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

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 However, much of the research gear used for biological sampling, especially in the deep-sea, is outdated and dependent on wired operations.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.

• Publication year

  2016

• Venue

  Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

• Publication date

  2016-05-20

• Fields of study

  Biology, Engineering, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.3390/JMSE4020036
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• SPATIAL PATTERNS OF BIODIVERSITY-ASSESSING VEGETATION USING HEXAGONAL GRIDS

  2022cited by this paper
• New perspectives in benthic deep-sea microbial ecology

  2015cited by this paper
• Abyssal macrofauna of the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench area (Northwest Pacific) collected by means of a camera–epibenthic sledge

  2015cited by this paper
• On some hypotheses of diversity of animal life at great depths on the sea floor

  2015cited by this paper
• Temporal and spatial benthic data collection via mobile robots: Present and future applications

  2015cited by this paper
• Towards a fine-manipulation system with tactile feedback for deep-sea environments

  2015cited by this paper
• The Hadal Zone: Geography and geology

  2015cited by this paper
• Visual surveys can reveal rather different 'pictures' of fish densities: Comparison of trawl and video camera surveys in the Rockall Bank, NE Atlantic Ocean

  2015cited by this paper
• Challenging the paradigms of deep-sea ecology.

  2014cited by this paper
• Metagenomics reveals sediment microbial community response to Deepwater Horizon oil spill

  2014cited by this paper
• Using Embodied Data for Localization and Mapping

  2014cited by this paper
• Patchiness of deep-sea benthic Foraminifera across the Southern Ocean: Insights from high-throughput DNA sequencing

  2014cited by this paper
• A Validation Process for Underwater Localization Algorithms

  2014cited by this paper
• Ecological restoration in the deep sea: Desiderata

  2014cited by this paper
• Field and Laboratory Methods for DNA Studies on Deep-sea Isopod Crustaceans

  2014cited by this paper
• Multilocus Sequence Analysis for Assessment of Phylogenetic Diversity and Biogeography in Thalassospira Bacteria from Diverse Marine Environments

  2014cited by this paper
• Challenges, Benefits, and Opportunities in Installing and Operating Cabled Ocean Observatories: Perspectives From NEPTUNE Canada

  2013cited by this paper
• Epifauna of the Sea of Japan collected via a new epibenthic sledge equipped with camera and environmental sensor systems

  2013cited by this paper
• Ancient DNA complements microfossil record in deep-sea subsurface sediments

  2013cited by this paper
• Temporal and spatial benthic data collection via an internet operated Deep Sea Crawler

  2013cited by this paper
• Design and Analysis in Benthic Surveys in Environmental Sampling

  2013cited by this paper
• Autonomous application of quantitative PCR in the deep sea: in situ surveys of aerobic methanotrophs using the deep-sea environmental sample processor.

  2013cited by this paper
• Comparison of Sensor-Feedback Prediction Methods for Robust Behavior Execution

  2013cited by this paper
• Hyperspectral imaging of the microscale distribution and dynamics of microphytobenthos in intertidal sediments

  2013cited by this paper
• Cosmopolitanism of microbial eukaryotes in the global deep seas

  2012cited by this paper
• Semi-Automated Image Analysis for the Assessment of Megafaunal Densities at the Arctic Deep-Sea Observatory HAUSGARTEN

  2012cited by this paper
• Metagenetic community analysis of microbial eukaryotes illuminates biogeographic patterns in deep-sea and shallow water sediments.

  2012cited by this paper
• Cost-effective remote data acquisition and instrumentation management for oceanographic and environmental monitoring applications

  2012cited by this paper
• Ocean circulation promotes methane release from gas hydrate outcrops at the NEPTUNE Canada Barkley Canyon node

  2012cited by this paper
• Challenges, benefits and opportunities in operating cabled ocean observatories: Perspectives from NEPTUNE Canada

  2011influential reference
• How Many Species Are There on Earth and in the Ocean?

  2011cited by this paper
• Ultra-deep sequencing of foraminiferal microbarcodes unveils hidden richness of early monothalamous lineages in deep-sea sediments

  2011cited by this paper
• Marine subsurface eukaryotes: the fungal majority.

  2011cited by this paper
• Eukaryotic Richness in the Abyss: Insights from Pyrotag Sequencing

  2011cited by this paper
• Preservation, origin and genetic imprint of extracellular DNA in permanently anoxic deep‐sea sediments

  2011cited by this paper
• Intelligent autonomy for unmanned surface and underwater vehicles

  2011cited by this paper
• Preservation potential of ancient plankton DNA in Pleistocene marine sediments

  2011influential reference
• Deep-Sea Biodiversity: Pattern and Scale

  2010cited by this paper
• The Wave Glider: A persistent platform for ocean science

  2010cited by this paper
• Biogeography, ecology, and vulnerability of chemosynthetic ecosystems in the deep sea

  2010cited by this paper
• Characterization of the acoustic signature of a small remotely operated vehicle for detection

  2010cited by this paper
• New Perceptions of Continental Margin Biodiversity

  2010cited by this paper
• Diversity of abyssal marine life

  2010cited by this paper
• Design of a versatile AUV for high precision visual mapping and algorithm evaluation

  2010cited by this paper
• CMOVE- a versatile underwater vehicle for seafloor studies

  2010cited by this paper
• What are "ecogenomic sensors?" A review and thoughts for the future

  2009cited by this paper
• Real-time visual mosaicking and navigation on the seafloor

  2009cited by this paper
• Remote Detection of Marine Microbes, Small Invertebrates, Harmful Algae, and Biotoxins using the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP)

  2009cited by this paper
• Abyssal food limitation, ecosystem structure and climate change.

