transmitted to satellite (ARGOS) at regular intervals and processed later in 

 Burlington. 



In 1987, the CHS commissioned the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO) 

 to design and develop an atmospheric pressure-measuring system and tide 

 gauge capable of withstanding arctic conditions for an entire year. In August 

 1988, BIO successfully demonstrated such a system off the coast of Labrador 

 using a air pressure sensor manufactured by Atmospheric Instrumentation 

 Research, Inc. (AIR Inc.) that is accurate to ±0.7 millibar and consumes very little 

 power. BIO is presently working on a satellite data link in order to allow the 

 collected data to be transmitted to an operating center on an hourly or daily basis. 

 To avoid using a physical link between the two devices, and to avoid the inherent 

 problems of communicating through the ice/water barrier, the tide gauge will 

 transmit ultra-low frequency electromagnetic signals to the data recording system 

 through the intervening rock. Figure 8 is an artist's conception of the system. 

 Electromagnetic energy has been used in mines in South Africa to communicate 

 through rock and has proved viable for short distances. A short cable will be 

 used to link the tide gauge to the electromagnetic communications link, located 

 nearby on the sea bottom. 



NOS is closely monitoring the progress of BIO and the Canadian 

 Hydrographic Service with the hope that we can benefit from this important 

 research project. Mr. George Steeves, the systems engineer in charge of the 

 project, hopes to have a system with an electromagnetic communications link 

 ready for testing near BIO in the winter of 1990-91 . 



2.5 Other Countries' Efforts 

 2.5.1 Japan 



Japan has three observation bases in Antarctica - two of them are inland and 

 the other is coastal. The coastal base, SYOWA STATION, was established in 

 1958 on the East Ongul Island which is in the face of the Indian Ocean about 5 

 kilometers off the Antarctic continent. In 1987, a new type of tide gauge using a 

 quartz oscillator as a sensor was installed at the SYOWA STATION (see Figure 

 9). In the tide observation hut there is a junction box with a heater to protect the 

 equipment from freezing. The heater is designed to work when the air tempera- 

 ture falls below -10° C. The signal cable from the underwater unit to the junction 



