The United Nations (UN)’s call for a decade of “ecosystem restoration” was prompted by the need to address the extensive impact of anthropogenic activities on natural ecosystems. Marine ecosystem restoration is increasingly necessary due to increasing habitat degredation in deep waters (>200 m depth). At these depths, which are far beyond those accessible by divers, only established and emerging robotic platforms such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), landers, and crawlers can operate through manipulators and multiparametric sensor arrays (e.g., optoacoustic imaging, omics, and environmental probes). The use of advanced technologies for deep-sea ecosystem restoration can provide: ① high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) imaging and acoustic mapping of substrates and key taxa, ② physical manipulation of substrates and key taxa, ③ real-time supervision of remote operations and long-term ecological monitoring, and ④ the potential to work autonomously. Here, we describe how robotic platforms with manipulation capabilities and payloads of innovative sensors could autonomously conduct active restoration and monitoring across large spatial scales. We expect that these devices will be particularly useful in deep-sea habitats, such as ① reef-building cold-water corals, ② soft-bottom bamboo corals, and ③ soft-bottom fishery resources that have already been damaged by offshore industries (i.e., fishing and oil/gas).

中文翻译：

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深海环境监测和扩大海洋生态系统恢复的新技术


联合国（UN）呼吁十年的“生态系统恢复”，是因为需要解决人类活动对自然生态系统的广泛影响。由于深水区（>200 米深度）栖息地退化加剧，海洋生态系统恢复变得越来越必要。在这些深度，远远超出了潜水员可到达的深度，只有现有的和新兴的机器人平台，如遥控潜水器（ROV）、自主水下航行器（AUV）、着陆器和爬行器可以通过操纵器和多参数传感器阵列（例如，光声成像、组学和环境探针）。利用先进技术进行深海生态系统恢复可以提供：①底物和关键类群的高分辨率三维（3D）成像和声学测绘，②底物和关键类群的物理操纵，③远程实时监控操作和长期生态监测，以及 ④ 自主工作的潜力。在这里，我们描述了具有操纵能力和创新传感器有效载荷的机器人平台如何在大空间尺度上自主地进行主动恢复和监控。我们预计这些设备将在深海生境中特别有用，例如①造礁冷水珊瑚，②软底竹珊瑚，以及③已经被近海工业破坏的软底渔业资源（即软底渔业资源）。 、渔业和石油/天然气）。