A Breathing Air Compressor for Scientific Diving Research and Training at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre

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Biodiversity data and monitoring are critically needed to understand the impacts of climate change and other pressures on Canada's coastal ecosystems and species. There is a significant gap in such data, particularly in coastal environments, while environmental extremes such as the 2021 "heat dome" are increasingly associated with unprecedented temperature extremes representing threats to entire coastal ecosystems. Scientific diving is an invaluable tool for ocean discoveries and monitoring. It is essential for the collection of ecological and especially behavioural data that cannot be collected through remote sensing or continuously recording fixed sensors or cameras. It enables in situ experiments that incorporate real-world complexity to an extent that is not really possible in the lab. Our scientific diving programs, supported by the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (BMSC), provide critical access to coastal ecosystems. We are proposing the acquisition of a breathing air compressor to replace an existing 40 year old compressor in support of continued scientific diving research programs for estimates of species diversity, invasive species, ecosystem integrity, biodiversity monitoring, restorative ecosystem ecology, and adaptive evolutionary ecology. The requested equipment will ensure that critical scientific diving can continue uninterrupted at the BMSC and support research, education and training that contribute to an understanding of environmental change across Canada's west coast towards the development of climate solutions.