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A Saab Seaeye Falcon underwater robotic has helped full the first-ever systematic scientific survey of the waters of the Maldives – the lowest-lying nation on earth.
The Maldives is simply 1.5 meters above sea stage on islands of coral reef atolls. Globally, coral reefs account for 32% of recognized biodiversity. They’re seen because the ‘rainforests of the ocean’, but at the very least 97% may very well be misplaced with a 1.5-degree temperature rise.
The Nekton Basis in partnership with the Maldives Marine Analysis Institute undertook the mission to grasp the Maldives’ ecosystem to assist create intensive new protected marine areas and strengthen the resilience of coral reefs to guard the islands from more and more intense storms and erosion attributable to local weather destabilization.
As an official companion to the mission, Saab Seaeye donated use of the Falcon to work alongside human-occupied submersibles, autonomous techniques and analysis applied sciences.
The Falcon and different submersibles and divers collectively documented the intensive biodiversity of the ecosystem from shallow waters to 1000 metres.
Evaluation of video transects from the Falcon has revealed 107 fish species and 130 organisms that reside on the seabed, comparable to coral, sponges and algae. Evaluation is ongoing with extra species anticipated to be recognized.
The Falcon additionally recorded charismatic megafauna comparable to turtles and sharks. These particular observations might be used to help initiatives engaged in long-term inhabitants assessments.
The analysis recorded intensive coral bleaching at many places. In different places, nevertheless, exceptionally wholesome coral reefs had been discovered. This gives hope that wholesome coral reefs can thrive, significantly in areas the place chilly water upwellings stop bleaching. These areas could also be vital to help coral propagation initiatives.
Marine life in excessive definition
To allow scientists to doc the biodiversity of the ocean across the Maldives, Nekton scientists devised, examined, improved and deployed a novel methodology for utilizing the Falcon for video transects in shallow waters on the complicated topography of coral reefs and working in areas of robust currents.
Two units of cameras had been positioned on the car, one set ahead dealing with and the opposite set downward dealing with. They had been spaced 80cm aside and at inward angle of 8 levels able to be calibrated for stereoscopic video recording.
The identical system was utilized by snorkelers and different submersibles to finish video transects in an similar method and at completely different depths.
Problem of shallow waters
“Surging currents within the shallows and sheer subsea cliffs made this one of the crucial difficult operations on the mission,” says Mission Director, Oliver Steeds.
“Solely the Falcon may deal with the swell surges and highly effective currents, together with up-currents and down-currents,” he explains.
Famend for its skill to carry regular in robust currents whereas filming and manoeuvring, the Falcon is the world’s prime robotic in its class with a reliability file protecting over one million hours underwater.
Nekton is a not-for-profit UK-based analysis basis working with the College of Oxford and a variety of companions engaged within the scientific exploration and safety of the ocean.
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