#auv-survey-methodology

Recover dumped drums from the deep seabed using ROVs, lifting rigs, and sealed containment vessels, then transfer them to managed onshore storage — removing the waste from the marine environment rather than leaving it to decay in place.

Use an AUV to fly lawnmower tracks over the dump zone and build georeferenced photo-mosaics locating individual drums, then send a crewed submersible or ROV for close visual assessment, radiometry, and sampling of selected targets. Two tiers make partial coverage of a 14,500 km²

Second NODSSUM campaign (close-inspection tier): building on the 2025 AUV wide-area map, ~30 scientists used the crewed submersible Nautile to make 20 dives beyond 4,700 m onto zones of interest identified in the prior…

First NODSSUM campaign (wide-area survey tier): the AUV Ulyx — on its first scientific deployment — flew lawnmower tracks over the abyssal plain at ~6 m above the seabed, acquiring high-resolution imagery assembled into…