Developing autonomous technology to assess condition of seagrass beds

Seagrass beds play a vital role in the day-to-day functioning of the planet. However, despite their ecological and economical importance, there is growing evidence that they are under direct threat from both human activity and climate change.

Those threats are to be fully assessed thanks to a pioneering collaboration between Devon-based technology business HydroSurv Unmanned Survey (UK) Limited and researchers from the University of Plymouth’s Marine Institute.

Funded by a grant of more than £266,000 from Innovate UK’s Smart Grants programme, the project will use autonomous vessels equipped with cutting edge acoustic sensors to provide a new and comprehensive means of mapping seagrass beds.

The proposed system centres upon the use of low-impact, fully electric, uncrewed data acquisition platforms and non-invasive survey techniques, and will involve developing and training new machine-learning algorithms to classify submerged aquatic vegetation.

The resulting solution will monitor both seagrass coverage and canopy height, with the sensors being trained to provide a rapid and robust coverage and biomass assessment that can inform ongoing monitoring programmes.

The project, which will include more than 40 days of on-water validation and testing, will build upon existing seagrass research being performed by the University.

It will be developed in Plymouth Sound and the South West region, but could ultimately help researchers map, classify and monitor seagrass habitats globally, driving benefits such as blue carbon sequestration, protection of marine biodiversity and creating the conditions for security of fisheries and ocean food sources.