PML to co-lead £2m project using AI to create the largest-ever study of vulnerable deep-sea habitats

Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) together with the University of Plymouth has been selected as one of fifteen global teams awarded funding through the Bezos Earth Fund’s AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge, which has been designed to “scale artificial intelligence solutions that address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges – from biodiversity loss and food insecurity to climate change”.  

Led by PML’s Professor Kerry Howell, the Deep Vision project will use AI to greatly accelerate mapping of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VME) such as cold-water coral reefs and sponge fields in the deep Atlantic, in turn generating the evidence needed to support legal protections for these ecosystems and creating AI tools that will enable upscaling, ultimately to the entire global ocean.  

“As the deep-sea becomes more accessible for exploitation, there is an urgent need to map its ecosystems to enable the conservation of biodiversity in this, the last wild frontier on Earth,” said Professor Howell.  

“We will be applying AI models to analyse thousands of images to generate the largest ever, high-quality dataset describing the spatial distribution of VME indicator species. Combined with in-situ environmental data, this will enable us to understand the conditions each species requires and develop models that can predict where they occur based on environmental conditions. This is exactly the evidence needed by decision-makers responsible for implementing legislation to protect VME, including the new High Seas  Treaty.  

This award enables us to accelerate our work and we’re delighted to have been chosen to receive funding. The project legacy will be improved protection of deep-sea biodiversity in the North Atlantic and scalable AI tools which will accelerate conservation across the entire Atlantic Basin and beyond.  

AI is undoubtedly the way to overcome human annotation limitations and enable a step-change in mapping and protection of life in the deep ocean.” 

Launched in 2024, the Bezos Earth Fund’s AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge is a $100 million initiative designed to harness the power of artificial intelligence to tackle the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.  

The program connects innovators with resources and mentorship from leading technology partners including AWS, Google.org, NVIDIA Corporation, Microsoft Research, AI2, and Esri.  

“These projects show how AI, when developed responsibly and guided by science and local knowledge, can strengthen environmental action and ensure its overall impact on the planet is positive,” said Dr. Amen Ra Mashariki, Director of AI and Data Strategies at the Bezos Earth Fund.  

The Deep Sea project is co-led by Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and the University of Plymouth.