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Use Case Scenarios

  1. Use Case Scenario: Super-Integrated Research Project for Marine Biodiversity Monitoring in the Region

Research Project Title: ” Monitoring of Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health in the Region”

Objective:

To map marine biodiversity, track species distribution, and collect data to understand ecosystem changes in response to climate change and human activities using a multi-platform, integrated research infrastructure approach.

Challenge Addressed:

  • Monitoring and modelling marine biodiversity across multiple scales (from the surface to deep-sea environments).
  • Understanding the ecological impact of adverse pressures for example climate change, overfishing, and pollution on marine species.

Integrated Research Infrastructure:

  1. Research Vessel(s):
    • Role: Act as the operational hub. Equipped with multibeam sonar, biological sampling tools, and communication systems.
    • Task: acquire samples and data utilizing ship mounted and deployed equipment whilst also serving as the command centre, deploying drones, AUVs, and ROVs for targeted data collection in areas identified as biodiversity hotspots.
  2. Mobile Marine Platforms (AUVs, ROVs):
    • Role: Autonomous and remotely operated systems for high-resolution data collection.
    • Task:
      • AUVs survey large swathes of the seafloor and water column, collecting data on temperature, salinity, and species presence.
      • ROVs are deployed for close-up observation of species and ecosystems in deeper waters or complex habitats (e.g., coral reefs) and sample acquisition.
  3. Fixed Marine Facilities:
    • Role: Continuous environmental monitoring via seabed observatories and buoys.
    • Task: Provide baseline in situ environmental data (e.g., temperature, pH, nutrient levels) to support activities from research vessels and mobile platforms, and detailed long-term data on biodiversity. Support long-term trend analysis.
  4. Experimental Research Facility
    • Role: Detailed studies of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
    • Task: Provision of specific sensors for field studies, sensor calibration, facilities for species identification and sites for experimental studies
  5. River and Basin Supersite
    • Role: Continuous environmental monitoring of riverine fluxes and environmental monitoring
    • Task: Provide baseline in situ riverine and environmental data to support activities from research vessels and mobile platforms. Construction of land-sea fluxes and long-term trend analysis.
  6. Drones and Aircraft:
    • Role: Aerial observation and mapping of large-scale marine areas
    • Task: Drones monitor oceanographic conditions such as surface algal blooms, Marine Mammal species, marine birds, marine debris and litter, providing real-time imagery and supporting the deployment of surface/ underwater mobile platforms.
  7. Satellite Services:
    • Role: Large-scale monitoring of sea surface temperature, currents, and chlorophyll levels.
    • Task: Satellites identify regions of interest (e.g., temperature anomalies, algal blooms), guiding vessel and AUV deployments for closer inspection.

 Research Workflow:

  1. Initial Satellite Survey:
    Collect routine satellite data at the start of the workflow to establish a baseline ecological assessment of a particular region. Additional data sets will be gathered at interim time points (e.g., mid-way through the research project and again during the final stages) to identify any temporal patterns in surface oceanographic features emerge throughout the course of the workflow.
  2. Experimental Research Facility
    Joint calibration of sensors used in various platforms. Additional comparison of new technologies against traditional ones in controlled environments, simulating the in situ conditions.
  3. Research Vessel(s) Campaign:
    After assessing the baseline biodiversity status, a research vessel campaign will be planned, utilizing supporting infrastructure such as ROVs and AUVs to collect biological samples and geophysical data, helping to create a comprehensive image of the environment.
  4. AUV and ROV Deployment:
    • AUVs will autonomously map the seafloor, and/or taking water column profiles to assess biodiversity, temperature, and salinity profiles.
    • ROVs shall explore deep-sea ecosystems, capturing high-resolution images and videos of species, as well as collecting physical biological samples of benthos impacted by the algal bloom.
  1. Fixed Marine Facility & River and Basin Supersite Data Integration:
    Data from nearby buoys, seabed observatories and riverine fluxes provide environmental context (e.g., nutrient loads, changes in ocean temperature and pH), helping to link observed biodiversity changes with environmental stressors.
  2. Predictive Model Development:
    All collected data is integrated into predictive models to assess how climate change and human activities (e.g., pollution) are influencing marine biodiversity.
  3. Final satellite survey
    Observational data shall be collected in the final stages of the research workflow to assess any environmental changes that may of occurred after the completion of research campaign, where it would have been unfeasible to redeploy in-situ research infrastructures.

Outcome:

The project produces a comprehensive map of marine biodiversity in the area, identifies species at risk from climate change, and develops models to predict future biodiversity shifts. This integrated approach offers a robust tool for decision-makers to design conservation strategies, protect marine ecosystems, and mitigate human impact on biodiversity.

  1. Use Case Scenario: Focused study on Mapping Microbial Diversity and Ecological Roles in the Region

Research Project Title: “Exploring Microbial Diversity in Region: Implications for Ecosystem Function”

Objective:

To map and study the microbial communities in the Region, assessing their ecological roles and how they are affected by changing environmental conditions due to climate change.

Challenge Addressed:

  • Mapping Microbial Diversity and Ecological Roles: Understanding the diversity and function of microbial life in the Region and its contribution to marine ecosystems under the pressure of climate change.

Integrated Research Infrastructure:

Research Vessels Campaign

    • Role: Plan out a research vessel campaign to map microbial diversity in the Region. Campaign could also include the deployment of AUV missions to expand the spatial reach of the survey.
    • Task: Select locations across the Region for collecting benthic grabs and CTD water samples at discrete ocean depths to build a map of the quantitative and qualitative distribution map of marine microbes.
  1. Mobile Marine Observation Platform (AUV):
    • Role: Autonomous profiling of water column environmental data (e.g., temperature, salinity) across a range of depths and locations.
    • Task: Plan out several AUV missions to increase the spatial research of this campaign. These missions will further map microbial habitats by profiling the water column across different layers of the Region and measuring environmental variables that may influence microbial communities.

Research Workflow:

  1. Initial Data Collection by Research Vessel Campaign:
    Collection of water samples at discreet depths and profiling of the water column (to include temperature, salinity, and nutrient concentrations) with a CTD to map the ecological distribution of microbes in the Region.
  2. AUV Deployment for Microbial Sampling:
    • The AUV autonomously navigates through different depths of the water column, collecting microbial samples and environmental data across a wide area.
    • The AUV samples from areas near the fixed observatories to cross-reference data, as well as in regions further from fixed infrastructure to cover a broader spatial area.
  3. Data Integration and Analysis:
    • The microbial samples collected by the AUV are analysed in laboratories to map microbial diversity and identify key microbial species contributing to ecosystem processes.
    • The data from the fixed observatories provides long-term environmental trends, helping to link microbial changes to larger-scale processes, such as warming waters or melting ice.

Outcome:

The project maps microbial diversity in the Region, highlighting the ecological roles of microbes in nutrient cycling and their response to environmental changes. This helps researchers understand how climate change is impacting microbial communities and, by extension, broader marine ecosystems. The findings contribute to predictive models of ecosystem shifts in the Region and inform conservation strategies aimed at preserving microbial biodiversity.