report from neptune canada workshop 2-4 june 2011...2-4 june 2011 neptune canadaworkshop report 2...

Report from NEPTUNE Canada Workshop

2-4 June 2011

Contributing Authors:Kim Juniper (NEPTUNE Canada)Sally Leys (Member NCUC)Susan Allen (Member NCSPC)Mairi Best (NEPTUNE Canada)Benoit Pirenne (NEPTUNE Canada)Leslie Elliot (NEPTUNE Canada)

2-4 June 2011 NEPTUNE CanadaWorkshop Report 1

Introduction

This report outlines the major activities of the NEPTUNE Canada community workshop held in Victoria, BC from 2-4 June 2011, and summarizes the results of breakout group discussions. Scientific contributions to the workshop, in the way of one-page research ideas, and research results presentations (oral and posters) are avail-able as separate, online documents at http://wiki.neptunecanada.ca/display/workshop/Documents. The detailed workshop agenda and list of participants are also available as separate documents at http://wiki.neptunecanada.ca/display/workshop/Agenda .

Workshop Aims

The NEPTUNE Canada (NC) workshops provide a forum for existing and new researchers to discuss the present status of the undersea network, communicate research results, and define future directions. The 2011 workshop had three themes for discussion: • Current Observatory Status – an assessment of the present state of the infrastructure (what is working, what is not) • Facilitating Research - an evaluation of how well data are currently being gathered and analyzed, and of what can be done to help people access data and help move analysis of data through to publications • Planning - discussion of new initiatives and of ways to sustain current initiatives.

Background

NC now has 5 nodes in various states of operation. From the time of NC’s launch on December 8, 2009, over 10TB of raw and processed data have been archived. There remain many challenges including delays in deploy-ment of instruments, some deployed instruments not yet functional, technical infrastructure failures and in one case, damage due to fishing. At the same time, the NC community has had an opportunity to experience the data that the network will provide and now needs to actively contribute to over program goals by accessing archived data, and by planning future projects.

The NC regional ocean network, part of the Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) Observatory that also includes the VENUS coastal network and ONCCEE, is now in its early operational phase, supported during 2010-2012 by operating funds from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). NC will be applying for new funds based partly on the outcomes of the 2011 workshop visions. The new CFI Major Science Initiatives (MSI) program will allow for 5-year operating grants and the upcoming competition for the CFI Leading Edge Fund (LEF) provides an opportunity for infrastructure expansion of the NC network through CFI and other funding sources. The coming year will also be marked by important changes in management (new NC Director in mid-2011 and new ONC President in mid-2012).

Workshop Format

The workshop consisted of plenary sessions each followed by breakout groups on several topics. Points from the discussions in each breakout group were placed on a Wiki (http://wiki.neptunecanada.ca/display/workshop/June+2011). These include: • Summary of infrastructure and instruments already deployed, and schedules for future deployments. • Current research activities with examples of research results to date.


Attendance and Participation

Attendance was similar to the 2010 workshop in terms of numbers of participants and the level of representation from the research community and other sectors. The ‘original researcher’ category in the table below refers to the original groups of researchers whose successful ‘community experiment’ proposals to NEPTUNE Canada in 2004 determined the locations of junction boxes and the types and locations instruments that were deployed at individual nodes and across the undersea network.

Workshop Total Participants

Original Researchers

Additional Researchers Data Industry DND Science

JournalistsJune 2011 75 23 35 4 8 3 1April 2010 67 25 34 1 4 2 1

Attendance at 2010 and 2011 NEPTUNE Canada workshops

Participant Comments

• Participants expressed an interest in bringing in more members of current research groups so they could use workshop time to discuss their own projects. • Scheduled meetings of the NCUC & NCSPC should take place on the first day when committee members are more likely to be present. • The format with plenary and breakout sessions worked well. There was good energy with many participants engaged in discussions right until the end of the meeting. However, some sessions e.g. the data session, fizzled out, possibly due to a lack of knowledge in the topic area. • Provide an opportunity for participants to contribute to workshop agenda prior to next meeting. • Using members of the research community to chair different sessions worked well, but time should allot- ted after each breakout session for chairs/facilitators to discuss/review sessions, so that there can be more consistent quality in the reporting back to workshop plenary sessions on each breakout topic.

Future Research Directions

Ideas for future research directions for NEPTUNE Canada were developed at the workshop based on pre-sub-mitted 1-page proposals and group discussions.

