Review of existing and emerging techniques for benthic habitats. OBAMA-NEXT deliverable 3.1

Summary

There is an urgent need for accurate and cost-efficient techniques and methodologies to map and monitor European coastal ecosystems. This to ensure a solid foundation for implementing the policies that aims for reaching good environmental status, safeguarding biodiversity, and mitigate impacts of anthropogenic pressures. This review includes both platforms and their appurtenant methods including satellites, drones and aerial platforms, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), moorings, cabled observatories, and landers, flow cytometry (FCM) and flow imaging microscopy, photogrammetry and drop videos, acoustics, eDNA, biologging, and citizen science. The use of each technique was specifically assessed in terms of monitoring and mapping of benthic habitats including demersal fish, benthic fauna, corals, seagrass, macroalgae and other aquatic vegetation, as well as benthic microorganisms. The review also includes seabirds. The catalogue on technologies includes descriptions of each technology, as well as descriptions of strengths and weaknesses together with an assessment of the technology readiness level. We describe how the technologies are currently used for monitoring and what kind of example cases are available based on literature. The Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) and Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) that could benefit from the type of data collected using each technology are also listed. Finally, we summarise key aspects of the technologies and highlight that leveraging multiple complementary approaches is crucial for comprehensive understanding and monitoring of marine benthic habitats.