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Ocean Environment and Ecology

Through this research theme, we aim to reduce ocean pollution, enhance monitoring of ocean dynamics and biogeochemistry, and strengthen the observation of coastal, marine, and Arctic biodiversity and ecology.

We are leveraging advanced marine technologies in our research, incorporating innovative sensors deployable from novel platforms such as drones. We are leading the deployment of low-cost, high-performance sensors on diverse platforms to support ocean monitoring by coastal and Indigenous communities.

Recent progress includes new miniature oxygen sensors for hypoxia detection and low-cost sensors for pH and plankton characterization, supporting adaptive planning for marine resource stewardship and hazard mitigation. These advancements enable real-time response to environmental hazards, supporting data-driven policy decisions for sustainable ocean management.

Our research also investigates biodiversity in coastal, marine, and Arctic ecosystems, focusing on the impacts of ocean warming and other ocean changes on biological productivity and species distributions. By studying fluid dynamics, we also model the distribution of particle pollution, including microplastics, in oceans and rivers.

Key research topics: ocean pollution, ocean dynamics and warming, climate change impacts, ocean biogeochemistry, and coastal, marine and Arctic biodiversity and ecology

Researchers


Related Publications



Title Publication Date Authors
Drivers and potential consequences of observed extreme hypoxia along the Canadian Pacific continental shelf.
Impact of warming and deoxygenation on the habitat distribution of Pacific halibut in the Northeast Pacific
Co-variability of Fraser River sockeye salmon productivity and phytoplankton biomass in the Gulf of Alaska

First Nations land acknowledegement

The PRISMS research excellence cluster acknowledges that our work takes place on the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh, and in the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples.


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