See http://wiki.neptunecanada.ca/display/workshop/Future+Planning+Discussion for all notes recorded during these discussions. Information on proposing the addition of an instrument on NEPTUNE Canada, requesting special use of an existing instrument, or using NEPTUNE Canada data can be found at: http://www.neptunecan-ada.ca/research/research-opportunities/

• Drafts of proposals for grants for additional instruments and for research support; as well as names of those writing larger proposals such as CFI/LEF and NSERC Strategic Network Grants; and information for the CFI MSI application by ONC . • Researcher needs for coming year, with prioritization. • Membership of the new Science Planning (NCSPC) and Science User (NCUC) committees.


The following table highlights main discussion outcomes, in terms of identified future research directions, and identifies the appropriate research theme contact at NC and email address, for any researchers wishing to follow up on these ideas.

Coast and Water ColumnNC: Steve Mihály [email protected]

• Spatio-temporal variation in pH and hypoxia• Seasonal cycle biophysical-chemical at VPR site• Upper ocean and deep water turbulence• Benthic-pelagic coupling• Zooplankton seasonal patterns with multi-fre-

quency sonar

BioacousticsNC: Martin Scherwath [email protected]

• Noise effects on cetacean behaviour• General cetacean migratory and social behaviour

TectonicsNC: Martin Heesemann [email protected]

• Deformation patterns on seaward portion of sub-duction zone

• Segment-scale deformation along mid-ocean ridge• Deformation coupling across Juan de Fuca Plate• Regional tectonics• Lithosphere-upper mantle structural and plate

motion

Vent ProcessesNC: Marjolaine Matabos [email protected]

• Fluxes in heat, mass, and biomass• Temporal variability• Tide, current, storm, and earthquake effects• Other forcing functions• Fate of hydrothermal products in water column:

chemical versus microbial

Gas Hydrate and Benthic Biological Dynamics

NC: Marjolaine Matabos [email protected] and Martin Scherwath [email protected]

• Hydrate field dynamics (spatial/temporal) and their impact on benthos

• Benthic-pelagic coupling, seasonality• Real-time microbial dynamics in hydrate fields• Hypoxia and acidification effects related to shelf-

edge upwelling (Saanich Inlet to Barkley Canyon)• Light and reef effects of observing systems

Video and DataNC: Maia Hoeberechts [email protected]

• Identifying “events of interest” across disciplines• Multimodal registration for sensor in the deep sea

(data fusion)• Content based on imave/video retrieval and an-

notation in underwater video


Archived and Real-Time DataComments and ReccomendationsData Access• Attach data citation information to tall downloaded data sets• Develop shorter, more streamlined workflows that are adapted to user requirements• Continue development of quick look tools and incorporation of user-created data tools• Add display/visualization for sonar data• Add map interface for accessing data from devices that are active/on site within specified date range• Expand program for training and assitance for users: eg. 2-day workshops, Skype consultations, video tuto-

rials• Provide direct link to ocean buoy data and links to satellite imagery sites• Permit general/global searches with key words (eg. <earthquakes>) that would create a list/page of all re-

lated information availabel in the system• Permit metadata keyword searches• Permit integrated data access (eg. Plotting Utility expansion to cross-reference video data with other rel-

evant sensors)• Further develop capacity for content-based annotation and retrieval of underwater video and still imageryHandling of Data Gaps• Data gaps should be identified ina time series• Data gaps should not be filled• Statistics on data gaps should be availableData Analysis• Move to analyzing online, not downloading• Add R to supported languages• Open data server like CodeRunner with “metadata precision”• Permit high-level assemblage of pieces of code for scriptsPlotting Utility• Develop tool for sharing data sets and plots with other groups and individuals• Permit running of simple descriptive statistics on selected data, in addition to plottingEvent Detection• Permit RSS feeds, tweets, and other alerts based on fixed or user-specified criteria• Consider developing expert system to follow propagation of events (eg. turbidity current) through the

region, based on prior knowlege of devices likely to be affected• Eplore the potential of multi-modal registration for sensors (data fusion)

Specific Comments and Recommendations for NEPTUNE CanadaIn addition to exploring directions for future research, the breakout groups were asked to provide specific com-ments and recommendations for improvements to the underwater and online components of the observatory. These are summarized in the following tables.


