Introduction
The last decade has witnessed tremendous progress in the development of marine technologies that are steadily affording scientists with advanced equipments and methodologies for ocean exploration and exploitation. Recent advances in marine robotics, sensors, computers, communications, and information systems are being brought to bear on the development of sophisticated technologies to enable safer, better, faster, and more efficient methodologies for the study of the oceans. These fast paced developments will undoubtedly revolutionize the way the oceans are studied, effectively placing scientists at the threshold of a new and exciting area when science and technology will join efforts to unravel the secrets behind recent and unexpected discoveries: intriguing ecosystems and life forms, thermal vents and cold seeps, and huge accumulations of methane in the form of gas hydrates, to name but a few.

In line with the above trend, the research and development work that will be carried out in the scope of this thematic area aims at bridging the gap between marine science and technology by exploring fruitful collaboration links among engineers and marine scientists, namely biologists, geologists, and oceanographers. This symbiosis is instrumental in providing engineers with complex, challenging problems in the field of marine technologies. Conversely, it will provide marine scientists with ever increasingly complex technologies to explore the ocean frontier, especially in hazardous conditions.

Rationale
The research and development efforts proposed address important practical applications in the fields of marine biology, geology, and oceanography, the main core of the missions envisioned taking place in the Azores region. The reason for this choice is manifold: the seabed and sub-seabed of the Portuguese EEZ are extensive and varied and include the continental margin, vast areas of abyssal plains, seamounts and islands, and a very large extension of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). The MAR is overprinted by the Azores hot spot, in an area known as the Azores Triple Junction (ATJ), where three major tectonic plates are in contact. The ensemble harbors complex, diverse, and attractive areas with a great variety of seamounts, active underwater volcanoes, chemosynthetic ecosystems, and life forms, including man as part of the ecosystem. Also from an oceanographic and climatological point of view the Azores offer a unique possibility for remote observation of basin scale ocean circulation and for studying its influence on long term climate changes.

This is a unique system on a planetary scale. This situation offers truly unique research opportunities, the Azores seas being visited every year by many of the larger and more sophisticated oceanographic vessels, engaged in a variety of scientific tasks. In a more regional and national view, there is vital interest in obtaining detailed data on the seabed in the Azores region in relation with possible jurisdictional claims over new, wider limits to Exclusive Economic Zones.

The need for advanced technologies as stepping stones upon which to build the methodologies for the exploration and exploitation of the ocean is the common denominator of a number if initiatives and resolutions that target the Azores and its surrounding regions. The following are illustrative examples.

1. MOMAR (Monitoring the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) - a particularly important international initiative scheduled for the Azores region is the MOMAR (Monitoring the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) project, which is being pursued under the auspices of InterRidge, the international co-ordination body for research related to oceanic ridges. The objective of the MOMAR project is to promote international cooperation to establish long-term multidisciplinary MOnitoring on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near the Azores. MOMAR will combine long-term monitoring of biological and physical-chemical activity at hydrothermal vents, with broader scale monitoring of tectonic, volcanic and hydrothermal processes at the ridge axis. The first MOMAR workshop (Lisbon, October 1998) provided a forum for discussion of both the scientific questions to be addressed and the technologies available that could be instrumental in answering them. Underlying the discussions was the realization that advanced technologies must be in place to allow for efficient ways of searching for and monitoring underwater phenomena in regions that are totally inaccessible to humans. This entails the utilization of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), benthic stations, and autonomous marine vehicles (AMVs).
   
