Eric Oliver, who leads this project, published a paper in Nature Communications (a leading scientific journal) in 2018 revealing alarming figures on marine heatwaves. It shows that, due to global warming, the frequency and duration of marine heatwaves increased by 34% and 17% respectively between 1925 and 2016.
Such findings, and the understanding of their impacts, come from long-term datasets as well as modeling conducted by research teams. This is why regular, high-quality (with a wide range of sensors beyond just water temperature) and long-term monitoring is of critical importance.
This is especially true in areas such as the Canadian Arctic, which acts as a carbon sink and is experiencing rapid acidification and warming.

This project aims to install a series of sensors (temperature, chlorophyll, oxygen, salinity, CO₂, pH, and fluorescence) on the local ferry that serves several Inuit communities and travels across a range of key ecosystems: estuaries, fjords, the continental shelf, and open coastal waters.

Regular physical and chemical measurements of the ocean will make it possible to understand past changes and anticipate future ones. The data will be used by scientists and government authorities to develop a strategy for protecting the region and anticipating the impacts of climate change.