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MEOPAR and Irving Shipbuilding Funding wins Dal ocean research a seat on a commercial ship

Posted by Media Centre on February 18, 2016 in News
Dr. Julie LaRoche and her team at Dalhousie University receive $150,000 from MEOPAR and Irving Shipbuilding. (Courtesy: Bruce Bottomley)
Dr. Julie LaRoche and her team at Dalhousie University receive $150,000 from MEOPAR and Irving Shipbuilding. (Courtesy: Bruce Bottomley)

(HALIFAX, N.S.) – New funding from the Marine Environmental Observation Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. (ISI) will allow Dalhousie University researchers to sample coastal Nova Scotian waters from a commercial ship named Atlantic Condor. The data collected will be critical to learning more about seasonal algal blooms, which are the main food supply for larval fish.

Yesterday, MEOPAR and ISI announced $1.8 million in funding for nine Canadian ocean research projects.

“Irving Shipbuilding’s $1-million contribution in support of progressive, coast-to-coast-to-coast marine research highlights the importance of effective industry and academic partnerships,” said MEOPAR Scientific Director Dr. Doug Wallace. “As a result of their investment, MEOPAR contributed $800,000 to support these nine research projects, which also leveraged a further $2-million from 27 contributing partners. We are proud to partner with Irving Shipbuilding on this important research.”

Julie LaRoche and her team at Dalhousie University received $150,000. It will help support a postdoctoral student, two undergraduate student researchers and six co-op students required for the project.

The LaRoche Research Group will examine shifting marine ecosystems and microbiological processes between mainland Nova Scotia and Sable Island. Atlantic Towing Inc. has voluntarily provided Dr. LaRoche’s team with access and facilities on the Atlantic Condor, a resupply ship that makes weekly supply trips to the Deep Panuke drilling platform near Sable Island. The research instrumentation on board includes a state-of-the-art underwater holographic microscope built by Halifax-based company 4-Deep Inwater Imaging. The technology will allow researchers to capture detailed images of the plankton present in water during these weekly trips.

“Collaborating with industry to leverage commercial ships for research will dramatically improve our ability to collect frequent, continuous data from the ocean,” said Dr. LaRoche, the Canada Research Chair in Marine Microbial Genomics and Biogeochemistry. “This allows us to create a far more accurate picture of what is happening in the ocean.”
Until now, the LaRoche Research Group has only been able to sample this location twice a year. The new partnership with Atlantic Towing Ltd. will give her team weekly data for an entire year.

Weekly samples of the same ocean path will uncover when algal blooms take place in the area and what ocean conditions are at play when they happen. It’s important for blooms to be coordinated with the natural reproductive cycle of fish so larval fish have the food required to grow. Changing ocean conditions, like warmer temperatures, may affect the timing of blooms and therefore lead to consequences on fish populations in the area.

Irving Shipbuilding contributed $1 million to the $1.8 million call for proposals. ISI’s funding is pursuant to its Value Proposition obligation under the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy, whereby Irving Shipbuilding is committed to spending 0.5% of contract revenues with the aim of creating a sustainable marine industry across Canada.

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Media Contacts

Nikki Comeau
Communications – The Faculty of Science
Dalhousie University
(902) 223-2446 – Mobile
(902) 494-8443 – Office
nikki.comeau@dal.ca

Janet Stalker
Communications Manager
MEOPAR
(902) 494 – 4389 – Office
(902) 717 – 8472 – Mobile
Janet.stalker@meopar.ca


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