Combining USV ROV and multimetric indices to assess benthic habitat quality in coastal areas

Abstract Coastal marine ecosystems are subject to interference from all human activities that develop on the coast and on the continental shelf. New monitoring methodologies involving innovative autonomous platforms and synthetic multimetric habitat quality indices could enhance our knowledge about...

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Main Authors: Daniele Piazzolla, Simone Bonamano, Marina Penna, Arianna Resnati, Sergio Scanu, Nicola Madonia, Alice Madonia, Giorgio Fersini, Giovanni Coppini, Marco Marcelli, Viviana Piermattei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09845-8
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author Daniele Piazzolla
Simone Bonamano
Marina Penna
Arianna Resnati
Sergio Scanu
Nicola Madonia
Alice Madonia
Giorgio Fersini
Giovanni Coppini
Marco Marcelli
Viviana Piermattei
author_facet Daniele Piazzolla
Simone Bonamano
Marina Penna
Arianna Resnati
Sergio Scanu
Nicola Madonia
Alice Madonia
Giorgio Fersini
Giovanni Coppini
Marco Marcelli
Viviana Piermattei
author_sort Daniele Piazzolla
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Coastal marine ecosystems are subject to interference from all human activities that develop on the coast and on the continental shelf. New monitoring methodologies involving innovative autonomous platforms and synthetic multimetric habitat quality indices could enhance our knowledge about coastal ecosystem responses and contribute to preventing habitat degradation. We assessed the coast-to-offshore extent and ecological status of benthic habitats in three coastal marine areas of the northeastern Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy), evaluating the effectiveness of an integrated remote sensing approach that combined autonomous (Unmanned Surface Vehicle – USV) and remotely operated (Remotely Operated Vehicle – ROV) technologies, along with the application of multimetric habitat quality indices. The results highlighted a moderate habitat quality of the study sites and the usefulness of the proposed methodology for broad application in other coastal areas worldwide, especially in very heterogeneous seabeds. This approach could enhance the capabilities of numerical models and of the Digital Twins of the Oceans (DTOs), providing high-resolution and near real-time accurate habitat quality data.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2045-2322
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj-art-626712067f294a44b3b436faeb79bc742025-08-20T04:02:45ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111010.1038/s41598-025-09845-8Combining USV ROV and multimetric indices to assess benthic habitat quality in coastal areasDaniele Piazzolla0Simone Bonamano1Marina Penna2Arianna Resnati3Sergio Scanu4Nicola Madonia5Alice Madonia6Giorgio Fersini7Giovanni Coppini8Marco Marcelli9Viviana Piermattei10CMCC Foundation-Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate ChangeCMCC Foundation-Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate ChangeItalian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)Laboratory of Experimental Oceanology and Marine Ecology, Department of Ecological and Biological sciences DEB, University of Tuscia, Port of CivitavecchiaCMCC Foundation-Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate ChangeLaboratory of Experimental Oceanology and Marine Ecology, Department of Ecological and Biological sciences DEB, University of Tuscia, Port of CivitavecchiaCMCC Foundation-Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate ChangePort Authority System of the Central Northern Tyrrhenian SeaCMCC Foundation-Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate ChangeCMCC Foundation-Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate ChangeCMCC Foundation-Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate ChangeAbstract Coastal marine ecosystems are subject to interference from all human activities that develop on the coast and on the continental shelf. New monitoring methodologies involving innovative autonomous platforms and synthetic multimetric habitat quality indices could enhance our knowledge about coastal ecosystem responses and contribute to preventing habitat degradation. We assessed the coast-to-offshore extent and ecological status of benthic habitats in three coastal marine areas of the northeastern Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy), evaluating the effectiveness of an integrated remote sensing approach that combined autonomous (Unmanned Surface Vehicle – USV) and remotely operated (Remotely Operated Vehicle – ROV) technologies, along with the application of multimetric habitat quality indices. The results highlighted a moderate habitat quality of the study sites and the usefulness of the proposed methodology for broad application in other coastal areas worldwide, especially in very heterogeneous seabeds. This approach could enhance the capabilities of numerical models and of the Digital Twins of the Oceans (DTOs), providing high-resolution and near real-time accurate habitat quality data.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09845-8
spellingShingle Daniele Piazzolla
Simone Bonamano
Marina Penna
Arianna Resnati
Sergio Scanu
Nicola Madonia
Alice Madonia
Giorgio Fersini
Giovanni Coppini
Marco Marcelli
Viviana Piermattei
Combining USV ROV and multimetric indices to assess benthic habitat quality in coastal areas
Scientific Reports
title Combining USV ROV and multimetric indices to assess benthic habitat quality in coastal areas
title_full Combining USV ROV and multimetric indices to assess benthic habitat quality in coastal areas
title_fullStr Combining USV ROV and multimetric indices to assess benthic habitat quality in coastal areas
title_full_unstemmed Combining USV ROV and multimetric indices to assess benthic habitat quality in coastal areas
title_short Combining USV ROV and multimetric indices to assess benthic habitat quality in coastal areas
title_sort combining usv rov and multimetric indices to assess benthic habitat quality in coastal areas
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09845-8
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