Submersible Drones are Crucial for Marine Research

Submersible drones, also referred to as Unmanned Underwater Vehicles or UUVs are significant to marine scientific research and environmental monitoring. These sophisticated devices can greatly contribute to fisheries management, ecosystem-based management and water quality management.  Reliance on submersible drones significantly reduces risk to research divers who would have had to go to great depths to collect data. Additionally, these devices provide extended range and duration, operating for hours or days collecting continuous high-resolution data.

Benefits of submersible drones for marine scientific research

• Accessing extreme depths, drones can reach inaccessible underwater regions such as abyssal plains and hydrothermal vents, where no human can dare to go;

• Equipped with sonar technology (use of sound waves to navigate underwater) and high-resolution cameras, submersible drones can capture stunning imagery of marine life, coral reefs, geological formations;

• Built to map the seafloor and monitor marine and deep-sea marine habitats contributing to marine scientific research in support of the BBNJ mechanism;

• Fortified with precision sensors, drones can greatly aid in real-time data collection and sampling by measuring water salinity, temperature, pH and oxygen levels, to name a few scientific monitoring parameters; and, 

• Submersible drones contribute to marine scientific research and environmental monitoring such as marine pollution (detecting oil spills and marine litter with some drones equipped with specialized filters to sample and analyse microplastics), marine biodiversity and habitat studies; coral reef and invasive species monitoring. 

Underwater drones are emerging as powerful research tools in supporting sustainable ocean-based industries thereby boosting traditional and emerging blue economy sectors – fishing, tourism, shipping and renewable energy and pharmaceutical.  According to the OECD Ocean Economy Outlook, the blue economy is projected to reach $3 trillion by 2030.  In this context, drones, in providing enhanced marine data collection and monitoring features, can be considered as strategic assets to boost the blue economy.

The Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) recently hosted a seminar themed, ‘Ocean-based Climate Action in Support of Blue Economy Advancement in Trinidad and Tobago and the Wider Caribbean Region.  In exploring practical pathways to strengthen climate resilience and drive economic diversification, a few presentations mentioned use of drones and remote sensing to enhance marine scientific research to harness the Caribbean’s ocean resources.