Monitoring sound in the Salish Sea: how scientists are trying to understand the decline of Southern Resident Killer Whales

Deployment of the hydrophone mooring.

The Salish Sea, located on the west coast of Canada, is bounded by the lower mainland of British Columbia to the east, Vancouver Island to the west, and the state of Washington to the south. This Sea is a bustling location, with millions of people living along its shoreline and numerous vessels sailing through its waters daily. It is also … Read More

FjordPhyto: Citizen science in the Antarctic

Oceanographers on a boat in the arctic.

Air and ocean temperatures have notably increased in the Antarctic since the 1950s, with publications finding that it is the third fastest warming region on Earth and that 87% of its glaciers are in retreat. Its nearshore, fjord-dominated areas are particularly sensitive to this glacial retreat, the effects of which can be detected throughout this crucial ecosystem where local megafauna … Read More

RBR celebrates 50 years of driving change

RBR 50th Anniversary celebration

RBR is proud to celebrate its 50th anniversary of providing oceanographic sensors, instruments, and measurement systems to researchers around the world. Founded in 1973, RBR has grown from a small Canadian engineering contractor to become one of the most innovative instrumentation companies in global oceanography. Richard Brancker Research, as RBR started, was founded in a basement. Taking over the entire home, … Read More

RBR and Ocean Networks Canada collaboration extends long-term seismic monitoring capabilities

Location of ONC remote sensing system

In 2021, RBR and Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) collaboratively designed and deployed a suite of instruments tailored to long-term and remote seismic research. This system is serviceable by remotely operated vehicle (ROV) while deployed, addresses instrument drift internally, can be deployed individually or integrated into a cabled array, and is entirely monitored by a portable data controller and power hub. … Read More

Understanding the glacier-ocean connection in Jones Sound: A multidisciplinary approach

Group of interdisciplinary scientists from the summer 2022 field season.

Nestled between Ellesmere Island and Devon Island is Jones Sound, which is located in the rapidly and dramatically changing Canadian Arctic. The coastlines here are characterised by intricate fjords, many of which are highly influenced by tidewater glaciers (i.e. glaciers that end at the head of the fjord which discharge meltwater below the ocean surface). It is a region at … Read More