VENUS
Encyclopedia
VENUS - http://venus.uvic.ca - (Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea) is a cabled sea floor observatory operated out of the University of Victoria
, British Columbia
, Canada
. The VENUS cabled ocean observatory is designed to provide new ways of studying the ocean. Since its launch in 2006, VENUS has enabled scientists to run and monitor various ocean experiments out of the convenience of their desktops. The aim of VENUS is to study coastal oceans in two sites near Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. The first site of VENUS seafloor network, operational since February 2006, is located in Saanich Inlet
at 100m. The second site is located in the deeper waters of the Strait of Georgia
and links instrument arrays deployed at depths varying from 100 to 300 meters.
VENUS uses Internet, telecommunication technology, and a network of about 50 kilometers of fiber optic cables at a maximum depth of 300 meters to create a permanent link to cameras and other monitoring instruments on the seafloor. The VENUS observatory has scores of sensors that measure such parameters as temperature, salinity, and pressure of the water 24 hours a day. The seafloor instruments provide oceanographers, marine biologists, and geologists with real-time ocean data. "The VENUS observatory represents a step change for the world of marine science and oceanography, which will help improve the way marine scientists observe ocean life in the future" said Dr. Phil Hart, Director of Engineering at Global Marine. Ship-based ocean research methods provide a snapshot view only, whereas the VENUS observatory can be like a continuous film, which will allow more reliable long term observation.
The data, including images and audio, are processed and made available to researchers and the public through the VENUS website. The goal of the project is to not only provide valuable information to advance research, but also to allow everyone from graduate school students to curious parents to log on and view the ocean up close. The facility is funded by the federal and provincial governments of Canada, as well as private industry. VENUS is designed to provide continuous observations for 20-25 years.
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The VENUS cabled ocean observatory is designed to provide new ways of studying the ocean. Since its launch in 2006, VENUS has enabled scientists to run and monitor various ocean experiments out of the convenience of their desktops. The aim of VENUS is to study coastal oceans in two sites near Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. The first site of VENUS seafloor network, operational since February 2006, is located in Saanich Inlet
Saanich Inlet
Saanich Inlet is a body of salt water that lies between the Saanich Peninsula and the Malahat highlands of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Located just northwest of Victoria, the inlet is 24 km long , has a surface area of 65 km2 , and its maximum depth is 225 m . Great...
at 100m. The second site is located in the deeper waters of the Strait of Georgia
Strait of Georgia
The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...
and links instrument arrays deployed at depths varying from 100 to 300 meters.
VENUS uses Internet, telecommunication technology, and a network of about 50 kilometers of fiber optic cables at a maximum depth of 300 meters to create a permanent link to cameras and other monitoring instruments on the seafloor. The VENUS observatory has scores of sensors that measure such parameters as temperature, salinity, and pressure of the water 24 hours a day. The seafloor instruments provide oceanographers, marine biologists, and geologists with real-time ocean data. "The VENUS observatory represents a step change for the world of marine science and oceanography, which will help improve the way marine scientists observe ocean life in the future" said Dr. Phil Hart, Director of Engineering at Global Marine. Ship-based ocean research methods provide a snapshot view only, whereas the VENUS observatory can be like a continuous film, which will allow more reliable long term observation.
The data, including images and audio, are processed and made available to researchers and the public through the VENUS website. The goal of the project is to not only provide valuable information to advance research, but also to allow everyone from graduate school students to curious parents to log on and view the ocean up close. The facility is funded by the federal and provincial governments of Canada, as well as private industry. VENUS is designed to provide continuous observations for 20-25 years.
See also
- NEPTUNENEPTUNEThe NEPTUNE Canada project is the world’s first regional-scale underwater ocean observatory that plugs directly into the Internet. Since December 2009, it has allowed people to "surf" the seafloor while ocean scientists run deep-water experiments from labs and universities around the world. Along...
Canada, a sister project to VENUS, also operated out of the University of Victoria, BC. - MARS, a similar MBARIMbaridid you mean MBARI ?Mbari is a settlement in Kenya's Central Province....
cabled-based oceanography observatory. - SATURN, Science and Technology University Research Network, a coastal margin, or river-to-ocean, testbed observatory for the United States Pacific Northwest, a project of the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction.