Marine Disciplines Research Articles

Detection and tracking of ocean layers using an AUV with UKF based extremum seeking control in the Baltic Sea

Adaptive sampling and situational awareness are key features of modern autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) since data quality can be improved while operation time and cost can be reduced. An example for adaptive sampling in the marine environmental context is thermocline detection and tracking. The thermocline as horizontal ocean layer separates warm and cold water and is a key feature in many marine disciplines. For example, it influences the distribution and exchange of nutrients and is a habitat for many organisms. In this paper we use an unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) based extremum seeking control (ESC) to find and follow ocean layers such as the thermocline. Computer simulations and real-world tests show that the method is able to find and track non-trivial real-world ocean layers with sensors subject to hysteresis and delay effects.

Applying project‐based learning in artificial intelligence and marine discipline: An evaluation study on a robotic sailboat platform

AbstractArtificial intelligence is penetrating various fields. The demand for interdisciplinary talent is increasingly important, while interdisciplinary educational activities for high school students are lagging behind. Project‐based learning (PBL) in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic education activities supported by a robotic sailboat platform, the sailboat test arena (STAr), has been shown to popularise AI and robotic knowledge in young students. In the implementation of the programme, PBL was provided for students, and gamification pedagogy was applied to increase participants' learning motivation and engagement. The results show that the proposed STAr‐based programme is capable of delivering the desired knowledge and skills to students at high school levels. The assessment results suggest that most students achieve learning outcomes on average. Students showed more interest in AI and marine disciplines and were willing to participate in more such educational programs. The findings fill the research gap that few existing education platforms have facilitated the teaching and learning of AI and marine disciplines for high school students.

At the Interface of Marine Disciplines: Use of Autonomous Seafloor Equipment for Studies of Biofouling Below the Shallow-Water Zone

Biofouling of artificial substrates is a well-known phenomenon that can negatively impact offshore industry operations as well as data collection in the ocean. Fouling communities worldwide have mostly been studied within the top 50 m of the ocean surface, while biofouling below this depth remains largely underreported. Existing methods used to study biofouling are labor intensive and expensive when applied to the deep sea. Here, we propose a simple and cost-effective modification of traditional methods for studying biofouling by mounting test plates on autonomous seafloor equipment and preserving them in ethanol upon retrieval for transport to the laboratory. This method can greatly advance our understanding of biofouling processes in the deeper ocean, including fouling community biodiversity, recruitment, and seasonality. We present two case studies from the Laptev Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk in support of this method. In the first study, we looked at fouling communities on the surfaces of ocean-bottom seismometers deployed for one year in the 36–350 m depth range. In the second study, we tested metal and plexiglass (poly(methyl methacrylate) plates mounted on autonomous bottom stations and found evidence of both micro- and macrofouling after three months of deployment. Our results demonstrate that various autonomous seafloor equipment can be used as supporting platforms for biofouling studies.

Research on Intelligent Construction Algorithm of Subject Knowledge Thesaurus Based on Literature Resources

The implementation of National Science and Technology Innovation Strategy demands exponential growing in knowledge services on literature information institutions. It is the most important knowledge organization tool for Information Retrieval, which can be widely used for semantic citation, organization and retrieval of literature resources. This study aims to develop an innovative algorithm for constructing subject thesaurus based on massive literature resource data and mining academic neologisms, also the semantic relationship between academic neologisms and subject system. We firstly collect a dataset of literature corpus, corresponding work for data pre-processing carried out. Then using the FastText model to complete academic neologisms mining, we construct an automatic categorization model of academic neologisms based on the Bert and TextCNN algorithm. The algorithm proposed in this study is validated by 8.1 million multi-source and heterogeneous literature data in the field of marine disciplines. The result shows that the algorithm can effectively replace 90% of the manual annotation volume, mine a large number of high-quality marine neologisms and successfully build the marine science knowledge base with a pass rate of 82.6% reviewed by expert, which present high accuracy and certain engineering application prospects.

The Prototype of Marine Data Integration System Based on J2EE

Gao, X., 2020. The prototype of marine data integration system based on J2EE. In: Li, L. and Huang, X. (eds.), Sustainable Development in Coastal Regions: A Perspective of Environment, Economy, and Technology. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 112, pp. 414-417. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Aiming at the heterogeneity of data sources in marine disciplines, this article uses XML technology for integration to achieve a unified representation of marine data. At the same time, it is supported by J2EE technology to propose and implement a multi-layer B/S architecture for marine XML data integration. The system prototype uses the scalable vector graphics (SVG) technology, an emerging XML technology, to realize the interaction of ocean data based on XML and provide support for ocean informatization.

Introduction to the special issue: Benguela: opportunity, challenge and change

• International symposium showcased ongoing research in Benguela Current LME • Contributions spanned a broad range of research topics and marine disciplines • Research has been multi-disciplinary, multi-authored and multi-institutional • This collaborative approach exemplifies marine research in the Benguela Current LME

Research of marine sensor web based on SOA and EDA

A great deal of ocean sensor observation data exists, for a wide range of marine disciplines, derived from in situ and remote observing platforms, in real-time, near-real-time and delayed mode. Ocean monitoring is routinely completed using sensors and instruments. Standardization is the key requirement for exchanging information about ocean sensors and sensor data and for comparing and combining information from different sensor networks. One or more sensors are often physically integrated into a single ocean ‘instrument’ device, which often brings in many challenges related to diverse sensor data formats, parameters units, different spatiotemporal resolution, application domains, data quality and sensors protocols. To face these challenges requires the standardization efforts aiming at facilitating the so-called Sensor Web, which making it easy to provide public access to sensor data and metadata information. In this paper, a Marine Sensor Web, based on SOA and EDA and integrating the MBARI’s PUCK protocol, IEEE 1451 and OGC SWE 2.0, is illustrated with a five-layer architecture. The Web Service layer and Event Process layer are illustrated in detail with an actual example. The demo study has demonstrated that a standard-based system can be built to access sensors and marine instruments distributed globally using common Web browsers for monitoring the environment and oceanic conditions besides marine sensor data on the Web, this framework of Marine Sensor Web can also play an important role in many other domains’ information integration.

Connecting the Seas of Norden

The Nordic Seas are highly sensitive to environmental change and have been extensively monitored and studied across a broad range of marine disciplines. For these reasons, the Nordic seas may serve as a pilot area for integrated policy development in response to ongoing climate change.

Project and construction of oceanographic and faisheries research vessels in Spain

The objective of the paper is to analyze and present the specific and innovative characteristics of the multipurpose oceanographic vessels that are currently being built in Spain. The main requirement in these types of vessels is the low level of noise radiated to the water, Silent Platform, according to ICES 209, to satisfactorily exploit the evaluation of the Fishing Resources and its dynamic position capacity for operations with remote operating vehicles. These vessels are designed to carry out a wide range of research activities and have, therefore, the most modern facilities, laboratories, and equipment to undertake scientific missions in the different marine disciplines: Marine Geology, Physical Oceanography, Chemical Oceanography, Pollution, Marine Biology, and Fisheries.

Stock boundaries for fisheries assessment and management in the Mediterranean: the Balearic Islands as a case study

SUMMARY: The stock concept plays a pivotal role in fisheries assessment and management. Stocks are defined according to biological, geographical, economic or socio-political factors. The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) has established thirty management geographical sub-areas (GSAs) based on political and statistical considerations rather than biological or economic factors. Here, we present our view on the main biological and ecological aspects that should be considered for delineating different management units in the Mediterranean. We focus on the Balearic Islands (GSA05) as a case study highlighting its specificities compared to the adjacent coast of the Iberian Peninsula (GSA06), but the approach could be generalized to the problem of identifying stock boundaries in other areas. The work is based on published information from different marine disciplines such as geomorphology, ecology and fisheries, combined with the analysis of new data coming from official fishery statistics and scientific surveys. This approach avoids the important drawbacks (inconclusive results, high costs) of other time-consuming techniques used in stock identification, such as genetics. According to the information presented, we conclude that GSA05 should be maintained as an individualized area for assessment and management purposes in the western Mediterranean.

Coupling low and high trophic levels models: Towards a pathways-orientated approach for end-to-end models

Existing models of marine ecosystems address specific issues related to the bottom-up forcing of production or to the top-down effects of fishing on a limited range of the trophic spectrum. Very few existing models explicitly incorporate the dynamics from one end of the ecosystem to the other and thus allowing the exploration of interplay between exploitation and climate effects. The shift to an ecosystem approach to fisheries and concerns about the ecological effects of climate change require the assemblage of knowledge assembled from the respective marine disciplines with the view to build end-to-end models of marine ecosystems. Here, with a focus on plankton and fish models, we present some issues and recommendations for the integration of models between trophic levels (vertical integration) and within functional groups (horizontal integration within trophic levels). At present, vertical coupling of plankton and fish models is mainly realized through predation processes, generally represented as a functional response. In the absence of empirical evidence and quantification, the choice of the functional response term is often made by default, and is reduced to a parameterization problem. A strategy is proposed to overcome this arbitrary choice. In addition to the vertical coupling of trophic models, the structure of end-to-end models incorporates biodiversity via horizontal integration of trophic levels. For guiding the selection of key components to be included in end-to-end models, the idea that marine food webs are structured as alternative trophic pathways is highlighted and related to observed dynamics. We suggest that an important early step in model development is the identification of major trophic pathways and bottlenecks in an ecosystem using a historical perspective.

The Subseafloor Biosphere at Mid-Ocean Ridges.: W. S. D. WILCOCK, E. F. DELONG, D. S. KELLEY, J. A. BAROSS, AND S. C. CARY, EDITORS. AGU Geophysical Monograph 144. 408 Pp. ISBN 0-87590-409-2. 2004. Price $80.

During the last decade, marine science went through a major change with respect to funding and the focus of resulting work. Rather than working independently from each other, scientists in marine disciplines are now working together in order to document the interaction of geological, biological, and oceanographic processes at spreading ridges and trying to understand them at different scales and in four dimensions. This fruitful interdisciplinary science is evident in two recently published volumes from the American Geophysical Union (volumes 144 and 148 of the AGU Geophysical Monograph Series). It has recently become evident that submarine hydrothermal systems may harbor a substantial subsea-floor biosphere sustained by the heat and chemical fluxes ultimately derived from magmatic processes. To address this new field of research, a RIDGE Theoretical Institute meeting was held in Montana in 2000 and the AGU Geophysical Monograph 144, The Subseafloor Biosphere at Mid-Ocean Ridges, represents the resulting outcome. The volume includes contributions from marine geoscientists, chemists, biologists, and microbiologists, thus providing a comprehensive synthesis of our current knowledge on midocean ridge science. Following an introduction, the articles are grouped into six chapters …