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Neptune Project

Neptune Project. Luis Bayona. &. Clayton Pearson. The first large scale, long term marine observatory Consists of 30 nodes (observation “stations”) placed strategically all around the Juan de Fuca plate

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Neptune Project

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  1. Neptune Project Luis Bayona & Clayton Pearson

  2. The first large scale, long term marine observatory Consists of 30 nodes (observation “stations”) placed strategically all around the Juan de Fuca plate Will provide real-time data to researchers, educators and students across the North American continent What is the Neptune Project?

  3. MARS

  4. Fiber optic cabling will connect observatories and equipment forming a 200 000 sq km grid covering the Juan de Fuca plate Instruments will be deployed in boreholes and suspended in the water column as well as housed in the observatories, ready for remote deployment How does it work?

  5. Location of Project and Nodes

  6. Fiber optic cabling and fixed nodes comprising a network allowing for high speed communication Array deployed on the seafloor as well as in the water column Data management at the archive centre An on-shore operation centre to control all elements of the network Four Main Elements

  7. Dynamic processes of fluid fluxes and gas hydrates in the seabed (and sedimentation) Regional ocean/climate dynamics and effects on the marine biota Plate tectonic processes and earthquake dynamics Deep-sea ecosystem dynamics. Major Themes

  8. Issues The mountainous terrain and high rainfall result in episodic fluxes in sediment transportation There is a poor understanding of these important episodic events which deposit large amounts of sediments A better understanding of fine sediment accumulation is required to better understand these events Sedimentology Applications

  9. Neptune’s Role Provide information relating to the frequency and intensity of sedimentary events Provide sampling under adverse weather conditions (i.e. severe storms) Provide further information on sediment-water interface Allow the possibility of fluid and particle tracer experiments

  10. Fluids flow through fractures in seafloor and the through overlying sediments These fluids interact with the sediments Neptune will provide continued measurement of chemical interaction between fluid fluxes and the sediment These fluids are responsible for important mineral deposits and influence sea-water composition Installation of particle capture devices above smokers The electrical conductivity is related to porosity, pore water salinity, temperature, texture, degree of partial melt, and composition Fluid Flux

  11. Release of fluids and gases, such as methane, is observed to occur at plate convergence zones Methane hydrates are suspected to be a link to past climate warming periods Neptune will provide simultaneous measurement of seismicity, fluxes from the sediment, and fluid composition over a long period Gas Hydrates are important as they provide energy for a host of micro-organisms and are a potential energy resource for humans Gas Hydrates

  12. It is believed that coastal upwelling may be an important factor in the global carbon cycle, data from Neptune will help to confirm this hypothesis Profiles of the water column above the nodes will provide information of heat, fluxes, nutrients and salinity Sinking material will be tracked from the surface down to the depositional environment Ocean/Climate Dynamics

  13. Oceanic earthquakes are often not detected by land-based seismographs Neptune can provide long-term observations of strain on plate interior and boundaries Hypocenters for oceanic earthquakes, as determined by land based seismographs are often off by 30km or more Strain meters in boreholes will determine small-scale deformation Acoustic transponders will measure deformation on a kilometer scale Pressure sensors at nodes will determine vertical deformation during earthquakes Plate Tectonics

  14. Cross-Section of Juan de Fuca Plate

  15. Advances in understanding the seafloor

  16. The main contribution made by Neptune will be a greater understanding of large and small scale episodic events such as: Large sediment inputs during major storms and tectonic events Stress on the inner plate and plate boundary during earthquakes Planktonic blooms Fluid venting Summary

  17. Due to Neptune’s capacity for continuous monitoring, we can correlate relations between the various oceanic events Information will be gathered on important oceanic chemical processes such as mineral precipitation and plate boundary reactions Greater information can be gathered on the formation and importance of gas hydrates Long-term observation of biological processes will provide a greater understanding of biotic controls on sedimentary processes

  18. The End Thank You Images provided courtesy of the NEPTUNE Project (www.neptune.washington.edu & www.neptunecanada.ca)

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