NEPTUNE Canada

Cabled observation

NEPTUNE Canada's cabled observatory connects the seafloor to the Internet via real-time, two-way high-speed communications. This unique design will give researchers new capabilities beyond the reach of traditional oceanography.

VENUS

NEPTUNE Canada's sister observatory, the Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea (VENUS) is a cabled ocean observatory designed as an undersea laboratory for ocean researchers. VENUS aims to study three sites near Victoria and Vancouver, BC: a location in Saanich Inlet north of Victoria, which went into operation in February of 2006; a location near the Fraser River Delta; and a location in the deeper waters of the Strait of Georgia.

Dense Oceanfloor Network System for Earthquakes and Tsunamis (Japan)

The Dense Oceanfloor Network System for Earthquakes and Tsunamis (DONET), is an initiative of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). This project is installing twenty stations in the seismogenic zone of the 1944 Tonankai mega-thrust earthquake. Each station is composed of high-precision seismometers, a water pressure gauge (tsunami meter), and other instruments. All the sites will be connected with submarine cables to form dense networks to start a more extensive, and higher-precision, continuous observation, starting in 2010.

European Multidisciplinary Seas Observation

European Multidisciplinary Seas Observation (EMSO) deep-sea observatories are planned for 5 sites offshore from the European coastline. The EMSO development is based on synergic collaboration between the academic community and industry for the development of technology, both presently working within the European Seas Observatory Network of Excellence (ESONET).

Lighthouse Ocean Research Initiative (Oman)

Lighthouse Ocean Research Initiative (LORI) is a deep sea environmental observatory extending 65 km off the northern coast of Oman. The system provides in-situ information with the capability to modify parameters and sampling intervals from anywhere in the world. Oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, temperature, pressure, and current speed and direction are measured approximately every hour and transmitted via fiber optic cable to a self-contained shore facility. Once at the storage facility, data are archived to protect against loss and then telemetered via satellite to our home office in Houston where data are duplicated, backups are archived, and the data stream is readied for initial processing and returned to Oman. The system became operational in 2004, and in 2005 Lighthouse showcased its expansion capabilities by incorporating a Seismic Tsunami Early Warning System (STEWS). The cable was extended an additional 20 km and a sensor package was added to the end which includes a broadband seismometer, pressure sensor, accelerometer, and d/p gauge. STEWS-generated data was verified in May of 2005 by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Lighthouse is currently installing its second LORI system which extends 345 km around Cape Ras al Hadd and expects it to be operational in early 2010.

Long-term Ecosystem Observatory (USA)

Rutgers University's Long-term Ecosystem Observatory at 15 meters (LEO-15) system has been operating since 1996 in the coastal waters of New Jersey, near Tuckerton. This system is being upgraded to provide real-time information for the rapid environmental assessment and physical/biological forecasting.

Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (USA)

The Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) is a research observatory located at South Beach and in the ocean a mile off the south shore of Martha's Vineyard. It provides real time and archived coastal oceanographic and meteorological data for researchers, students and the general public.

Monterey Accelerated Research System (USA)

The Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS) is a cabled ocean observatory planned for installation on the seafloor in Monterey Canyon off the California coast. The MARS science node will be installed on the seafloor at a depth of 891 meters (2,923 feet), on a broad, muddy platform called Smooth Ridge. MARS is an initiative of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).

New Millennium Observatory (USA)

The New Millennium Observatory (NeMO) is operated by the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Newport, Oregon. This observatory studies the dynamic interactions between submarine volcanic activity and seafloor hotsprings at an observatory, Axial seamount. A volcanic eruption occurred at Axial in January 1998, destroying some hydrothermal vent sites and creating new ones. Since then NeMO scientists have been assessing the impact of the eruption and documenting the on-going changes in Axial's summit caldera.

Ocean Observatories Initiative (USA)

The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) is a U.S. National Science Foundation Division of Ocean Sciences program that focuses the science, technology, education and outreach of an emerging network of science driven ocean observing systems. The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) will construct a networked infrastructure of science-driven sensor systems to measure the physical, chemical, geological and biological variables in the ocean and seafloor.