At th

is po

int w

e ar

e pr

ovid

ing

The

Dyna

mic

Edge

gra

phic

elem

ent

in tw

o siz

es. O

ne is

the

basic

leng

th o

f 8.5

inch

es (t

he lo

wer o

ne)

and

the

othe

r (ab

ove)

is 1

7 in

ches

whi

ch is

dou

ble

that

. Thi

s is

for h

orizo

ntal

use

on

the

widt

h of

a le

tter o

r the

wid

th o

f a ta

bloi

d sh

eet.

For l

onge

r app

licat

ions

the

grap

hic

can

be a

dded

to th

e en

d –

ad in

finitu

m (s

ome

deta

iled

adju

stm

ents

to th

e co

nnec

tions

mig

ht b

e

nece

ssar

y). W

e wi

ll nee

d to

wor

k ou

t how

ble

ed is

han

dled

and

oth

er ru

les

arou

nd h

ow m

uch

flexib

ility

ther

e sh

ould

be.

The

re is

also

the

trans

pare

nt o

verla

y ef

fect

whi

ch is

a k

ey p

art o

f usin

g th

is gr

aphi

c el

emen

t. Us

e th

e m

ultip

ly bl

endi

ng m

ode

on th

e se

gmen

ts th

at

shou

ld lo

ok lik

e a

trans

pare

nt o

verla

y.

Dyna

mic

Edg

e G

raph

ic E

lem

ent

Colo

ur17

inch

es a

nd 8

.5 in

ches

www.uvic.ca/research

EDGEWISE

by Kim Westad

It’s easy to overlook the vibrant world beneath the ocean’s surface. After all, maps and

satellite images of Earth show the land in all its variations, with texture and perspective. But the ocean is usually shown as flat and bare of anything that reflects the active life in its depths.

It’s something that has always stood out to Rosaline Canessa, a University of Victoria geo-grapher with a passion for computer mapping.

“When the ocean is depicted as flat and lifeless—which it is not—it’s easier for people to think, “Well, we can do whatever we want with it because there’s nothing much there,” says Canessa. “There’s a vast unmapped world under the surface, but if people don’t see or hear it, they tend to think it’s not important.”

Canessa is leading a three-year research project that seeks to change those perceptions. The study is using advanced 3D mapping techniques to better understand how underwater noise from passing ships can impact marine ecosystems.

Ship-based noise is expected to increase as marine vessel activity expands due to longer ice-free passages in the Arctic, planned port ex-pansions, a new marine terminal in Vancouver

and proposed pipeline expansions. Studies show that ship noise can interfere

with the ability of marine animals such as whales and fish to communicate, forage and navigate. This has conservation implications for marine species at risk and possibly for subsistence and commercial fisheries.

As a result, government and industry are increasingly being required to take mitigation measures against acoustic disturbance—with-out reliable data to inform their decisions.

The UVic-led study is collecting and analyz-ing data on ship movements and sound off BC and in the Arctic Ocean, and dealing with gaps in data collection, particularly noise from recreational boats.

The study is focusing on three areas: the busy Salish Sea, which is facing a large increase in vessel traffic; Sgaan Kinghlas-Bowie Seamount marine protected area, a productive and sensi-tive ecosystem west of Haida Gwaii; and Sachs Harbour and Amundsen Gulf, a shipping route bottleneck in the Arctic.

This month, Canessa led a workshop with stakeholder groups—members of the Haida Nation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, fishing industry representatives and environmental

groups—to explore early results of shipping and noise patterns in the Bowie marine protected area.

The researchers are using a variety of systems, including Automated Identification Systems (AIS) and air surveillance to track vessels and improve cumulative noise exposure models.

Making the resulting mass of data useful is Canessa’s area of expertise. She and several graduate students will bring the ocean world to life by translating the information into a visual

“language” via GIS-based, 3D interactive maps. Stakeholder groups will be able to view 3D

maps loaded with the best available data on large, interactive touch tables. These tools will be used by everyone from community groups to government and industry as they jointly face the issue of mitigating noise impacts from marine vessels.

“Maps are a tremendous way of communicat-ing and collaborating,” says Canessa. “If plan-ners and decision-makers have an opportunity to explore the ocean in this way, it will give depth to their understanding and hopefully depth to their policies.”

The study is funded by the Marine Environment Observation Prediction  and Response (MEOPAR) network.

A UVic-led study uses advanced 3D mapping to assess the impact of shipping noise

EDGEWISE

Canessa, standing, and graduate student Cathryn Brandon. UVIC PHOTO SERVICES

BENEATH THE WAVES

The three main sources of manmade noise in the ocean are commercial shipping, military sonar and seismic exploration. In the open Pacific, underwater noise levels have been doubling in intensity every decade since the 1960s.

About 90 per cent of world trade is carried by the international shipping industry. There are more than 50,000 merchant ships plying the oceans, transporting every kind of cargo.

While maps and GIS are already used in marine spatial planning, they’re generally limited to mapping processes on the ocean surface and don’t capture and communicate the complexity of interrelated marine phenomena.

The 3D mapping developed in this study will allow researchers to run simulations of how much noise can be expected from increased shipping along the coast, and whether this increase could be mitigated through speed restrictions, time-area closures or ship-quieting technologies.

Canessa is director of the Coastal and Ocean Resources Analysis Lab (CORAL) at UVic, which uses spatial technologies to help decision-makers manage resources, resolve user conflicts and protect key ecosystems. Info: coral.geog.uvic.ca/

In her classes, Canessa uses her research to show students the many different perspectives people have about the marine environment.

“Our challenge is to think about a sustainable plan that meets the objectives of many stakeholders,” she says.

Meet Rosaline Canessa at bit.ly/uvic-canessa

KNOWLEDGEResearch and discovery

at the University of VictoriaVOL 15 NO 3 MARCH 2015

UVIC Colloquialism Colour

Supporting education in our

community