   
2. OSPAR (the OSLO-PARIS Convention) - the recent quality status report issued by the OSPAR´2000 presented a comprehensive review of information on the ecosystems of the oceanic north Atlantic. A number of issues were raised that called for greater research effort in oceanic waters of the North Atlantic, namely in what regards the acquisition and interpretation of biological data. Relevant issues include the acquisition of basic systematic information about the majority of benthic taxa, specially the smaller organisms, as well as the study of the following: i) importance of gelatinous organisms in pelagic ecosystems, ii) role of microorganisms in food webs and many aspects of biogeochemical cycling, iii) zoogeographical patterns and distributions of many keystone species and communities, iv) life cycles of many keystone species, v) structure and dynamics of most deep-water food webs, vi) biological pathways for contaminants in deep ocean ecosystems, and vii) links between biodiversity, productivity, and other ecological processes. The report states clearly that the limited quantity and scope of documented knowledge of the mid-oceanic ridge areas establishes an essential requirement for new basic and original macrofaunal description to be undertaken. This primary challenge must be met by a co-ordinated programme of species identification and distribution mapping, all set in the context of a full suite of environmental and habitat parameterization. The scope of the studies to be undertaken pose considerable technological challenges and calls for the development and operation of acoustic tracking and data communication systems, fixed stations with CTDs and bioacoustic packages, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and autonomous marine vehicles (AMVs) equipped with advanced vision, acoustic, and other dedicated scientific suites.
   
   
3. The Census of Marine Life (CoML) initiative - The Census of Marine Life (CoML) initiative, formalized in 1997, is an international research programme aimed at assessing and explaining the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine organisms throughout the world's oceans. To reach this goal, coordinated regional efforts must be stimulated to provide new information on patterns and processes of marine life on a global scale. The CoML studies should be systems-orientated. This requires close cooperation among biologists in a wide range of fields, physical oceanographers, and marine technology developers. In fact, a major component of the programme involves using state-of-the-art technologies for capturing and observing the fauna. The CoML program intends to support a series of near-term, relatively brief studies designed to demonstrate the feasibility of new sampling techniques, technologies, and research concepts. So far, the CoML has organized a series of meetings and workshops to impart renewed thrust to the effort of establishing strong links between marine science and technology. ChEss (Chemosynthetic Ecosystems in the Arctic and Northern Atlantic Oceans) and Mar-Eco (Patterns and processes of the ecosystems of the Northern Mid-Atlantic) are two of the main programmes within CoML that aim at understanding the patterns of distribution, abundance, and trophic relationships of the organisms inhabiting the mid-oceanic North Atlantic as well as identifying and modeling the ecological processes that cause variability in these patterns. The studies will focus on pelagic and benthic macrofauna and will utilize innovative methods and up-to-date technology to map distributions, analyze community structure, study life histories, and model trophic relationships. Once again, these goals all but require close interaction between marine scientists, researchers, and developers at the forefront of marine technology, including marine robotics.
   
   
4. ATOC (Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate) - knowing the crucial role played by the ocean in the process of global change, this initiative aims at estimating long-term temperature change in the ocean (and hence by inference, atmospheric and climatic trends). The techniques under development use acoustic source-receiver pairs to measure sound travel time and thus infer about mean ocean temperature. This is a technique inspired on biomedicine known as Ocean Acoustic Tomography, where acoustic waves serve as probe signals for measuring oceanic properties such as water temperature and currents. The triangle formed by Azores - Madeira - continental Portugal offers a unique possibility for studying most of the oceanographic features with impact on the portuguese EEZ. Of course, long range circulation has an impact in smallscale features such as development of life forms at particular locations, fisheries, sediment transport, etc...

Actions Proposed. Deliverables.
The proposed research effort is well rooted on previous collaborative links established among the Institute for System and Robotics (ISR/IST), IMAR/DOP/Azores, and Creminer / FCUL). The ISR brings to the core of this initiative its proven expertise in marine robotics, information processing and computers, and underwater acoustic signal processing. Namely, design and development of marine robots, study and implementation of advanced algorithms for acoustic signal processing, development of vision systems for environment reconstruction and classification, and operation of autonomous platforms at sea. The Creminer and IMAR/DOP/Azores provide the scientific counterparts with their interests and/or expertises in the areas of submarine hydrothermal activity, submarine methane production, accumulation, and dispersion, deep biosphere, marine volcanology, marine biology, and oceanography.

