DiverSea News - Sesimbra robotic campaigns
SESIMBRA ROBOTIC CAMPAIGNS: UNDERWATER SEAGRASS MONITORING AND ECOSYSTEMS CHARACTERIZATION IN A MARINE PROTECTED AREA
Between April and May 2025, two research campaigns were conducted under the DiverSea project in the Professor Luiz Saldanha Marine Park, a designated Portuguese Marine Protected Area (MPA) located off the coasts of Sesimbra and Setúbal. These campaigns aimed to monitor, characterize, and map underwater ecosystems—particularly submerged seagrass meadows—using state-of-the-art robotic technologies.
The research activities were carried out by DiverSea partners INEGI and the University of Porto (U.Porto), in collaboration with the National Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF).
First Campaign: UAV-Based Ecosystem Characterization (April 14–17)
During the first campaign, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) equipped with camera and LiDAR technology was deployed to survey and characterize the marine coastal ecosystem. Thanks to the high-resolution image mosaics generated from the data collected by the onboard sensors, the campaign enabled researchers to identify key areas of submerged seagrass meadows within the protected zone, providing crucial baseline data for further study and conservation.
Second Campaign: UAV & AUV Habitat Mapping and Species Identification (May 26–28)
In this second mission, a combination of aerial and underwater technologies was deployed to enable integrated mapping across the two domains. The deployed system included an UAV equipped with LiDAR and camera and an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) outfitted with Side Scan Sonar and camera. This campaign focused on detailed mapping of coastal areas, including “Praia dos Coelhos” and the Total Protection Zone within the MPA.
This integrated technology approach enabled researchers to collect valuable data for habitat classification and marine species identification —particularly seagrass species.
These two campaigns spanned seven days and were supported by a team of three technicians and ICNF’s research vessel operations.
Looking Ahead
The next campaign is scheduled for September 2025. It will introduce a novel passive eDNA sampler prototype, to be deployed via AUVs during mapping operations. This cutting-edge biological sampling technique will help enhance species detection and biodiversity monitoring in a minimally invasive way.