Earthquake MonitoringComments and RecommendationsSeismic Data• Can we get statistics or RMS values for higher frequency data?Returned Data (From Military Diversion)• Some known events could be located in seismic data because of military diversion• Returned data in many (millions) very small packets; compiliation impossible1 Hz Data• Recommend archiving 1 Hz time series data at NEPTUNE to save users from going through IRIS• Alternative would be to have NEPTUNE pull and access 1 Hz data (Plotting Utility, etc.) but data storage

on IRIS would continueEarthquakes• Primary interest of users is in the locations o fearthquake events, rather than in the characteristics of the

wave data. Access to these secondary or interpreted data would be beneficial• Data products should include azimuth plots to enable event locations to be narrowed down• Should be able to determine which NEPTUNE instrument was used to detect certain events• Future data products should include auto-updating map with locations of seismic eventsInter-Operability With Other Agencies• Need to clearly define types of data that should be shared, irrespective of other agencyStudent Resources• Create continuing undergrad student position dedicated to locating earthquakes every day, reviewing and

recording eventsOther Resources• Consider partnering with OOI on instrument procurement (eg. hydrophones, short period seismometers)• DONET (Japan)• Host targeted meetings to develop new initiatives

Core InstrumentsComments and RecommendationsWhat Are Core Instruments?• Well-calibrated sensors that provide “basic” ocean and earth science measurements• Data from core instruments would permit NC to provide ecosystem change alerts or tsunami wanrings• Long-term vision required to sustain basic monitoring• Need to identify core instruments providing data of direct benefit to BC (seismometers, tsunami sensors,

oxygen sensors for hypoxia)Core Data Products• Strike committee to determine core data products and priorities for water column group with representa-

tion from benthic group, DMAS, and NC Science• Daily time series backscatter plot (screen shot) for ADCPs to illustrate maximum current by depth interval

in relation to tides and internal oscillations• Daily controur plots of current events. Filter by short and long time scales• Extract 1D profile of currents, several times/day


User Controlled InstrumentsComments and RecommendationsProgrammable Instruments• Recommendation to NEPTUNE Canada User Committee that Vertical Profiler System (VPS) program-

ming be controlled by a small group of scientists• Self-preservation default protocols for VPS - simplest and safest default mechanism is to abort profile and

return to seafloorVPS• Water sample calibration for VPS• VPS should be able to stop profiles before reaching sea surface

Adding New InstrumentsComments and RecommendationsNew Instrument Testing• Develop a more stp-by-step implementationCreate a “passport” for each piece of equipment that requires authorizing signatures/initials from NC staff and

science users prior to deploymentAcoustic Interference• Requirement to test new acoustic equipment against co-located equipment• Continued work on filtering pinging data from hydrophone data• Move hyrophone off VPSElectrical Interference• Improve junction boxes• List instruments sensitive to electrical noise• Tank test new instruments for noise sensitivity and interference• Approach suppliers about producing high-power, low noise instruments

Site-Specific ImprovementsComments and RecommendationsEndeavour - Main Endeavour Field (MEF)• Add a current meter within vent field, redeploy camera, and add additional temperature sensorsODP 889 - Bullseye• Connect broehole instrumentsODP 889 - Bubbly Gulch• Add a CTD and othe rinstruments in seep field• Reposition sonar closer to bubble seeps• Consider installing pore fluid sampling array similar to systems deployed by FSU and MBARIBarkley Canyon Hydrates• Eventually reposition instrument pod closer to Wally Land (no junction box ports currently available)• Markers on outcrops to quantify volume changes• Install temperature sensors• Have ROPOS conduct regular video surveys of hydrate outcrop field to document chagnes in bacterial and

faunal communities• Deploy substrate such as wood for colonization by microbes and fauna


All Sites - Recommended ImprovementsComments and RecommendationsCalibration and Survey ProgramImplement regular sampling and survey program coupled with engineering work, for instrument calibration and site characterization• Optimize use of ROV - Systematic, repeated ROV imaging surveys around and between platforms - Systematic logging ROV sensor data during water column and seafloor transits - Yearly sediment push-cores - Opportunistic biological and geological samples for identifications and analysis• Optimize use of support vessel - Water column CTD-rosette sampling - Multi-beam sonar - ADCP for surface currentsNew Sensors• Install hydrophones on all existing platforms to permit directional tracking for studies of marine mammal

behaviour and movement• Install network of oxygen sensors at existing seafloor locations

Turning Experience and Data Into KnowldegeComments and RecommendationsePublication• Document existing knowldege and technical know-how for future NC and science users in a series of cit-

able online documents - Biological and physical characteristics of study area - Cable route and installation surveys - Engineering and shipboard procedures - Tuning devices to optimize data quality - Detailed technical notes from users• Link publications (thesis, research articles) to archived data to facilitate follow-up studiesData Citations• Review and formalize data citation format for data from NC archive• Develop mechanism for dissemination (and citation) of user-created data sets