The UW has a leadership role in NEPTUNE, a revolutionary ocean observatory being built off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. The 3,000-km network of heavily instrumented fiber-optic/power cables will enable regional-scale, real-time, interactive observations and experiments with the ocean, the seafloor, and the biological communities that thrive in these environments. Hardwired to the Internet, the network will provide scientists, students, educators, and the public with virtual access to remarkable parts of our planet, rarely visited by humans. Imagery collected by robotic vehicles includes submarine volcanoes and 700°F seafloor hot springs.