Saanich Inlet

A model oxygen minimum zone.

Ecosystem Type: Aquatic
Location: SI03 (48°35.30N, 123°30.22W)

Saanich Inlet is a seasonally anoxic fjord on the coast of Vancouver Island British Columbia that we visit at monthly time intervals to observe changes in microbial community structure and function along defined redox gradients with an eye toward predicting ecological and biogeochemical responses to ocean deoxygenation.

Monitoring efforts in Saanich Inlet are informed by an extensive archive of time-series measurements spanning more than five decades and important process studies focused on trace metal cycling, methane-oxidation, denitrification, ammonia-oxidation, chemoautotrophic carbon fixation, and microbial community structure and function. Sampling and data collection are facilitated by close proximity to shore-based and marine assets including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Institute for Ocean Sciences (IOS) and the Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea (VENUS) cabled observatory.