More eyes on the ocean

UVic geographer Maycira Costa has received $361,500 in funding from the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) and UVic’s Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) to study biophysical processes in ocean waters along the migration route of juvenile salmon.

“This will be a large effort combining data from ocean satellites and other platforms, such as ships of opportunity and ONC observatories,” says Costa, whose area of expertise includes remote sensing, coastal oceanography, wetlands and biogeophysical processes.

Analysis will incorporate satellite data from the past two decades, sampling from vessels of opportunity, research cruises, cabled observatories (ONC), aquaculture industry surveys, citizen science and archived data. The project will inform management of salmon stocks and provide new visualization tools for monitoring the state of the ocean.

The partnership between MEOPAR and ONC grew out of a mutual interest in using ocean observation to advance marine science for the benefit of Canada. The two organizations frequently work together on marine research initiatives and hosting regional science-focused workshops.