New Technologies for Monitoring and Upscaling Marine Ecosystem Restoration in Deep-Sea Environments

Abstract

The United Nations (UN)’s call for a decade of “ecosystem restoration” was prompted by the need to address the extensive impact of anthropogenic activities on natural ecosystems. Marine ecosystem restoration is increasingly necessary due to increasing habitat loss in deep waters (> 200 m depth). At these depths, which are far beyond those accessible by divers, only established and emerging robotic platforms such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), landers, and crawlers can operate through manipulators and their multiparametric sensor technologies (e.g., optoacoustic imaging, omics, and environmental probes). The use of advanced technologies for deep-sea ecosystem restoration can provide: ① high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) imaging and acoustic mapping of substrates and key taxa; ② physical manipulation of substrates and key taxa; ③ real-time supervision of remote operations and long-term ecological monitoring; and ④ the potential to work autonomously. Here, we describe how robotic platforms with in situ manipulation capabilities and payloads of innovative sensors could autonomously conduct active restoration and monitoring across large spatial scales. We expect that these devices will be particularly useful in deep-sea habitats, such as ① reef-building cold-water corals, ② soft-bottom bamboo corals, and ③ soft-bottom fishery resources that have already been damaged by offshore industries (i.e., fishing and oil/gas).