Volume 2 l Issue 1 Summer 2012 OTN at two and a half years old: evolution and challenges ahead n just over two years of operation, OTN has made huge prosper. As we develop OTN’s Iprogress. Researchers from the NSERC funded OTN Canada have required new strategic plan, we accumulated an outstanding track record of first-rate science need the help and cooperation and developed an integrated Canada-wide research network of all OTN members to allow with international reach, and the global infrastructure has made OTN to best meet its potential major strides forward in its development to meet the needs of and the expectations of our the investigators. A key focus of the NSERC network is the training funders. We need to ask of students and postdoctoral fellows, as well as technicians and ourselves: What will be the research assistants. At last count, OTN Canada was supporting, in best means for OTN partners whole or in part, the programs of over 90 of these trainees, and and investigators to identify many more are involved in international projects. and integrate their work on major science questions that Nevertheless, we still have some major upcoming milestones provide common benefits to to accomplish, so there is still much work to do. As a result of both Canada and international an unsuccessful CFI Major Sciences Initiative (MSI) competition partners? How can OTN application, and also through internal recognition of our need best seek opportunities for to evolve to better meet the goals of a CFI International Joint international outreach and Venture Fund initiative, OTN as a whole is undergoing revisions in collaborations through such both our governance structure and strategic planning. At the same avenues as joint opportunities time, the NSERC funded network must prepare and formalize for the training of HQP? What research plans for phase II (years 2014–2016) for critical peer are the avenues OTN could Sara Iverson and Fred Whoriskey at the Second review. All these milestones, required by both granting councils, use to integrate Canadian and Annual OTN Canada are expected to be completed by the end of 2012. international efforts to inform Symposium policy and to transfer knowledge As part of the revised governance structure, OTN will have a single to end users? unified scientific leadership and an integrated research strategy which will involve the establishment of a new International The good news is that we have been given these challenges early Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) to complement the existing in the development of OTN. With the help and participation of all OTN Canada SAC. The ISAC membership will be drawn from the OTN researchers, we have the time we need to change and evolve. international scientific community, as well as from the Canadian Be ready to rally ‘round! SAC, in order to foster scientific integration across OTN. Both SACs will continue to focus on joint opportunities for training of HQP Sara Iverson, (highly qualified personnel) and the optimal sharing and use of the OTN Scientific Director network infrastructure. Fred Whoriskey, There will also be complete revision to the OTN Council structure OTN Executive Director to bring new skills to the Council that will help OTN grow and Follow for news between newsletters. Psst... Enjoy the new interactive OTN newsletter format. Click next and previous to turn pages and follow the links in blue. Global Array Update Growing the Network: across collaboration with Vemco and Liquid Robotics. OTN technician Ian Beveridge was sent down under In this issue: the pond and down under early this year to assist with phase I deployment of A full rollover of the 151 VR2W receiver stations on the Tasmania Array. Twenty-six VR2W stations were Global Since our last newsletter, the OTN technical team has the Cabot Strait Line was achieved in mid-April. Of deployed between the east coast of Tasmania and Tech Talk ......................................................... 4 been extremely busy extending and servicing existing interest were detections of American eels tagged in the Maria Island and extend seaward to the 200m isobath. receiver arrays close to home and travelling around the St. Lawrence River by OTN Canada researchers Julian An additional 40 receivers are planned for deployment Global Data Update ....................................6 globe to new deployments. Dodson and Martin Castonguay, which will hopefully around Cape Barren Island north of Tasmania in the help to clarify the migration of this elusive species. Bass Strait later this year. Update on existing deployments Canada OTN’s inaugural listening line, the Halifax Line, was The OTN Minas Passage Line recovery was under way Deployment of the OTN Hawaii Array is underway with Informing Policy .......................................... 7 completed in May, with a total length of ~205 km, when our last newsletter went to press. Results of the the deployment of six VR2W stations near Waikiki at recovery were rather disappointing when four of the 12 the end of April. This array will consist of four receiver Oceans and Animals .................................. 