New collaboration aims to protect vulnerable marine sanctuaries and ecosystems

Liquid Robotics and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) Pacific Islands Region (PIR) announced a multi-year agreement to develop solutions for protection of Hawaiian and American Samoa marine environment.

Liquid Robotics’ Wave Glider, an autonomous surface ocean robot, will conduct long-term environmental monitoring and surveillance of the Pacific’s older, most diverse and endangered underwater ecosystems. This partnership will help address the critical long-term monitoring and scientific data collection gaps that are not economically feasible with traditional research assets.

More specifically, the autonomous systems will greatly enhance the two parties’ ability to assess and evaluate the increasing threats posed by:

    Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU)

    Water quality and marine debris

    Coral reef damage and bleaching

    Climate change

“Over the past decade, we’ve partnered with NOAA scientists on projects ranging from ocean acidification, to measuring Arctic waves to collecting storm intensity data from the surface of the hurricane,” said Gary Gysin, President and CEO of Liquid Robotics.

“This collaboration takes our partnership to a new level as we provide Wave Glider technology and services to help preserve, protect and sustain the Hawaiian and American Samoa marine sanctuaries and ocean we all hold dear.”