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

珊瑚礁危机的特点是全球珊瑚和鱼类数量减少，而大型藻类数量增加。该项目使用人工智能（AI）驱动的水下机器人进行自主部署，评估两种稀有珊瑚物种的丰度和灭绝风险。这项新技术允许量化珊瑚，这些珊瑚的种群密度如此之低，以至于人类潜水员无法在水下花费足够长的时间来找到它们，并且适用于其他研究领域，改变了稀有动物的研究。该项目还在西班牙裔服务4年制大学和海洋研究机构之间建立了学术桥梁，为两名研究生和一名珊瑚生态学和水下机器人早期职业研究工程师提供交叉培训，并支持当地高中生以机器人为主题的培训。珊瑚礁的珊瑚已经枯竭，许多物种正在进入一个稀有时期，这可能是灭绝的前奏。传统的生态工具不足以对这些珊瑚进行计数，而这是量化灭绝风险和恢复前景的第一步。该项目利用人工智能（AI）训练自主水下航行器（AUV）搜索稀有珊瑚，并在由珊瑚礁37年数据创建的测试床中挑战它，标志性的支柱和大脑珊瑚正在被推向灭绝。该项目团队正在测试两个假设：（1）最近的事件已经催化了珊瑚丰度的新一轮下降，（2）稀有珊瑚的人口轨迹将以灭绝告终。这项新技术适用于其他生态系统，改变了对稀有生物的研究。该项目由地球科学理事会共同资助，旨在支持AI/ML在地球科学领域的进步。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.