An underwater crawler applied to underwater observatory obsea.

En aquest Research Café es presenten projectes on la tecnologia es posa al servei dels mars i els oceans, i que estan lligats amb els objectius ODS Vida Submarina i Acció pel clima.Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al ClimaObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::14 - Vida Submarin

A decade of time series as produced by multiparametric ecological monitoring at the OBSEA

All biological processes, from molecular to physiology and behavioural, are essential for organisms to regulate their survival in response to the environment (e.g., irradiance and temperature) and to intra- or inter- specifc interactions (e.g. predation and competition). In the marine environment, there is a strong correlation between biological rhythms and light cycles, which varies upon the depth, with the relevance of other factors, such as current speed, still far from fully understood. Rhythmic behavioural regulation results in the massive displacement of organisms at diferent depths over diel and seasonal scales, and this may result even in bathymetric or geographic distribution shifts over the years, as a result of coping with climate change conditioning. Even if the timing of biological processes is essential for all organisms, those processes are seldom studied in the marine environments, compared to the terrestrial ones. Today, the collection of data from cabled seafoor video-observatories equipped with mobile video-platforms (e.g. crawlers) is becoming feasible. Cabled observatories enable researchers to collect environmental and biological data in a concomitant fashion, and when monitoring networks of platforms are deployed, more spatially representative long-term studies on the biases that behavioural rhythms (i.e. massive population displacements) exert on population size and biodiversity assessments are accessible. In this framework, a local coastal network of fxed and mobile video-monitoring platforms was created at the OBSEA (www.obsea.es), located at 4 km of of Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona, Spain), at a depth of 20 m. The OBSEA is a cabled observatory bearing two fxed cameras (i.e. the platform one includes camera 1 and a second camera, camera 2, as a movable tripod), focusing two diferent artifcial reefs. The concomitant time-lapse imaging by diferent cameras and environmental multiparametric data acquisition would allow the analysis of diferent biodiversity indicators such as the composition of communities (i.e. richness) and relative abundance of species (i.e. evenness), as well as ecosystem functions (e.g. food-web structure, carbon and energy fuxes etc.), at diferent time scales, together with inference of potential causeand-efects principles between environmental drivers and biological variables. Here, we aim to fully present the multidisciplinary data set acquired since January 2012, at a high-frequency (30 min), continuously during the day and the night, reporting count fuctuations in 27 bony fsh species. Every photo captured each 30 min from the two installed cameras was analyzed manually by trained operators. All photos had a stamped time code to match each detected faunal entry (classifed by trained operators) to the concomitant environmental data acquired by diferent sensors. A CTD and an ADPC provided data on temperature and salinity as well as pressure and water current speed and direction, respectively. Those data were associated to turbidity and chlorophyll data. Furthermore, we used automatically recorded meteorology entries by a Catalan Meteorological Service station in Sant Pere de Ribes (6 km from the OBSEA), to derive data on the global sun irradiance, wind speed and direction, as well as rain. Difculties in data acquisition due to sensors maintenance are described along with potential examples of data treatment, in spite of the marked diel and seasonal variations in total fsh-community counts as a product of behavioural rhythms (Fig. 1). This tendency is maintained throughout the seasons with the amplitude of the total fsh counts curve following the variation in the photophase length amplitude, described through the sun irradiance (Figure 2). The comparison between the total number of fshes and the irradiance shows a consistent increase in individual counts during the day for the large majority of species. Then, the polynomial curve analysis derived from the raw total count data was introduced, to further highlight that diurnal tendency. Even so, this curve shows two up-turning tails during night time due to the presence of few active nocturnal species in the area. Furthermore, we observed that the faunal abundance curve width is larger than the irradiance curve. This could be explained by the presence of crepuscular species that avoid fully diurnal visual predators, by anticipating or dealing the timing of their activity according to a tradeof between energy gaining and mortality risks. We also introduced a diel threshold, the Midline Estimated Statistic of Rhythm (MESOR) to evidence peaks limits in terms of the onset and ofset timings of signifcant count increases within the fsh community. This has been calculated by reaveraging all the time series mean values. All the analyses were carried out with custom algorithms developed in Python.Peer Reviewe

Tele-operated ecological monitoring at the seafloor observatory (OBSEA)

