Thursday January 8, 2026 | SIDNEY, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
A new Scientist-in-Residence program has been launched at the Sidney/North Saanich branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL).
Geochemical oceanographer Dr Sophia Johannessen is the library’s first scientist in residence.
“We are thrilled that Dr. Johannessen is willing to share her knowledge and experience as an oceanographer with the community. The topics are so timely,” says Customer Services Librarian, Virginia MacLeod about the Antarctica series that Johannsessen has developed.
“We are very lucky to have world-class researchers working so near to us.”
Three-part series on Antarctica:
Dr. Johannessen has developed a special three-part series of talks that will guide audiences through her recent research expedition to Antarctica, current climate trends in BC’s coastal ocean, and provide an opportunity for the community to ask questions about her research and life as a scientist.
- Science at the bottom of the world: the Canadian Antarctic Research Expedition 2025 – January 20. In the spring of 2025, fifteen Canadian scientists spent a month in Antarctica, aboard the Canadian navy ship HMCS Margaret Brooke. It was an extraordinary trip: spectacular, fascinating and strange. The mission was science diplomacy. The scientists were there to investigate the effects of climate change on the coastal waters of Antarctica… but that was only part of the story. [2 to 3 pm]
- The changing coastal ocean – February 17. The coastal ocean is changing, as a result of both global climate change and local pressures. This talk will show how BC’s coastal ocean is responding and discuss how removing some local pressures can help the ecosystem to be resilient to global-scale change. [2 to 3 pm]
- Ask an oceanographer – March 10. Have you ever wondered why the ocean is blue (or green or red or turquoise)? Did you know that there is weather underwater? Do you wonder what daily life is like on a research ship, how scientific papers get published, or how to become an oceanographer? Informal chat, bring your questions! [2 to 3 pm]
All talks are free and open to the public and will take place in the meeting room attached to the library at 10091 Resthaven Drive in Sidney.
The series is designed for general audiences of all ages, with no scientific background required. Just bring a curious mind. Attend one session, two or all three.
More about Dr Johannessen:
Dr Sophia Johannessen is a geochemical oceanographer at Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Institute of Ocean Sciences in North Saanich.
She studies the effects of climate change and other human activities on the coastal ocean. Her recent projects include studies of the change in productivity in the Salish Sea, the fate of diluted bitumen spilled in BC coastal waters, and the potential for “blue carbon” storage in seagrass meadows for climate change mitigation.
Dr Johannessen works mainly in the coastal waters of British Columbia, but she has also worked in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and most recently in the coastal waters of Antarctica.
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