Marine biodiversity has been severely affected by human activities over the past century. Industrial and transport pollution have contributed to rising ocean temperatures, forcing marine species to migrate in search of more favourable conditions. Additionally, unsustainable fishing practices have depleted fish populations of certain species. Improving our understanding of marine ecosystems has become critical to protect them.

This context gave rise to Matias Carandell Widmer’s research project. A member of the SARTI research group and the Department of Electronic Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), Carandell has been selected for the 2024 BBVA Leonardo Grant programme. “Evaluating the effectiveness of ocean protection efforts requires improving our understanding of marine ecosystems and establishing better monitoring systems,” explains the researcher. This is precisely the goal of his initiative: to enhance underwater communication for autonomous marine monitoring platforms through the integration of emerging buoys.

Real-time data
Submarine observatories with video capabilities are essential for acquiring oceanographic and biogeochemical data to monitor marine ecosystems, their species, richness and biodiversity. However, high implementation and maintenance costs have led to using autonomous platforms in temporary deployments, which have a major drawback: the impossibility of accessing collected data in real time, which is only possible upon retrieving the platform. Existing solutions - such as anchored buoys connected to seafloor nodes that collect and transmit acquired information - also have limitations: deployment depth is restricted, relying on cable communications that are costly and pose a higher risk of failure.

Carandell’s initiative proposes integrating “enhanced” emerging buoys equipped with detection, processing and communication capabilities. These buoys, which will be periodically released without physical connection to the seafloor node, will act as communication devices, transmitting data collected by the platform to a satellite network. “This strategy will allow scientists to access data before the station is retrieved and it will also enable engineers to monitor the experiment’ functionality, such as battery and camera status,” the researcher explains. Satellite communication will rely on the Kinéis network, a constellation of nanosatellites that expands transmission capacity and provides a low-power, cost-effective solution for global data transfer.

The project will be developed in three stages over 15 months. The first stage, which began in October, focuses on designing and manufacturing the system, including improvements in low-power Wi-Fi data transmission and the implementation of buoy deployment systems. In the second stage, sea trials will be conducted at SARTI’s facilities in Vilanova i la Geltrú to validate the technologies developed in a real environment. Finally, the third stage will involve a long-term trial to verify the system’s feasibility in controlled marine conditions.

“The goal is to provide more accessible and real-time data. This will not only benefit environmental research but can also be applied in areas such as fisheries management and the protection of vulnerable marine areas, contributing to the conservation and sustainability of our oceans,” concludes Carandell, who is conducting postdoctoral research with a Margarita Salas grant at the SARTI research group, affiliated with the Vilanova i la Geltrú School of Engineering (EPSEVG) and the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC). 

Grants to promote scientific research
Leonardo Grants are awarded to support personal projects of researchers aged between 30 and 45 who are at a decisive moment in their careers, allowing them to conduct their research with greater flexibility. For the 2024 call, 57 projects were selected out of 1,423 applications.