Research Plans for a Mid-depth Cabled Seafloor Observatory in Western Canada

摘要

As the first cabled seafloor observatory that involves a geographically distributed network structure, the Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea (VENUS) will oversee the deployment of three powered fiber-optic cable lines in British Columbia's (B.C.) southern waters. The funded infrastructure will offer two-way high-speed communication access and interaction in 24-hour real time from the ocean floor and water column to a land based location. With an expected life of at least 20 years, each cable line will have a unique set of instrument suite combinations that will reflect the environmental processes being studied by participating scientists and researchers. Internet access to data will be available for all: collaborators, scientists, students and the public. This new approach to sharing data will undoubtedly change the pace of understanding about the oceans for both the scientific community and the general public.