8 extending to the edge of the continental shelf. stations failed to surface. Based on the wear and tear lines off the island of Oahu and will be part of the larger on the hardware of recovered moorings, it was decided Pacific Coast Ocean Observing System (PACOOS). Data Perspective ......................................... 9 that an eight-month deployment in the extreme tidal Making Waves for the Future .............. 10 currents in the area was unrealistic. The line was The Northern Strait of Georgia Line of the OTN redeployed in late April with plans for retrieval and Vancouver Array was deployed in early January, redeployment in July. consisting of 26 VR3 and VR4 stations. The line was deployed in collaboration with the now retired Pacific OTN technician Duncan Bates traveled to South Africa Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST) program, which has OTN in the news: this spring to assist with servicing of the OTN South maintained a series of lines off the west coast of North African Array. Receiver Lines in Algoa Bay and Mossel America cooperatively with various partners since 2001. tracking salmon in the Bay, which were deployed near the end of 2011, OTN will be assimilating POST data and maintaining Gulf of St. Lawrence were retrieved for data download and redeployed. some infrastructure in support of continuing An important technical issue was the large amount of international research objectives in the NE Pacific. to Dr. Fred Whoriskey ‘s interview on biofouling on the equipment after only eight months in CBC’s West Coast Morning Halifax Line (in red) extending to the edge of the continental shelf the water. Upcoming deployments OTN technician Ian Beveridge has traveled to southern on the West Coast New deployments Spain twice so far this year in preparation for the Duncan also spent time in the Azores early this year for deployment of OTN’s Strait of Gibraltar Array. In April, Tagged migratory species to be heard in the One hundred eighty-four new receiver stations were added in 2012, increasing the existing number from 73 the first deployment of the OTN Azores Array. Thirteen he deployed four VR4 test moorings, which were to 257. Four new oceanographic monitoring “benthic VR2W receiver stations with EdgeTech acoustic releases recovered in June. Full deployment of the 35-station The New York Times blogs about pods” were also deployed, for a total of eight, with and rock anchors were deployed on the seamount chain line will be underway as soon as the test data are two more planned for July. The Halifax Line has a mix west of Faial Island. The scientific goal is to document evaluated. Read more about the Strait of Gibraltar test of VR3, VR4, and VR2W receivers, with 51 VR2Ws the use of seamounts by important benthic and deployment in OTN Tech Talk. deployed in waters where they may be vulnerable to pelagic fish species. The array includes other receivers fishing operations and the final 90 stations deployed owned by OTN collaborators at the Institute of Marine with VR4-UWMs. The intention is for long-term Research, University of the Azores. Four OTN VR4 deployment with remote data offloads using the Wave receiver stations will be deployed later this year. Glider, a technology that is currently being developed in 2 3 Tech Talk Tech challenges: extreme Each VR4-UWM was equipped with a Star- impact release times for the Sub Sea Sonics acoustic releases environments and biofouling Oddi DST tilt logger to record tilt every two being used by our partners in South Africa. The issue is also minutes. faced by other partners in the network and will no doubt Strait of Gibraltar be a topic discussed further by its members, especially as OTN, in collaboration with the University of Barcelona and The tilt data clearly show a tidal influence on many organizations and countries move to restrict the use the Instituto Español de Oceanografía, is planning to install the moorings, even at a 280m depth (Figure of some types of copper-based antifouling “hull” paints. an acoustic curtain of VR4-UWM receivers across the Strait 2). The extreme tilt values suggest that the Paul Cowley (SAIAB) and Duncan Bates collaborated on of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco. One of the big questions bottom currents can be very strong. The new and innovative solutions, such as a copper sleeve for regarding this deployment was whether or not acoustic Kintama and C-ROM floats were most affected the VR2W receiver (Figure 3). These were range tested communication with the VR4-UWM would be possible. by bottom currents with maximum tilts >60 alongside control (unfouled) and heavily fouled receivers. degrees. The SUBS and elliptical floats had Field tests show that there is no fouling on these copper The Strait of Gibraltar is a very dynamic oceanographic much lower maximum tilts and performed sleeves.