Cutting the Umbilical: New Technological Perspectives in Benthic Deep-Sea Research

Abstract

Many countries are very active in marine research and operate their own research fleets. In this decade, a number of research vessels have been renewed and equipped with the most modern navigation systems and tools. However, much of the research gear used for biological sampling, especially in the deep-sea, is outdated and dependent on wired operations. The deployment of gear can be very time consuming and, thus, expensive. The present paper reviews wire-dependent, as well as autonomous research gear for biological sampling at the deep seafloor. We describe the requirements that new gear could fulfil, including the improvement of spatial and temporal sampling resolution, increased autonomy, more efficient sample conservation methodologies for morphological and molecular studies and the potential for extensive in situ real-time studies. We present applicable technologies from robotics research, which could be used to develop novel autonomous marine research gear, which may be deployed independently and/or simultaneously with traditional wired equipment. A variety of technological advancements make such ventures feasible and timely. In proportion to the running costs of modern research vessels, the development of such autonomous devices might be already paid off after a discrete number of pioneer expeditions.

Ecological variables for developing a global deep-ocean monitoring and conservation strategy

“…For example, stationary, high-frequency time-lapse imaging over a period of years from cabled observatories can quantify megafaunal species richness 60 , with rovers and crawlers expanding local data acquisition to greater distances (several tens of m 2 ) 23,94,96 . Benthic landers 97 or AUVs and gliders could expand this observation capability across even wider spatial scales (several km 2 ) 98 .…”

“…This measure requires sorting and DNA sequencing coupled with morphological studies. In recent years, meta-barcoding and genomic analyses of deep-sea organisms have expanded our overall knowledge of taxonomy beyond laboratory-based approaches (see also the Global Genome Initiative -GGI 98,100 ). Supplementary Table 6).…”

Global Observing Needs in the Deep Ocean

“…As opposed to benthic lander systems, these moving platforms can address spatial heterogeneity and gradients at the seafloor. As they are able to move between observations, they also allow for semi or non-destructive measurements (e.g., of seafloor respiration with benthic chambers; Smith et al, 2014) or, once the technique is available, time series sampling of material from the seafloor (Brandt et al, 2016). Ideally, crawlers are connected to underwater nodes of submarine cables (e.g., Purser et al, 2013) but there are also crawlers that allow for autonomous operation in other regions of the open ocean.…”

Exo-Ocean Exploration with Deep-Sea Sensor and Platform Technologies

“…Presently, increasing autonomy in crawler missions and data collection is being implemented through technical solutions for full cable-independence via inductive powering (i.e., recharging is based on new depth-rated lithium batteries; Brandt et al, 2016) and autonomous navigation (Wehde et al, 2019). Rover (i.e., wheeled vehicle) technology is also being implemented as a nontethered alternative to crawlers, being operative through a vessel-deployable docking station (Flögel, 2015;Wedler et al, 2015;Flögel et al, 2018).…”