The development of new cabled oceanographic observatories is becoming of extreme importance to monitor in real-time a continuously changing environment. In this context, a local coastal network of fxed and mobile videomonitoring platforms was created at the OBSEA (www.obsea.es; [1]) as European Multidisciplinary Seafoor and water column Observatory EMSO Testing-Site [2]. The cabled platform is located 4 km ofshore of Vilanova i la Geltrú coast (Barcelona, Spain), at a depth of 20 m. The observatory has been used to install a network of cameras including OBSEA fxed camera, plus a movable satellite tripod. Also, a mobile camera will be installed on an Internet Operated Vehicle (IOV), as a coastal crawler. These tele-operated vehicles are being used by marine scientists, to carry out multiparametric environmental studies (via the diversifed set of oceanographic and geochemical sensors) centered on faunal monitoring via imaging. As far as cabled seafoor observatories (and also OBSEA) are not able to move and their data collection capability is limited, it was decided to expand the monitoring capacity of the OBSEA, by connecting it to a new costal crawler. This crawler is a modifed prototype of the “Wally” platform series, which is operating at the Ocean Networks Canada (ONC; www.oceannetworks. ca) since 2010 [3]. This coastal crawler will be used to perform back and forth video transects between the fxed OBSEA camera and its satellite tripod camera (80 m away), to analyze the possible efect of environmental heterogeneity on the perceived fsh community abundance and composition. This will also allow scaling the biodiversity gathered data over a larger and more ecologicallyrepresentative area. In this scenario, we aim to present the technological design and specifcations of the modifed coastal crawler (Fig. 1). A mobile camera (1) in a glass sphere (rated for 3000 m depth) with 360° pan and 180° tilt operability has been installed, to allow the operator to perform SCUBA divers as visual census transects, by looking forward during transect progression, widening the visual feld with panoramic sweeps when needed. The tracks (2) are independent parts allowing to scale the inner part of the vehicle simply by mounting a broader main plait. The chains are made of rubber with embedded steel. Each track is driven by a powerful DC motor with a reduction gear of 989:1. The motor housings are pressure compensated by fuid flling. The junction cylinder (3) contents the driving electronics and an Ethernet switch to connect the camera and the control cylinder to the main communication cable. This housing can variate in material and dimensions to allow its use at diferent depths. The main cable (4) is a of special underwater Ethernet foating type to avoid problems like seabed abrasion and platform entanglement. A control cylinder (5) is used for controlling the crawler and the camera, providing power from the junction cylinder to supply motors. Finally, there are two 12V, 3W lights (6) that can turn on for flming at night.Peer Reviewe

A New Coastal Crawler Prototype to Expand the Ecological Monitoring Radius of OBSEA Cabled Observatory

The use of marine cabled video observatories with multiparametric environmental data collection capability is becoming relevant for ecological monitoring strategies. Their ecosystem surveying can be enforced in real time, remotely, and continuously, over consecutive days, seasons, and even years. Unfortunately, as most observatories perform such monitoring with fixed cameras, the ecological value of their data is limited to a narrow field of view, possibly not representative of the local habitat heterogeneity. Docked mobile robotic platforms could be used to extend data collection to larger, and hence more ecologically representative areas. Among the various state-of-the-art underwater robotic platforms available, benthic crawlers are excellent candidates to perform ecological monitoring tasks in combination with cabled observatories. Although they are normally used in the deep sea, their high positioning stability, low acoustic signature, and low energetic consumption, especially during stationary phases, make them suitable for coastal operations. In this paper, we present the integration of a benthic crawler into a coastal cabled observatory (OBSEA) to extend its monitoring radius and collect more ecologically representative data. The extension of the monitoring radius was obtained by remotely operating the crawler to enforce back-and-forth drives along specific transects while recording videos with the onboard cameras. The ecological relevance of the monitoring-radius extension was demonstrated by performing a visual census of the species observed with the crawler’s cameras in comparison to the observatory’s fixed cameras, revealing non-negligible differences. Additionally, the videos recorded from the crawler’s cameras during the transects were used to demonstrate an automated photo-mosaic of the seabed for the first time on this class of vehicles. In the present work, the crawler travelled in an area of 40 m away from the OBSEA, producing an extension of the monitoring field of view (FOV), and covering an area approximately 230 times larger than OBSEA’s camera. The analysis of the videos obtained from the crawler’s and the observatory’s cameras revealed differences in the species observed. Future implementation scenarios are also discussed in relation to mission autonomy to perform imaging across spatial heterogeneity gradients around the OBSEA

