Collaborative Research: EAGER: The next crisis for coral reefs is how to study vanishing coral species; AUVs equipped with AI may be the only tool for the job

合作研究：EAGER：珊瑚礁的下一个危机是如何研究正在消失的珊瑚物种；

• 批准号: 2333604
• 负责人: Yogesh Girdhar
• 金额: $ 20万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-01 至 2025-12-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2333604&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; EAGER; next; crisis

The coral reef crisis is characterized by global declines in the abundance of corals and fishes, and a rise in the abundance of macroalgae. This project assesses the abundance and extinction risk of two rare coral species using artificial intelligence (AI)-powered underwater robots in autonomous deployments. This novel technology allows quantification of corals that occur at such low population densities that human divers cannot spend long enough underwater to find them, and is applicable to other fields of research, transforming the study of rare animals. The project also builds an academic bridge between a Hispanic Serving 4-year university and a marine research institution, provides cross-training for two graduate students and an early-career research engineer in coral ecology and underwater robotics, and supports robotics-themed training for local high school students. Coral reefs have become depleted of corals, and many species are entering a period of rarity that might be a prelude to extinction. Traditional ecological tools are inadequate to enumerate these corals, which is the first step in quantifying the risk of extinction and the prospects for recovery. This project trains an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with artificial intelligence (AI) to search for rare corals and challenges it in a test bed created by 37 y of data from coral reefs where iconic pillar and brain corals are being pushed to extinction. The project team is testing two hypotheses: (1) recent events have catalyzed a new decline in abundance of corals, and (2) demographic trajectories of rare corals will end in extinction. This novel technology is applicable to other ecosystems, transforming the study of rare organisms. This project is co-funded by the Directorate for Geosciences to support AI/ML advancement in the geosciences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

珊瑚礁危机的特征是全球珊瑚和鱼类的数量下降，并且大量大藻量的增长。该项目评估了使用人工智能（AI）在自主部署中具有人工智能（AI）能力的水下机器人的丰度和灭绝风险。这项新型技术允许量化在如此低的人口密度下发生的珊瑚，以至于人类潜水员不能在水下花费足够长的时间找到它们，并且适用于其他研究领域，从而改变了稀有动物的研究。该项目还在西班牙裔服务4年大学和海洋研究机构之间建造了一座学术桥梁，为两名研究生和一名珊瑚生态学和水下机器人的早期研究工程师提供了交叉培训，并为当地高中生提供了以机器人为主题的培训。珊瑚礁已经耗尽了珊瑚，许多物种正在进入稀有时期，这可能是灭绝的前奏。传统的生态工具不足以列举这些珊瑚，这是量化灭绝风险和恢复前景的第一步。该项目通过人工智能（AI）训练自动驾驶水下车辆（AUV），以寻找稀有的珊瑚，并在由37 y的珊瑚礁数据中创建的测试床中挑战它，在这些数据床上，来自珊瑚礁标志性的柱子和大脑珊瑚被推动灭绝。该项目团队正在检验两个假设：（1）最近的事件催化了珊瑚丰度的新下降，（2）稀有珊瑚的人口轨迹将以灭绝结束。这项新型技术适用于其他生态系统，从而改变了稀有生物的研究。该项目由地球科学局共同资助，以支持地球科学中的AI/ML进步。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子和更广泛影响的评估审查标准来通过评估来支持的。