Multi-vehicle adaptive 3D mapping for targeted ocean sampling.

Expanding spatial presentation from two-dimensional profile transects to three-dimensional ocean mapping is key for a better understanding of ocean processes. Phytoplankton distributions can be highly patchy and the accurate identification of these patches with the context, variability, and uncertainty of measurements on relevant scales is difficult to achieve. Traditional sampling methods, such as plankton nets, water samplers and in-situ vertical sensors, provide a snapshot and often miss the fine-scale horizontal and temporal variability.

Flow-through imaging and automated analysis of oil-exposed early stage Atlantic cod ().

Toxicology studies in early fish life stages serve an important function in measuring the impact of potentially harmful substances, such as crude oil, on marine life. Morphometric analysis of larvae can reveal the effects of such substances in retarding growth and development. These studies are labor intensive and time consuming, typically resulting in only a small number of samples being considered.

Contrasting phytoplankton-zooplankton distributions observed through autonomous platforms, in-situ optical sensors and discrete sampling.

Plankton distributions are remarkably 'patchy' in the ocean. In this study, we investigated the contrasting phytoplankton-zooplankton distributions in relation to wind mixing events in waters around a biodiversity-rich island (Runde) located off the western coast of Norway. We used adaptive sampling from AUV and shipboard profiles of in-situ phytoplankton photo-physiology and particle identification (copepods, fecal pellets and the dinoflagellate Tripos spp.

A flow-through imaging system for automated measurement of ichthyoplankton.

Microscopic imaging and morphometric measurement of fish embryos and larvae is essential in environmental monitoring of fish populations and to evaluate larvae development in aquaculture. Traditional microscopy methods require time-consuming, repetitive work by human experts. We present a method for fast imaging and analysis of millimetre-scale ichthyoplankton suspended in seawater.

Collaborating robots sample the primary production in the ocean.

Sampling genetic material from phytoplankton in open ocean eddies becomes more precise and efficient using a heterogeneous network of autonomous marine robots.

Toward adaptive robotic sampling of phytoplankton in the coastal ocean.

Currents, wind, bathymetry, and freshwater runoff are some of the factors that make coastal waters heterogeneous, patchy, and scientifically interesting-where it is challenging to resolve the spatiotemporal variation within the water column. We present methods and results from field experiments using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with embedded algorithms that focus sampling on features in three dimensions. This was achieved by combining Gaussian process (GP) modeling with onboard robotic autonomy, allowing volumetric measurements to be made at fine scales.

Underwater hyperspectral imaging as an in situ taxonomic tool for deep-sea megafauna.

Identification of benthic megafauna is commonly based on analysis of physical samples or imagery acquired by cameras mounted on underwater platforms. Physical collection of samples is difficult, particularly from the deep sea, and identification of taxonomic morphotypes from imagery depends on resolution and investigator experience. Here, we show how an Underwater Hyperspectral Imager (UHI) can be used as an alternative in situ taxonomic tool for benthic megafauna.

Underwater hyperspectral imaging: a new tool for marine archaeology.

By applying an underwater hyperspectral imager (UHI) to a selection of archaeological artifacts, we have found spectral signatures that are representative of materials likely to be present at wreck sites. By successfully using the signatures to classify a subset of said artifacts placed on the seabed at 61 m depth, we demonstrate that it is possible to detect archaeological objects of interest in UHI data acquired by a remotely operated vehicle. Correct UHI classification of rust and glass bottles in situ on a historical wreck site further supports the viability of the method for marine archaeological applications.

Use of an Autonomous Surface Vehicle reveals small-scale diel vertical migrations of zooplankton and susceptibility to light pollution under low solar irradiance.

Light is a major cue for nearly all life on Earth. However, most of our knowledge concerning the importance of light is based on organisms' response to light during daytime, including the dusk and dawn phase. When it is dark, light is most often considered as pollution, with increasing appreciation of its negative ecological effects.

Tissue-associated "Candidatus Mycoplasma corallicola" and filamentous bacteria on the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa (Scleractinia).

The cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa (Scleractinia, Caryophylliidae) is a key species in the formation of cold-water reefs, which are among the most diverse deep-sea ecosystems. It occurs in two color varieties: white and red. Bacterial communities associated with Lophelia have been investigated in recent years, but the role of the associated bacteria remains largely obscure.

Phenotype-specific bacterial communities in the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa (Scleractinia) and their implications for the coral's nutrition, health, and distribution.

The pseudocolonial coral Lophelia pertusa (Scleractinia, Caryophylliidae) is a eurybathic, stenothermal cosmopolitan cold-water species. It occurs in two color varieties, white and red. L.