Creminer views with great interest the application of advanced technologies to:

i) Study the characteristics of sea floor hydrothermal fields and related sub-seabed hydrothermal systems, including time series studies of sites up to 1000 meters deep, the deeper (sub seabed) portions of hydrothermal systems, and hydrothermal systems related with ultramafic rocks (serpentinites), with rare identified ancient analogues (e.g. the Rainbow and Saldanha hydrothermal fields);

ii) Study the relation of cold seeps with the methane produced by submarine serpentinization, and quantify the amount of methane discharged to the oceans versus that retained in sediments (this will change, perhaps radically, our perception of the global carbon cycle);

iii) Study the microbial community living under the sea floor, detected so far to depths of around 1000 meters (there is the general perception that many, if not all, crustal processes taking place under about 100ºC may in fact be related to this deep biosphere, but the details and implications are still largely not understood);

iv) Carry out submarine volcanological observations in the Azores region, where targets can be detected in close proximity to land and at relatively shallow depths (hundreds of meters). The recent Serreta eruption (1998-1999), only a few miles west of Terceira island, illustrates well the relevance of these observations.

IMAR/DOP/UAzores has by now amassed considerable expertise in the areas of marine biology, eco-toxicology, fisheries, and oceanography, and is keen on applying advanced technologies to the study of hydrothermal vent ecosystems, deep sea, mesopelagic and epipelagic environments, seamounts ecology, and coastal ecology on islands. IMAR/DOP/UAzores is particularly interested on developing a holistic approach to the study of ATJ ecosystems, integrating the sampling, evaluation and modeling of biotic and abiotic factors. IMAR/DOP/UAzores has been dedicated to the implementation of standard observation programs of the biology and ecology of the region, integrating multiple set of factors, habitats and species or group of species. More recently, the setting up of a land-based laboratory (LabHorta, which is now being supplied with deep-sea live animals) was a major conceptual and technical breakthrough in both vent and deep-sea research in general.

IMAR/DOP/UAzores wishes to actively contribute to and benefit from the application of advanced technologies to:

i) Study the patterns of distribution, abundance, activity and movement (both horizontal and vertical) of pelagic related species (marine mammals, tuna, swordfish and sharks, sea turtles, and sea birds) using: a - a fixed submarine array of hydrophones (in selected transects) to register the sound of marine mammals; b - archival tags and acoustic telemetry to track and monitor pelagic fish as tuna, swordfish, and sharks, and 3- satellite tracking devices for sea turtles.
ii) Study the patterns of circulation around seamounts and ecosystem correlates (physical - biological coupling) using oceanographic permanent stations at D. João de Castro and Princesa Alice seamounts, together with seasonal monitoring by oceanographic vessels, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and ROVs.
iii) Study the patterns and distribution of mesopelagic and demersal macrofauna (fish and cephalopods mainly) using standard sampling techniques, remote acoustic sensing, AUVs, and inhabited submersibles.
iv) Study hydrothermal vent ecosystems at the Lucky Strike and the Menez Gwen integrating the developing concept of deep-sea observatories and the probable designation of these two areas as Marine Protect Areas, or even, Sanctuaries.
v) Study demersal fish and other macro-benthos using standard sampling techniques, acoustic tagging and tracking, ROVs and AUVs. The main focus of the study will be on fisheries interactions.
vi) Study general aspects of the biological environment including chemistry, eco-toxicology and genetics.
vii) Study inshore marine habitats in view to produce detailed maps of habitats and biodiversity, and to evaluate the effects of marine reserves.

The studies envisioned will take place in the ATJ, a topographically complex area with its many seamounts and fracture zones. The topography and the association of biota with features such as seamounts represent particular challenges for technological innovation, both with regards to observational equipment and sampling gears. The IMAR/DOP/Uazores expects the focus provided by the concept of a national multi-disciplinary laboratory in a challenging environment (such as the deep-sea and surrounding seamounts and islands) to provide great motivation for technological innovation on many fronts. This concept is expected to take root in the form of a future ocean observatory for the MAR-ATJ region.

Synergies arising among the different groups involved in the present concerted effort will be explored to bring engineering systems and scientific methodologies to bear on the development and demonstration of advanced systems for ocean exploration. The challenges and actions proposed above motivate the key actions and deliverables that are listed below:

Deliverables - Year 5.
D1. Habitat mapping of selected areas of economic and scientific interest in the Azores. A data acquisition, transmission, and information processing system that relies on the operation of autonomous marine vehicles equipped with scientific sensors will be developed. This will enable efficient spatial and temporal coverage of the areas selected. The information processed will be made available on a Geographical Information System (GIS).

