Oceans - The Future
Oceans research and the promise of partnership
Humanity has always been dependent on Earth’s oceans: for sustenance, for travel, for economic opportunity.
Today, we have a deeper understanding of our reciprocal relationship with the oceans. We recognize how important oceans are to our way of life: crucial to the economy and industries such as transportation, oil and gas, tourism, renewable energy, fisheries and more. But we’ve also learned that human activity has harmed ocean ecosystems through pollution, overfishing and global climate change.
The challenges are many. The opportunity is huge.
Dalhousie leadership
At Dalhousie, oceans are an area of special emphasis, with more than 100 of our faculty involved in research ranging from oceanography and marine biology to law and engineering. In 2011, oceans research at Dalhousie will see two major milestones: the 40th anniversary of the Department of Oceanography and the 25th anniversary of our Marine Affairs program.
Dalhousie leadership in oceans research is well-established. The Ocean Tracking Network is headquartered at Dalhousie, supported by the largest federal government grant in Atlantic Canada’s history. The university was recently awarded the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Ocean Science and Technology, bringing internationally-renowned marine chemist Doug Wallace to campus. And Dalhousie is host to the Aquatron, a unique world-class aquatic research facility that recently entered into a new partnership with Trojan Technologies of Ontario that will enable extensive commercial ballast water testing on-site.
Now, Dalhousie is taking a leadership role in establishing the Halifax Marine Research Institute, a collaborative marine research and commercialization vehicle that will increase the scale, quality, scope and impact of marine research in our region, helping to build a growing and vibrant cluster of marine technology companies. The HMRI will be launched on June 2 as part of Dalhousie Oceans Week.
Dalhousie oceans research highlights and developments
The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) is a $168-million conservation project that will dramatically expand our knowledge of what takes place in our oceans. It will track thousands of marine animals around the world—from fish to birds to polar bears—using acoustic telemetry technology. At the same time, it is building a record of climate change — data that can be analyzed and then applied to oceans solutions. Headquartered at Dalhousie University with a $45-million grant from CFI and NSERC and led by Dalhousie biologists Fred Whoriskey, Ron O'Dor and Sara Iverson, OTN unites leading ocean scientists around the globe.
The Canada Excellence Research Chair in Ocean Science and Technology will develop new, more accurate observation methods to help understand how our oceans are changing. Led by Doug Wallace, it will create new containerized biogeochemical observation instruments to be stationed on research and commercial container ships around the globe. These instruments will gather information about the fundamental transformations happening in the oceans.
Satlantic is a thriving Halifax company founded by Dalhousie oceanographer Marlon Lewis to satisfy an emerging need for precision optical sensors for ocean satellite calibration and validation. With R&D relationships with Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Rutgers University and the University of Southern California, Satlantic has earned a reputation for innovation, outstanding quality and support that has positioned the company as a leader in the ocean sciences community.
Marine Biologist and Dalhousie Professor Boris Worm has earned international recognition for his work illuminating the causes and consequences of changes in marine biodiversity. His 2006 paper in Science, predicting a collapse in global seafood supply by 2048, was a media sensation. Its follow-up paper with fisheries scientist Ray Hilborn was well-recognized for its role in bridging gaps between disciplines. Dr. Worm was recently awarded an NSERC Steacie Fellowship, a prestigious award for emerging researchers.
Research by Oceanography Professor Christopher Taggart and PhD student Angelia Vanderlaan into the movement of North Atlantic right whales informed Transport Canada’s establishment of a seasonal ‘Area to be Avoided’ in the Roseway Basin off the coast of Nova Scotia. A partnership with Bell Aliant enabled the research team to track shipping movement through the basin to ensure that its boundaries were being respected.
