A research team led by Drs. Phoel and Trembanis at University of Delaware developed and launched an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to survey the ocean floor off of the East Coast. The mission of this survey was to create a way in which researchers could estimate the Atlantic Scallop population by surveying a series of images from the sea floor. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in turn uses this information to develop catch limits for the scallop populations in order to maintain the health of this sea-creature population and ecosystem. Prior to the AUV, the only way to efficiently survey the scallop’s population and environment was through invasive collection methods that disrupted all surrounding marine life. The only barrier that remained was sorting through the hundreds-of-thousands pictures that were collected. From this obstacle was born the citizen science campaign— SubSea-Observers.

When you first join the SubSea-Observer team, they initiate you via a series of educational slides about their mission and the background of the team. Next, you must complete a training period to ensure competence in the identification of scallops and processing of the images provided by the AUV. After that, you are free to explore at your leisure and report your results to the team. The data that everyone reports contributes towards the NMFS data that was previously described. As an environmental/sustainability student, this has heightened significance because it echoes the systems thinking approach when considering the health of our ecosystems. Where we see variations in the populations of Sea Scallops, we can seek possible underlying cause afflicting the dearth or surplus of this organism. For example, are the scallops or the predators/prey of the scallops being overharvested? Is the ecosystem changing in the form of rising ocean temperature or pH?

Here are some examples of the types of images provided by the AUV that require identification:

As an observer, you are asked to comment on the environment (sandy, shell hash, rippled, mounds, ect.). Additionally, you have to report the number of scallops (if any) that are within the image in addition to the health of the scallop (dead or alive).

We might already be seeing the effects of climate change on scallop populations. One article stated that the reduction could be as drastic as a 50% in the next decade (Brookins & Rhode Island Public Radio, 2018). The only way to fully establish the severity of this population reduction is through survey tools like this. Again, this is not an isolated measurement. Scallop populations provide insight into the health of the ecosystems in which they live. Continuing in our systems thinking, changes to our aquatic ecosystems result in changes to our terrestrial ecosystems and terminate have compounding effects. Consequently, there is significance in the work of the volunteer surveyors with SubSea-Observers. Any evidence to support the effects that climate change are having on Earth help advocate for action.

If I have convinced you to join our team of SubSea-Observers click the link: http://subseaobservers.com

Citations:

Brookins, A., & Rhode Island Public Radio. (2018, October 04). Climate Change Could Reduce Scallop Population, Study Shows. Retrieved from https://www.wbur.org/news/2018/10/04/scallops-new-bedford-climate-change