small spatial and
temporal variability
- Difficulty resolving and documenting long-term changes
in ocean climate
- Inaccessibility of the deep ocean
- Poor power and communication capability
NEPTUNE is a new way of approaching ocean science. The cabled observatory provides
online, real-time, two-way high-speed communication and electrical power
for experimentation and sampling. NEPTUNE's unique capabilities allow:
- Interaction with ocean instruments
- Immediate and year round (24/7/12) data return from
dispersed sites
- Internet access to data for all collaborators
- Long-term data return and living archive
- Shore-based power and high bandwidth
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NEPTUNE
science goals
A new approach
to ocean science
NEPTUNE represents an innovative approach to the study of earth and ocean systems,
and will likely result in many important discoveries that are difficult
to predict.
Dynamics of
a tectonic plate
The Juan de Fuca Plate is the smallest of the world's 12 tectonic plates, is
accessible being adjacent to North America, shows the entire array of tectonic
processes, and is therefore ideally suited for geologic study.
Climate and
greenhouse gas cycling in the ocean
Quantifying the spectrum of processes involving carbon gases to help examine
climate change.
Ocean productivity
studies
For the first time, NEPTUNE offers the ability to monitor physical, chemical,
and biological interactions involved in primary productivity over a period
of decades.
Marine mammal
and fish stock assessments
Real-time tracking of the migration, behaviour, and health of marine mammals
and fish will assist in modeling and managing biological resources.
Non-renewable
marine resources
Documentation of accumulation of metal deposits and hydrocarbon formation will
allow provide new insight into ocean resources.
Role of events
and episodes
The effects of sporadic, yet catastrophic events will be studied; the role
of extreme weather in air-sea mixing, the effects of earthquakes, volcanism
and tsunami on ocean and earth systems, and the role of algal blooms and carcasses
on the benthic ecosystem.
Hazard mitigation
Ability to track earthquakes, tsunamis, pollution, and toxic blooms will aid
the development of forecasting and warning systems.
Origin and
limits of life
A great diversity of extremophile life-forms are found below the seafloor,
and within and around hydrothermal vents and volcanoes, offering insights into
primitive earth habitats as well as potentially useful biotechnological applications.
Long-term active
experiments
The interactive and evolving nature of NEPTUNE instruments will allow researchers
to actively manipulate deepsea systems and track changes over long time periods.
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NEPTUNE:
fostering interactive research
NEPTUNE will foster interdisciplinary
and interactive research around the world.
The unique system design will allow scientist from diverse
fields to study the same processes from different viewpoints,
combining their results to understand
complex processes which overlap disciplines.
- Regional earth system science: lithosphere-hydrosphere-
biosphere climate
- Interfacing studies: interdisciplinary approaches
- Multi-instrument approach: cross-feed of information
to investigators
- Integrated access though archive: data fusion
- Access across the country
- Coordinated across observatories
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Science meetings
If you are a scientist
interested in NEPTUNE and upcoming meetings, please send
your contact information and
area of scientific interest and expertise
to the mailing list for NEPTUNE
U.S. or NEPTUNE
Canada.
Proto-observatories
Two smaller cabled
ocean observatories directly related to NEPTUNE are currently
underway. These two projects, VENUS and MARS,
innovative scientific initiatives in their own right, will also serve as shallow
and deep water test beds, respectively, for the equipment and systems that
are under development for NEPTUNE.
NEPTUNE is an advancement of an idea
that began with other smaller, cabled observatories. The
strong impetus behind NEPTUNE, both intellectual and societal,
means that NEPTUNE is likely to be the first of many large-scale
ocean observatories.
For information on the NEPTUNE
science initiative in the United States, please visit
the NEPTUNE
U.S. site.
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