Centre for Earth Observation Science

Churchill Marine Observatory

The Churchill Marine Observatory (CMO) is a globally unique, highly innovative, multidisciplinary research facility located in Churchill, Manitoba. Its location, adjacent to Canada’s only Arctic deep-water port, allows researchers access to marine and Arctic life like never before. For more information, reports, and available data, please visit the canwin-data hub.

Outside view of the Churchill Marine Observatory with the northern lights, or aurora borealis, in the sky

Churchill Marine Observatory

Research

The research at CMO is transformative.

The multidisciplinary approach of CMO provides new insights into extreme weather and climate change. CMO provides the facilities necessary for leading edge studies into the detection, impact and mitigation of oil spills and related contaminants in sea ice-covered waters. Through the unique combination of mesocosm studies, information collected through the Environmental Observatory and the capabilities of the dedicated research vessel, researchers are able to better understand the processes that affect freshwater marine coupling.

Research facilities

CMO is comprised of a number of modern labs and facilities allowing researchers to conduct world-leading science. Our facilities are also available for booking by organizations that conduct Arctic research.

The Ocean-Sea Ice Mesocosm (OSIM) Facility

The OSIM facility consists of two outdoor pools (30 ft by 30 ft by 10 ft deep, each) designed to simultaneously accommodate contaminated and controlled experiments on various scenarios for marine and freshwater environments. The facility draws water directly from the Churchill estuary, with the option of pumping sea water or freshwater into the tanks. The facility can accommodate studies on the detection, fate, modeling and response techniques for crude oil and other transport-related contaminants in ice-covered waters. It also facilitates studies on geophysical and biogeochemical processes across the ocean-sea ice-atmosphere interface and on freshwater-marine coupling.

 

The Environmental Observing (EO) System

The EO System serves as a monitor along the main shipping lane to and from the Port of Churchill. The system is used to assist in gathering data in support of increasing our baseline knowledge of general oceanography (including physical, chemical, and biological properties in the marine environment). 

Data is available from the EO system through the Canadian Watershed Information Network.

Research Vessel (RV) William Kennedy

The RV William Kennedy is operated in partnership with the Arctic Research Foundation. The vessel is Canada’s first research vessel dedicated exclusively to the typically understudied region of Hudson Bay. The RV William Kennedy measures 65 feet (19.8 m) in length, 28 feet (8.5 m) wide, and has a draft of 9 feet (3 m).

The vessel has a suite of operational equipment, including electric winches, a marine crane, an A-frame, and 2 small tenders. The vessel has 428 square feet of laboratory space with acid resistant bench tops and a Microzone polypropylene fume hood and 1,768 square feet of usable outside deck space. The vessel operates a 12-5L bottle Rosette system with attached sensors for Dissolved Oxygen (DO), salinity measurements using Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD), nitrogen, and Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR). The vessel also operates a GOMEX box corer, and a 0.75 m gravity corer for sediments grabs. In addition, the vessel can do benthic and pelagic trawls as well as tow plankton nets. 

Explore core datasets from the RV William Kennedy

Ocean-Sea Ice Mesocosm (OSIM) facility
Satellite image of Hudson Bay
Research vessel William Kennedy formerly the White Diamond

More photos from CMO

Front outside view of Churchill Marine Observatory
Lab inside Churchill Marine Observatory.jpg
Conference room with long table and kitchen in the back
Inside work area of OSIM facility
Inside empty pool of the OSIM facility
Green tank in CMO hallway
View of hallway with piping
Outside view of CMO
Panoramic outside view of Churchill Marine Observatory

Governance

  • CMO is governed by a Board of Directors which is responsible for managing and supervising the activities and affairs of CMO. A majority of the board members are senior officials from participating institutions, government, industry, non-governmental organizations, and not-for-profit organizations. 

    Board Co-Chairs: Dr. Gary Stern, University of Manitoba and Mr. Adrian Schimnowski, CEO of Arctic Research Foundation

  • CMO is also managed by two-sub committees that report directly to the board: 

    1. Ocean Sea Ice Mesocosm Research Management Committee (OSIM-RMC): manages the research programs and ensures the ongoing assessment of all projects, to provide recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding research priorities and budget allocations
       
    2. Environmental Observing system & Research Vessel Committee (EO & RVC): manages the research programs aboard the RV William Kennedy and provides recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding vessel maintenance, science usage, and budget allocations.

Team

Funding and partners

CMO was funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the provinces of Manitoba and Alberta, the University of Manitoba and several federal and private partners.

Architectural and Engineering support provided by Prairie Architects and the KGS Group.

Booking The CMO

Please fill out the form below to inquire about booking the Churchill Marine Observatory. You will be contacted with a more detailed form to fill out after your initial request has been reviewed.

Initial Request Form

Contact us

Dr. Feiyue Wang, OSIM Chief Scientist

Feiyue.Wang@umanitoba.ca