Instrumented oceanographic moorings
as year-round observatories in C3O
Height & period spectrum of storm waves
4
0
Wave height (m)
3
15
15
10
10
5
5
4
December
January
February
March
April
May
2004 - 2005
June
July
August
September
11-Aug
21-Aug
31-Aug
10-Sep
2007
20-Sep
30-Sep
10-Oct
99
4
66
2
33
55 m depth
33 m depth
2
0
The seasonal cycle of pack ice development via freezing
& ridge building & its decay via melting
1
1
20-Oct
0
1991
0
1-Jun
11-Jun
21-Jun
1-Jul
11-Jul
21-Jul
31-Jul
10-Aug
2008
20-Aug
30-Aug
9-Sep
19-Sep
29-Sep
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
9-Oct
5: Doppler sonar measures ice drift, ocean current & the strength of echoes from zooplankton, at all depths
100
Trajectories of ice drift from Doppler sonar reveal flaw lead opening & closing during winter & inter-annual variation in the net displacement of pack ice
30-Nov-07
30-Dec-07
21 Oct-07 to 2 May-08
IPS4 Ice-profiling Sonar
Pieps beacon w/ bracket
10-Nov-07
10-Dec-07
20-Nov-07
31-Oct-07
0
19-Jan-08
28-Feb-08
8-Apr-08
21-Oct-05
21-Oct-07
29-Jan-08
8-Feb-08
18-Apr-08
25-Dec-06
28-Apr-08
13-Feb-07
21 Oct-05 to 1 Jun-06
31-Oct-05
25-Nov-06
5-Dec-06
15-Dec-06
4-Jan-07
14-Jan-07
10-Nov-05
20-Nov-05
30-Mar-06
9-Apr-06
19-Apr-06
29-Apr-06
19-May-06
9-May-06
21 Oct-06 to 30 May-07
-300
3-Feb-07
24-Jan-07
4-Apr-0723-Feb-07
5-Mar-07
14-Apr-07
15-Mar-07
25-Mar-07
24-Apr-07
4-May-07
20-Dec-05
30-Dec-05
28-Feb-06
10-Mar-06
18-Feb-06
20-Mar-06
9-Jan-06
8-Feb-06
19-Jan-06
10-Dec-05
30-Nov-05
29-Jan-06
29-May-06
14-May-07
24-May-07
-2000
64 m: 1/4" kevlar
5-Nov-06
15-Nov-06
26-Oct-06
9-Mar-08
19-Mar-08
29-Mar-08
-100
Stainlessand
steelIce
frame
Wave
Profiling
5 Viny floats w/ plywood stops
Sonar
(W-IPS)
Bumper 'hose'
w/ clamps
20-Dec-07
9-Jan-08
18-Feb-08
South-North (km)
45 m
Temperature-Salinity
SBE37-SM
Recorder
-1900
-1800
-1700
-1600
-1500
-1400
-1300
-1200
-1100
-1000
West-East (km)
-900
-800
-700
-600
-500
-400
-300
-200
-100
0
Full-depth currents from Doppler sonar reveal topographically channeled
upwelling of nutrient rich water in Kugmallit sea valley north of
Tuktoyaktuk.
(non-magnetic link)
110 m
Temperature-Salinity
SBE37-SM
Recorder
Doppler sonar (ADCP)
The figure shows progressive vector plots of current, with that at the
deepest level measurement coloured to indicate the wind direction.
Upwelling (flow to the south) occurs predominately with east wind (blue)
Work Horse Sentinel 300 kHz
Stainless frame & battery case
5 Viny floats w/ plywood stops
Dihedral vanes (10" x 42" each)
The intensity of sonar echoes provides a fascinating view of the
ever changing presence of zooplankton in the water column
1.5T bronze swivel
2: The Rationale for Moorings in C3O
Less than 25% data
Beaufort shelf
0
November
1st element: Observations on route (July & October) to map ocean
features & to determine physical, chemical & biological characteristics
2nd element: Continuous observations by autonomous instruments on
sub-sea moorings to document conditions year-round at key locations
0
3
October
Mean draft (ice only)
Mean draft (overall)
6
8
-200
Incremental science tasking of CCG icebreakers heading north on annual
Arctic patrols from Victoria BC & St John’s NF
20
0
1: The Canada’s Three Oceans Concept
Ice concentration
12
25
Maximum ice thickness
Average ice thickness
20
2
0
1-Aug
Long-term, affordable monitoring of the oceans that surround Canada
25
Thickness of sea ice (m)
Wave period (s)
IPY Project CC-138: Canada’s Three Oceans (C3O)
8
Ice Draft (m)
1
12
Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney BC Canada
Plus … detailed topographic data on ice ridges, multi-year floes, leads
– useful for offshore engineering & ecological studies
Seasonal & long-term changes in pack-ice thickness
4: Wave & ice profiling sonar provides …
Ice Concentration (%)
Humfrey Melling, Svein Vagle, Bill Williams,
Ed Carmack
4.8 m: 1/4" kevlar
Seasonal variations in the ocean environment & ecosystem are dramatic
Biological populations either adapt to wintertime conditions, or migrate
Viny 12B3 floats (3 on 3/4" poly)
Important events in the oceans’ ecological year occur at times and in
places where human access is impractical
7: Temperature-salinity sensors record …
Ambient Sound Recorder
(AURAL)
Cycles in seawater properties driven by heating, cooling, freezing &
weather events
AURAL-M2 (60") in-line frame
6: AURAL records ambient sound which reveals …
The presence of marine mammals (e.g. bowhead, beluga, bearded seal, walrus)
36.8 m: 1/4" kevlar
The occurrence of human activity (e.g. aircraft, ships, distant seismic survey)
Information on natural processes (ice fracture, ridge building, blowing snow, wind waves)
Temperature (celsius)
120 m
1
0
Site 1
Site 2
Site 11
-1
-2
1-Sep-07
1-Nov-07
1-Jan-08
2-Mar-08
2-May-08
2-Jul-08
1-Sep-08
1-Nov-08
1-Nov-07
1-Jan-08
2-Mar-08
2-May-08
2-Jul-08
1-Sep-08
1-Nov-08
36
Viny 12B3 floats (3 on 3/4" poly)
35
C3O’s Sleepless Eyes in the Ocean
The schematic diagram to the right depicts the installation of monitoring
instruments on a C3O moored ocean observatory
Salinity
3: Autonomous Moored Instruments are
1.5T bronze swivel
Temperature-Salinity
Recorder
Tandem release transponder
165 m
33
32
31
"D" drop link
30
1-Sep-07
1 m: 3/4" polypro
IPY Canada Early Results Workshop, Ottawa, 16-18 February 2010
Site 1
Site 2
Site 11
34
800-lb clump (scrap chain)
Audiogram of a bearded seal vocalization, a prolonged whistle of time-decreasing frequency
The figure shows an anomalous hyper-saline event on the Beaufort shelf driven by unusually strong &
sustained upwelling throughout 2007, amplified in autumn by brine rejection from newly formed ice