Advancing fishery-independent stock assessments for the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) with new monitoring technologies

The Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, supports a key European fishery. Stock assessments for this species are mostly based on trawling and UnderWater TeleVision (UWTV) surveys. However, N. norvegicus are burrowing organisms and these survey methods are unable to sample or observe individuals in their burrows. To account for this, UWTV surveys generally assume that "1 burrow system = 1 animal", due to the territorial behavior of N. norvegicus. Nevertheless, this assumption still requires in-situ validation. Here, we outline how to improve the accuracy of current stock assessments for N. norvegicus with novel ecological monitoring technologies, including: robotic fixed and mobile camera-platforms, telemetry, environmental DNA (eDNA), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). First, we outline the present status and threat for overexploitation in N. norvegicus stocks. Then, we discuss how the burrowing behavior of N. norvegicus biases current stock assessment methods. We propose that state-of-the-art stationary and mobile robotic platforms endowed with innovative sensors and complemented with AI tools could be used to count both animals and burrows systems in-situ, as well as to provide key insights into burrowing behavior. Next, we illustrate how multiparametric monitoring can be incorporated into assessments of physiology and burrowing behavior. Finally, we develop a flowchart for the appropriate treatment of multiparametric biological and environmental data required to improve current stock assessment methods

Advancing fishery-independent stock assessments for the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) with new monitoring technologies

The Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, supports a key European fishery. Stock assessments for this species are mostly based on trawling and UnderWater TeleVision (UWTV) surveys. However, N. norvegicus are burrowing organisms and these survey methods are unable to sample or observe individuals in their burrows. To account for this, UWTV surveys generally assume that “1 burrow system = 1 animal”, due to the territorial behavior of N. norvegicus. Nevertheless, this assumption still requires in-situ validation. Here, we outline how to improve the accuracy of current stock assessments for N. norvegicus with novel ecological monitoring technologies, including: robotic fixed and mobile camera-platforms, telemetry, environmental DNA (eDNA), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). First, we outline the present status and threat for overexploitation in N. norvegicus stocks. Then, we discuss how the burrowing behavior of N. norvegicus biases current stock assessment methods. We propose that state-of-the-art stationary and mobile robotic platforms endowed with innovative sensors and complemented with AI tools could be used to count both animals and burrows systems in-situ, as well as to provide key insights into burrowing behavior. Next, we illustrate how multiparametric monitoring can be incorporated into assessments of physiology and burrowing behavior. Finally, we develop a flowchart for the appropriate treatment of multiparametric biological and environmental data required to improve current stock assessment methods

A decade of time series as produced by multiparametric ecological monitoring at the OBSEA

