Vulnerable deep-sea habitats will be mapped with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) in a study made possible by a £2m investment.
The Deep Vision project – run by Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the University of Plymouth – will study ecosystems such as cold-water coral reefs and sponge fields in the Atlantic.
The aim is to build the largest-ever dataset of these habitats and help shape legal protections.
Leader of the project, Kerry Howell, said: “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.”