D2. Observation of the deep and shallow ocean floor in the Azores using marine robots and vision / acoustic systems. The partner group will cooperate on the development of a tele-operated vehicle (ROV) capable of diving to the depth of 1000 meters. Emphasis will be placed on equipping the vehicle with advanced vision systems for seabed visual reconstruction (including video-mosaicking) and seabed classification, as well as automatic systems for precise trajectory tracking, path following, and target hovering. Foreseen applications include time-series studies (biology and geology) on the Menez Gwen hydrothermal site (Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Portuguese EEZ, depth 800 meters).

D3. Observation of shallow water and coastal environments using an autonomous air vehicle. An autonomous helicopter capable of performing accurate path following will be developed. Envisioned applications include fast mapping of sand dunes and the evolution of their volumetry. The main tasks involved are: i) execution of a series of integrated field tests, of increasing complexity, with the objective of calibrating the overall system and demonstrating the unmanned robotic helicopter capabilities, ii) acquisition of Laser Range Finder and Digital Camera synchronized data for off-line development and calibration of the Navigation System and the Sensor fusion algorithms for accurate laser altimetry, and iii) integration and representation of the three-dimensional data obtained during the field tests using a Geographic Information System (GIS).

D4. Installation of a shallow/deep water online monitoring system for ocean properties using remote sensing acoustic signal transmitted and received on fixed stations over an area of interest (in the order or up to 100 square km) being able to reconstruct 4D evolution of temperature and oceanic currents. The same concept may be extended to bottom exploration over selected areas with a moving system either based on an autonomous sparse network of DGPS navigated sonobuoys or on a shipborn survey system for deep water areas. Methods and systems developed under this deliverable have strong synergies with various proposed actions like for example that of listening to marine mammals allowing for the localization and tracking of animals as well as determination of the actual emitted sound by deconvolution of the acoustic channel effect. Other synergies obviously relate to the development of networks for vehicles/lab navigation and/or communication. A biological related issue is that of providing an acoustic system being able to determine the concentration of undisolved oxygen in the water column at a specific location of interest. That approach has been experimentally tested for determining photosynthetic O2 productivity of Posidonia seagrass.

Deliverables - Year 10.
D5. Habitat mapping of selected areas of economic and scientific interest in the Azores using multiple vehicles. An integrated system for the combined operation of multiple ocean robots will be developed. The system will afford scientific end users with tools to seamlessly program and run missions at sea using a network of mobile platforms. A demonstration will be performed with two autonomous underwater vehicles and an ROV. Systems for data acquisition and transmission will be developed, effectively allowing scientific end users to follow the state of progress of the missions from the comfort of their labs (Telescience). Special emphasis will be placed on the development of advanced vision and acoustic systems for remote monitoring, as well as marine life classification. An autonomous air vehicle will be used as a communications relay and as a platform for efficient shore/sea dynamics monitoring.

Experiments will also be carried out to evaluate the possibility of integrating a set of fixed underwater laboratories in the network referred to above. This could benefit from the existence of a large number of submarine communication cables in the Azores that the fixed labs could tap into.

D6. Observation of the ocean floor and water column using simple, easy to deploy robots with bottom landing capabilities. This is in line with the current trend to develop cheap, modular, mission specific vehicles that can traverse the water column and land on the sea bottom repeatedly, as well as recharge themselves using natural energy sources. A prototype vehicle will be developed.

D7. Ocean observation with a network of emitters/receivers over the portuguese EEZ for inversion of ocean temperature long term and seasonal changes due to intrusion of Mediterranean waters, upwelling regimes, etc., allowing for online information and analysis of spatial integrated meaningful data. A fixed and shore cabled system would allow for online observations to be interfaced to the internet and remotely accessible to virtually any location. On a 10 years time scale, sea bottom shipborn and autonomous exploration systems may be tending to become commercially explored.

Further actions will aim at developing

D8. Tools for submarine sampling of biological, geological and hydrothermal fluid products using ROVs.

D9. Equipments and systems for tracking and monitoring of marine mammals and pelagic fish.

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