Special issue 9th MARTECH: International Workshop on Marine Technology: 16-18 June 2021, Vigo, Spain.-- 2 pages, 2 figuresAll biological processes, from molecular to physiology and behavioural, are essential for organisms to regulate their survival in response to the environment (e.g., irradiance and temperature) and to intra- or inter- specifc interactions (e.g. predation and competition). In the marine environment, there is a strong correlation between biological rhythms and light cycles, which varies upon the depth, with the relevance of other factors, such as current speed, still far from fully understood. Rhythmic behavioural regulation results in the massive displacement of organisms at diferent depths over diel and seasonal scales, and this may result even in bathymetric or geographic distribution shifts over the years, as a result of coping with climate change conditioning. Even if the timing of biological processes is essential for all organisms, those processes are seldom studied in the marine environments, compared to the terrestrial ones. Today, the collection of data from cabled seafoor video-observatories equipped with mobile video-platforms (e.g. crawlers) is becoming feasible. Cabled observatories enable researchers to collect environmental and biological data in a concomitant fashion, and when monitoring networks of platforms are deployed, more spatially representative long-term studies on the biases that behavioural rhythms (i.e. massive population displacements) exert on population size and biodiversity assessments are accessible. In this framework, a local coastal network of fxed and mobile video-monitoring platforms was created at the OBSEA (www.obsea.es), located at 4 km of of Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona, Spain), at a depth of 20 m. The OBSEA is a cabled observatory bearing two fxed cameras (i.e. the platform one includes camera 1 and a second camera, camera 2, as a movable tripod), focusing two diferent artifcial reefs. The concomitant time-lapse imaging by diferent cameras and environmental multiparametric data acquisition would allow the analysis of diferent biodiversity indicators such as the composition of communities (i.e. richness) and relative abundance of species (i.e. evenness), as well as ecosystem functions (e.g. food-web structure, carbon and energy fuxes etc.), at diferent time scales, together with inference of potential causeand-efects principles between environmental drivers and biological variables. Here, we aim to fully present the multidisciplinary data set acquired since January 2012, at a high-frequency (30 min), continuously during the day and the night, reporting count fuctuations in 27 bony fsh species. Every photo captured each 30 min from the two installed cameras was analyzed manually by trained operators. All photos had a stamped time code to match each detected faunal entry (classifed by trained operators) to the concomitant environmental data acquired by diferent sensors. A CTD and an ADPC provided data on temperature and salinity as well as pressure and water current speed and direction, respectively. Those data were associated to turbidity and chlorophyll data. Furthermore, we used automatically recorded meteorology entries by a Catalan Meteorological Service station in Sant Pere de Ribes (6 km from the OBSEA), to derive data on the global sun irradiance, wind speed and direction, as well as rain. Difculties in data acquisition due to sensors maintenance are described along with potential examples of data treatment, in spite of the marked diel and seasonal variations in total fsh-community counts as a product of behavioural rhythms (Fig. 1). This tendency is maintained throughout the seasons with the amplitude of the total fsh counts curve following the variation in the photophase length amplitude, described through the sun irradiance (Figure 2). The comparison between the total number of fshes and the irradiance shows a consistent increase in individual counts during the day for the large majority of species. Then, the polynomial curve analysis derived from the raw total count data was introduced, to further highlight that diurnal tendency. Even so, this curve shows two up-turning tails during night time due to the presence of few active nocturnal species in the area. Furthermore, we observed that the faunal abundance curve width is larger than the irradiance curve. This could be explained by the presence of crepuscular species that avoid fully diurnal visual predators, by anticipating or dealing the timing of their activity according to a tradeof between energy gaining and mortality risks. We also introduced a diel threshold, the Midline Estimated Statistic of Rhythm (MESOR) to evidence peaks limits in terms of the onset and ofset timings of signifcant count increases within the fsh community. This has been calculated by reaveraging all the time series mean values. All the analyses were carried out with custom algorithms developed in PythonThe main author wants to acknowledge his FPI grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation founded by the European Social Found (ref. TEC2017-87861-R). This work is partially funded the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) with the project “Redes de sensores submarinos autónomos y cableados aplicados a la monitorización remota de indicadores biológicos” TEC2017-87861-R and by Generalitat de Catalunya “Sistemas de Adquisición Remota de datos y Tratamiento de la Información en el Medio Marino” (SARTI-MAR)” 2017 SGR 371. Researchers want to acknowledge the support of the Associated Unit Tecnoterra composed by members of Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña (UPC) and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). This work used the EGI infrastructure with the dedicated support of INFN-CATANIA-STACK and data derived from ‘estacions meteorològiques automàtiques de la xarxa d’estacions de Catalunya (XEMA), MeteocatPeer reviewe

An Underwater Crawler Applied to Underwater Observatory Obsea

En aquest Research Café es presenten projectes on la tecnologia es posa al servei dels mars i els oceans, i que estan lligats amb els objectius ODS Vida Submarina i Acció pel climaEn este Research Café se presentan proyectos en los que la tecnología se pone al servicio de los mares y los océanos, y que están ligados con los objetivos ODS Vida Submarina y Acción por el clim

Tele-operated ecological monitoring at the seafloor observatory (OBSEA)