  2008cited by this paper
• Efficient View-Based SLAM Using Visual Loop Closures

  2008cited by this paper
• A new technique for periodic bait release at a deep-sea camera platform: First results from the Charlie–Gibbs Fracture Zone, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

  2008cited by this paper
• Oasis: Onboard autonomous science investigation system for opportunistic rover science

  2007cited by this paper
• First insights into the biodiversity and biogeography of the Southern Ocean deep sea

  2007cited by this paper
• Exactly Sparse Delayed-State Filters for View-Based SLAM

  2006cited by this paper
• Extracellular DNA Plays a Key Role in Deep-Sea Ecosystem Functioning

  2005cited by this paper
• An Epibenthic Sledge for Operations on Marine Soft Bottom and Bedrock

  2005cited by this paper
• In situ benthic fluxes from an intermittently active mud volcano at the Costa Rica convergent margin

  2005cited by this paper
• Simultaneous Recovery of Extracellular and Intracellular DNA Suitable for Molecular Studies from Marine Sediments

  2005cited by this paper
• Gyroscope Calibration and Dead Reckoning for an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

  2005cited by this paper
• A Source‐Sink Hypothesis for Abyssal Biodiversity

  2004cited by this paper
• In situ experimental evidence of the fate of a phytodetritus pulse at the abyssal sea floor

  2003cited by this paper
• Imaging Techniques

  2003cited by this paper
• Reproductive biology of the abyssal holothurian Amperima rosea: an opportunistic response to variable flux of surface derived organic matter?

  2003cited by this paper
• Analysing the impact of bottom trawls on sedimentary seabeds with sediment profile imagery

  2003cited by this paper
• Time-lapse photography in the deep sea

  2003cited by this paper
• The SeaBED AUV — A Platform for High Resolution Imaging

  2002cited by this paper
• Benthic dynamics and carbon fluxes on the NW European continental margin

  2001cited by this paper
• The autonomous underwater glider "Spray"

  2001cited by this paper
• Deployment of the deep sea ROV VICTOR 6000 from board the German research icebreaker POLARSTERN in polar regions

  2000cited by this paper
• Experiments in carangiform robotic fish locomotion

  2000cited by this paper
• A new autonomous underwater vehicle for imaging research

  2000cited by this paper
• POSIDONIA 6000: a new long range highly accurate ultra short base line positioning system

  1998cited by this paper
• Victor 6000-a deep teleoperated system for scientific research

  1997cited by this paper
• Autonomous legged underwater vehicles for near land warfare

  1996cited by this paper
• An improved supra- and epibenthic sledge for catching Peracarida (Crustacea, Malacostraca)

  1995cited by this paper
• Benthic chamber and profiling landers in oceanography-A review of design, technical solutions and functioning.

  1995cited by this paper
• The MEDEA/JASON remotely operated vehicle system

  1993cited by this paper
• Deep-Sea Biology. A natural history of organims at the deep-sea floor

  1992cited by this paper
• Deep-Sea Species Richness: Regional and Local Diversity Estimates from Quantitative Bottom Samples

  1992cited by this paper
• Replicability of an epibenthic sampler

  1991cited by this paper
• Deep Sea Ocean Trenches and their Fauna

  1989cited by this paper
• Community Structure in the Deep-Sea Benthos

  1981cited by this paper
• Pattern and zonation: a study of the bathyal megafauna using the research submersible Alvin

  1975cited by this paper
• Methods for the Study of Marine Benthos.

  1972influential reference
• A Camera System For The Observation Of Deep-Sea Marine Life

  1968cited by this paper
• Faunal diversity in the deep-sea

  1967cited by this paper
• An introduction to the study of deep-sea benthic faunal assemblages along the Gay Head-Bermuda transect*

  1965cited by this paper

• Short‐term response of an abyssal macrofaunal community to a simulated phytodetrital pulse in the Cabo Verde Abyssal Basin, Northeast Tropical Atlantic Ocean

  2025cites this paper
• Limits of life: Thermal tolerance of deep-sea hydrothermal vent copepods and implications for community succession

  2025cites this paper
• The Microbial Ecology of Antarctic Sponges

  2025influential citation
• Progress and Perspective of Seafloor Regolith‐Sampling Robots for Ocean Exploration

  2025cites this paper
• Underwater reconfigurable robot based on modular piezoelectric jet unit

  2025cites this paper
• Subversive Submersives

  2024cites this paper
• Ecology and Biogeography of Marine Benthos

  2024cites this paper
• Seafloor bioturbation intensity on the deep sea: More complex than organic matter

  2024cites this paper
• Benthic Biodiversity by Baited Camera Observations on the Cosmonaut Sea Shelf of East Antarctica

  2024cites this paper
• Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals the effects of seafloor litter and trawling on marine biodiversity.

