Robots at Sea

Marine scientists working alongside autonomous vehicles achieve breakthroughs on the high seas never before possible

Massive data collected from drones — and extensions of scientific measurements over vast areas of ocean — combine to help scientists understand changing ocean chemistry, warming temperatures, and oxygen dead zones

July 2018 — Onboard the R/V Falkor, a research ship operated in partnership with Palo Alto-based Schmidt Ocean Institute. Seen above on a recent deployment, this team used new technologies like autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), remote underwater vehicles (RUVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to vastly extend their coverage area of the Pacific Ocean. The focus of the team’s latest study is the Subtropical Zone, a region half-way between Hawaii and Mexico where cool, nutrient-rich northern waters meet up with warmer, saltier waters from the south. This research is offering new insights into what’s going on in Oxygen Deficient Zones (ODZs). — Photo by Schmidt Ocean Institute

Marine scientists have recently reported stunning success using powerful — yet low-cost — drone and robotic technology at sea. The results point to dramatic increases in the range of scientific observation for ocean research and the amount of data collected — advancing what’s possible for marine science.

By coupling robotic devices with massive amounts of computer processing power to speed up number crunching, these scientists are uncovering the potential for breakthroughs in understanding rapid changes in ocean climate and chemistry.

Recent voyages by the R/V Falkor, a 270-foot research vessel sponsored by the Schmidt Ocean Institute — and backed by Google philanthropists Eric and Wendy Schmidt —equipped scientists with autonomous vehicles and sent them off the coasts of California, Hawaii and Mexico.

Destination: the Subtropical Zone

In June 2018, the crew from the R/V Falkor headed for the Subtropical Zone, an area of the eastern Pacific Ocean half-way between Hawaii and the west coast of Mexico. The Subtropical Zone is where cooler, nutrient-rich waters from the north mix with saltier, warmer waters from the south. Scientists point to zones like these as key to their studies to better understand recent changes in ocean chemistry and the effects of rising ocean temperatures for sea life.

This voyage gave scientists hands-on opportunities to prove the vast capabilities of new drone technology for marine science — and it may be only the beginning for a number of breakthroughs that could reshape the future of marine science itself.

It turns out, giving marine scientists these robotic devices — powerful, lightweight, networked and autonomous —creates a simple yet profound breakthrough: instead of depending on one vessel, and conducting measurements at one location at sea — limited by where that ship happens to be at any given time —scientists can now extend their measurements far beyond the vessel.

This new drone technology allows scientists to extend their measurements of the ocean’s vital signs — like temperature, salinity, and chemistry — over vast amounts of area — and monitor these autonomous vehicles from the relative comfort of their ship day or night.

Technology extends scientific reach

Aboard R/V Falkor. A drone technician operates an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, during the vessel’s recent scientific cruise to the Subtropical Zone in the eastern Pacific. These aerial drones help marine scientists with remote direct observation of sea mammals and other sea life. Image from Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Some drones, such as remote underwater vehicles (RUVs) recently deployed from the R/V Falkor, can travel for hundreds of miles and extend their data-collection missions over several days.

Other drones, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fly in support of visual observation for marine scientists scanning the horizon for birds, sea mammals and other marine wildlife.

R/V Falkor’s crew includes a diverse, multi-disciplinary team, including neuroscientists, marine biologists, physical oceanographers, and chemical oceanographers.

Autonomous, self-powered vehicles — such as this saildrone which was recently deployed by crews aboard the R/V Falkor operating in the eastern Pacific — can travel for days and cover hundreds of miles in the open ocean. Previously, marine scientists relied on satellite data and direct observation. Drones such as these give marine scientists vast new capabilities to measure the ocean’s vital signs — such as temperature, salinity and ocean chemistry — over far greater areas of open ocean. — Photo from Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Aboard R/V Falkor, June 2018 — marine drones, such as these autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) can be pre-programmed to conduct remote sensing and can operate for days and cover vast areas of open ocean. — Photo by Schmidt Ocean Institute

Into the heart of Oxygen Dead Zones

Marine scientists aboard R/V Falkor are particularly interested in how rapid changes in ocean chemistry, temperature and salinity are contributing to create so-called oxygen dead zones.

These dead zones, known as Oxygen Deficient Zones (ODZs) are caused when the ocean’s natural oxygen cycle is disrupted. In coastal areas, this oxygen disruption is caused by harmful chemicals — typically from fertilizers and pesticides — that make their way to the ocean from increased water runoff.

On the high seas, oxygen dead zones — or hypoxic areas — are caused by changing ocean temperatures which upset the chemistry and salinity of vast areas of the world’s oceans.

During its recent scientific cruise in June 2018, the R/V Falkor spent several weeks studying the Subtropical Zone located about 1,000 miles off the west coast of Mexico.

Hypoxic concerns — Open ocean oxygen dead zones, where the ocean’s natural oxygen cycle is seeing major change, highlighted in blue. These are typically in areas where rising sea surface temperatures impact ocean chemistry and salinity and sea life. Coastal areas where the oxygen cycle is disrupted, highlighted in red, are found where harmful chemicals in water runoff is on the rise due to increased urbanization. Image from Global Ocean Oxygen Network, 2009.

The oxygen cycle of oceans — plant and animal life at sea combine with sunlight, ocean temperature, salinity and ocean currents to form an oxygen cycle. In coastal areas, this cycle can become disrupted when harmful chemicals wash into the ocean from increased water runoff. In areas of open ocean, rising temperatures due to climate change is a major source of disruption of the oxygen cycle, according to recent scientific study. Image from Global Ocean Oxygen Network.

Drone technology is augmenting — and vastly extending — the work that marine scientists do at sea

Aboard R/V Falkor, somewhere in the Subtropical Zone off the coast of Mexico, July 2018 — marine scientists are working alongside robotic technology. The technology vastly extends the capabilities for scientific measurement and data collection at sea. Breakthroughs from autonomous vehicles and technology-assisted science have the potential to shape what’s possible for marine scientists. Image from Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Sources

Schmidt Ocean Institute — http://www.schmidtocean.org

“Oceans suffocating as huge dead zones quadruple since 1950, scientists warn,” The Guardian, January 4, 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/04/oceans-suffocating-dead-zones-oxygen-starved

“Declining oxygen in the global ocean and coastal waters,” Science, by Denise Breitburg, Lisa A. Levin, Andreas Oschlies, et al., January 5, 2018.