Special issue 9th MARTECH: International Workshop on Marine Technology: 16-18 June 2021, Vigo, Spain.-- 1 page, 1 figureThe development of new cabled oceanographic observatories is becoming of extreme importance to monitor in real-time a continuously changing environment. In this context, a local coastal network of fxed and mobile videomonitoring platforms was created at the OBSEA (www.obsea.es; [1]) as European Multidisciplinary Seafoor and water column Observatory EMSO Testing-Site [2]. The cabled platform is located 4 km ofshore of Vilanova i la Geltrú coast (Barcelona, Spain), at a depth of 20 m. The observatory has been used to install a network of cameras including OBSEA fxed camera, plus a movable satellite tripod. Also, a mobile camera will be installed on an Internet Operated Vehicle (IOV), as a coastal crawler. These tele-operated vehicles are being used by marine scientists, to carry out multiparametric environmental studies (via the diversifed set of oceanographic and geochemical sensors) centered on faunal monitoring via imaging. As far as cabled seafoor observatories (and also OBSEA) are not able to move and their data collection capability is limited, it was decided to expand the monitoring capacity of the OBSEA, by connecting it to a new costal crawler. This crawler is a modifed prototype of the “Wally” platform series, which is operating at the Ocean Networks Canada (ONC; www.oceannetworks. ca) since 2010 [3]. This coastal crawler will be used to perform back and forth video transects between the fxed OBSEA camera and its satellite tripod camera (80 m away), to analyze the possible efect of environmental heterogeneity on the perceived fsh community abundance and composition. This will also allow scaling the biodiversity gathered data over a larger and more ecologicallyrepresentative area. In this scenario, we aim to present the technological design and specifcations of the modifed coastal crawler (Fig. 1). A mobile camera (1) in a glass sphere (rated for 3000 m depth) with 360° pan and 180° tilt operability has been installed, to allow the operator to perform SCUBA divers as visual census transects, by looking forward during transect progression, widening the visual feld with panoramic sweeps when needed. The tracks (2) are independent parts allowing to scale the inner part of the vehicle simply by mounting a broader main plait. The chains are made of rubber with embedded steel. Each track is driven by a powerful DC motor with a reduction gear of 989:1. The motor housings are pressure compensated by fuid flling. The junction cylinder (3) contents the driving electronics and an Ethernet switch to connect the camera and the control cylinder to the main communication cable. This housing can variate in material and dimensions to allow its use at diferent depths. The main cable (4) is a of special underwater Ethernet foating type to avoid problems like seabed abrasion and platform entanglement. A control cylinder (5) is used for controlling the crawler and the camera, providing power from the junction cylinder to supply motors. Finally, there are two 12V, 3W lights (6) that can turn on for flming at nightThis work is partially funded by Generalitat de Catalunya “Sistemas de Adquisición Remota de datos y Tratamiento de la Información en el Medio Marino” (SARTI-MAR)” 2017 SGR 371 and by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) with the project “Redes de sensores submarinos autónomos y cableados aplicados a la monitorización remota de indicadores biológicos” TEC2017-87861-R. Researchers want to acknowledge the support of the Associated Unit Tecnoterra composed by members of Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña (UPC) and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). This work used the EGI infrastructure with the dedicated support of INFN-CATANIA-STACK. The crawler was provided by OceanLab of Jacobs University Bremen (L. Thomsen)Peer reviewe

Towards monitoring and recovery of fishery impacted species in deep-sea marine ecosystems: a joint effort between biology and technology within the Mediterranean BITER, PLOME and LIFE-ECOREST projects

2 pagesThe trawling fishing activity constitutes today half of all EU fisheries and its use is one of the main drivers of ecosystem degradation of demersal ecosystems (Puig et al., 2012). Trawling removes the sediments and endangers demersal fragile sessile organisms, being long-lived species replaced by short-lived ones. In the Mediterranean, many demersal stocks are overexploited, reducing the economic benefits of fisheries and the ecosystem services associated with cultural aspects of iconic species. Given this situation, ecological networks of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as no-take reserves, are being created to preserve Nephrops norvegicus stocks, according to the principles of habitat connectivity, with appropriate scales of geographic proximity for larval dispersal (Vigo et al. 2021). Although the primary aim of MPAs is the conservation of Nephrops stocks, they also allow the recovering of the associated sessile fauna, that trapping the sediment accelerates the whole habitat restoration process. The repopulation of soft bodied cold water corals by badminton technique is the main goal of the LIFE-ECOREST Project. [...