Autosub returning from a successful mission
Scientists at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have used advanced photographic tools in an unmanned Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to make major advancements in estimating deep-sea ecosystem diversity at ‘landscape’ scales.
By using a camera on the Autosub6000 AUV to take a continuous stream of high resolution photographs of life on the sea floor, this new method revealed a tenfold increase in the precision of deep sea ecosystem diversity estimates relative to the use of scientific trawling. Autosub6000 was developed by the NOC as part of an ongoing project. This research showed that Anemones were the most abundant animal on the sea floor, information that has been previously missed from trawling because they became damaged in the nets and rendered unrecognisable.
Dr Kirsty Morris, the lead author of this research, published in Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, said “This is an important step towards the automated imaging of the deep sea, which is essential for understanding the complexity of seafloor biodiversity and its future management”
Once the images were taken they were analysed to identify the types of creatures seen, calculate their relative abundances and estimate their size relative to the image pixels. This allows for an overall estimate of the biomass to be calculated and compared with later/earlier images in order to monitor how these ecosystems change over time.
As climate change and potential exploitive pressure of seafloor resources impact the ocean, it is increasingly important to better document deep sea marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Currently trawling is one of the most common methods of assessing what creatures live in these habitats; however trawling has drawbacks in terms of poor accuracy and a bias in sampling seafloor biota. The new method, developed at the NOC, will substantially improve the accuracy and efficiency of sea floor surveying.
Read more: Robot cameras monitor deep sea ecosystems
The Latest on: Deep sea ecosystems
via Google News
The Latest on: Deep sea ecosystems
- Deep-sea mining could wipe out 1 million species. We can’t let it cause irreversible damageon July 30, 2022 at 8:06 pm
Deep-sea mining has been given the green light and could start as early as 2023. But it will seriously and irreversibly harm marine ecosystems.
- Digging Deep: How mangroves are affected by climate changeon July 29, 2022 at 3:54 am
Mangroves are tropical forest ecosystems that occupy shallow, warm water in the intertidal region between land and sea. Like many plants that rely on water-based seed-dispersion, they're also affected ...
- Mediterranean ecosystem suffering ‘marine wildfire’ as temperatures peakon July 29, 2022 at 3:33 am
Parts of Mediterranean are 6C warmer than usual for time of year due to global heating, say scientists ...
- Vakkaru Maldives Embarks On A Deep Sea Odyssey With Conservationist Oliver Steedson July 28, 2022 at 4:00 pm
Want to go on a holiday that makes a difference? Well, you may just want to check out the Maldives next. The award-winning Vakkaru Maldives is teaming up with ocean explorer and conservationist, ...
- Scientists find 39 potential new deep-sea creatures. And that's just the tip of the icebergon July 27, 2022 at 3:21 pm
Scientists from the U.K.'s Museum of Natural History have documented nearly 40 species of deep-sea creatures believed to be new to science, including sea cucumbers, star fish, corals and sponges.
- Scientists record behemoth in waters 2 km deep off Shizuokaon July 27, 2022 at 8:00 am
Japanese researchers said they have taken images of a 2.5-meter-long yokozuna slickhead, possibly the world’s largest known deep-sea bony fish.
- Scientists discover 30 never before seen deep-sea species in Pacific Oceanon July 27, 2022 at 2:56 am
Scientists have scooped the bottom of the Pacific and discovered 30 new deep sea species thriving in the difficult environment.
- Greenpeace urges alliance against 'rush to open deep-sea mining'on July 27, 2022 at 12:00 am
Greenpeace is urging the International Seabed Authority to halt plans that would allow destructive deep-sea mining to begin – starting in the Pacific.
- Saving Venice from flooding may destroy the ecosystem that sustains iton July 25, 2022 at 8:25 am
A system of moveable walls, called Moses, protects Venice from colossal high tides that are worsening with climate change. But they’re also destroying the marshes that keep the lagoon alive.
- Scientists Discovered The Reason Why Deep-Sea Corals Glowon July 20, 2022 at 1:15 am
A group of Israeli scientists has now determined why that might be the case.Coral reef researcher Or Ben-Zvi of Tel Aviv University said that the current study provides experimental evidence ...
via Bing News