  2024cites this paper
• Diversity, distribution and composition of abyssal benthic Isopoda in a region proposed for deep-seafloor mining of polymetallic nodules: a synthesis

  2023cites this paper
• Macrobenthic fauna of the Agulhas Bank shelf edge

  2023cites this paper
• Seafloor Observation Scenario Exploration Tool: enabling representative exploration of the global deep seafloor

  2023cites this paper
• The Subsea Micro-Drilling Vehicle’s Dynamic Analysis during Landing

  2023cites this paper
• Remote sensing of Antarctic polychaete reefs (Serpula narconensis): reproducible workflows for quantifying benthic structural complexity with action cameras, remotely operated vehicles and structure‐from‐motion photogrammetry

  2023cites this paper
• A New Coastal Crawler Prototype to Expand the Ecological Monitoring Radius of OBSEA Cabled Observatory

  2023cites this paper
• Underwater legged robotics: review and perspectives

  2023cites this paper
• Diversity of and biogeographic insights into the Atlantic Eocuma (Cumacea: Peracarida)

  2022cites this paper
• Transects in the deep: Opportunities with tele-operated resident seafloor robots

  2022cites this paper
• Fast and accurate mapping of fine scale abundance of a VME in the deep sea with computer vision

  2022cites this paper
• Reviews and syntheses: A framework to observe, understand and project ecosystem response to environmental change in the East Antarctic Southern Ocean

  2022cites this paper
• Functional Pattern of Benthic Epifauna in the Chukchi Borderland, Arctic Deep Sea

  2021cites this paper
• The National Geographic Society Deep-Sea Camera System: A Low-Cost Remote Video Survey Instrument to Advance Biodiversity Observation in the Deep Ocean

  2021cites this paper
• Visible Fidelity Collector of a Zooplankton Sample from the Near-Bottom of the Deep Sea

  2021cites this paper
• A new era of digitalisation for ocean sustainability?

  2021cites this paper
• Underwater Hyperspectral Imaging (UHI): A Review of Systems and Applications for Proximal Seafloor Ecosystem Studies

  2021cites this paper
• High-Pressure Equipment for Use in the Laboratory, at Sea and at Depth

  2021cites this paper
• Epibenthic sled versus giant box corer – Comparison of sampling gears for tanaidacean species richness assessment in the abyssal benthic ecosystem

  2020cites this paper
• Comparability between box-corer and epibenthic-sledge data on higher taxon level: A case study based on deep-sea samples from the NW Pacific

  2020cites this paper
• Ecological variables for developing a global deep-ocean monitoring and conservation strategy

  2020cites this paper
• Ecosystems monitoring powered by environmental genomics: A review of current strategies with an implementation roadmap

  2020cites this paper
• Exo-Ocean Exploration with Deep-Sea Sensor and Platform Technologies

  2020cites this paper
• Bioinspired underwater legged robot for seabed exploration with low environmental disturbance

  2020cites this paper
• Energy Efficient 4-Dimensional Heterogeneous Communication Architecture For Underwater Acoustic Wireless Sensor Networks

  2020cites this paper
• The ocean in (planetary) excess

  2019cites this paper
• Global Observing Needs in the Deep Ocean

  2019cites this paper
• Technological Trends for Ocean Research Vessels

  2019cites this paper
• 200 years of marine research at Senckenberg: selected highlights

  2018cites this paper
• Cross-disciplinarity in the advance of Antarctic ecosystem research

  2018influential citation
• Joint European Research Infrastructure network for Coastal Observatory – Novel European eXpertise for coastal observaTories-JERICO-NEXT

  2018cites this paper
• How AI and Robotics can Support Marine Mining

  2018cites this paper
• Attitude Control of AUV using Multiple Buoyancy Engines for Exploration and Water Column Profiling

  2018cites this paper
• Unusually diverse, abundant and endemic deep–sea sponge fauna revealed in the Sea of Okhotsk (NW Pacific Ocean)

  2018cites this paper
• A contemporary perspective on hadal science

  2018cites this paper
• A New Deep-Sea Crawler System - MANSIO-VIATOR

  2018cites this paper
• Black corals (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) from the deep (916 m-2542 m) Coral Sea, north-eastern Australia.

  2018cites this paper
• Cross-disciplinarity in the advance of Antarctic ecosystem research.

  2017cites this paper
• Deep-water zooplankton in the Mediterranean Sea: Results from a continuous, synchronous sampling over different regions using sediment traps

  2017cites this paper
• Research on climate-change impact on Southern Ocean and Antarctic ecosystems after the UN Paris climate conference—“now more than ever” or “set sail to new shores”?

  2017cites this paper