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
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Deep sea ecosystems” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Deep sea ecosystems
- Stars of stage and screen voice support for deep sea mining moratoriumon June 8, 2023 at 12:45 am
A group of celebrities has called on the government should support a global moratorium on deep sea mining. Olivia Colman, Jim Carter, Stephen Fry, Robert Lindsay and Joanna Lumley are urging the UK to ...
- Olivia Colman and Stephen Fry join calls for moratorium on deep sea miningon June 7, 2023 at 9:47 pm
Olivia Colman, Jim Carter, Stephen Fry, Robert Lindsay and Joanna Lumley are urging the UK to join a growing number of governments and companies around the world calling for a halt on the industry ...
- Deep Seaon June 7, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Please check back for updates. Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet narrate an exploration of the exotic and rarely seen ecosystems that thrive in the deepest sections of the ocean. Divers photograph the most ...
- Our oceans are in deep trouble—a 'mountains to sea' approach could make a real differenceon June 7, 2023 at 11:21 am
The rapidly declining health of New Zealand's marine environment raises serious questions about how we care for and manage the oceans.
- Deep-sea mining a threat to ecosystemon June 1, 2023 at 6:24 am
The fact that deep-sea mining is also harmful to the environment and in particular to the ecosystem there is undisputed in itself, but is often presented as less relevant. The negative consequences of ...
- What is deep sea mining, and how could it alter a vital ecosystem?on May 31, 2023 at 3:36 pm
Even the most comprehensive list of deep ocean life is missing major species – and with the prospect of deep sea mining approaching, that’s a major concern. Take this vision of a deep and distant ...
- Over 5,000 New Deep-Sea Species Found in Future Mining Hotspoton May 28, 2023 at 6:18 am
With an escalation in demand for metals like cobalt and nickel, mineral-rich deep-sea habitats are the new gold-rush hills of California. One might think and hope that seabed ecosystems 4,000 to ...
- The Deep Sea Resources Rushon May 25, 2023 at 5:00 pm
A coalition of groups against the project, aligned as the Deep Sea Mining Campaign, argue that PNG will be the guinea pig of an untested technique in an ecosystem that the world knows little about ...
- Deep learning system can analyze images to protect deep-sea coral reefs much faster than humanson May 22, 2023 at 8:35 am
Once harmed, these vulnerable marine ecosystems are slow to recover. To help protect deep-sea coral reefs, mapping and monitoring is a high priority for scientists, conservationists, and ...
- Hammerheads hold their breath to keep warm when deep-diving for foodon May 13, 2023 at 5:00 pm
The finding has improved our understanding of the iconic shark’s physiology but raised concerns about the potential damage caused by human interference with deep-sea ecosystems. Most fish are ...
via Bing News
