OUR RESEARCH
The 4D OCEANS Lab looks at advancing our understanding of seafloor spatial heterogeneity, distributions of benthic communities, how habitats may respond to different human-induced and natural stressors, and how scale (extent and resolution) affects our ability to detect and monitor change. We employ a range of technologies (AUVs, ROVs, sonars, photogrammetry) to provide high-resolution maps from which quantitative insights regarding resource location, infrastructure condition, geological hazards, local oceanographic processes or effectiveness of conservation measures can be drawn.
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Specific aspect of our research include:
- The development, optimization, and implementation of a multi-scale mapping framework for robust monitoring of both economically- and ecologically- valuable habitats.
- The implementation of automated classification techniques and predictive models as a cost-saving tool to target areas of interest, minimize environmental impacts, and quantitatively monitor change.
- The production of maps that represent the marine environment in three dimensions; integrating the surface, water column, and seabed to better characterize ocean heterogeneity.
CURRENT PROJECTS
(under construction)
Funded by the Ocean Frontier Institute this project addresses the role benthic habitat plays in controlling shifting patterns in species & biodiversity caused by a changing ocean climate
Groundwater seepage and impacts on habitats in Prince Edward Island
Funded by The Ocean Frontier Institute's SOURCE project, this work package looked at the potential impacts of offshore groundwater on benthic marine fauna.
Biodiversity baseline assessment of deep-water steep walls of Bay d'Espoir, NL
Funded by Fisheries and Ocean Canada, this project looks at the benthic fauna inhabiting Bay D'Espoir in Miakpukek First Nation traditional territory.
Habitat mapping of Ramah Bay, Nunatsiavut
Funded by the Ocean Frontier Institute's Sustainable Nunatsiavut Future and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, this project built a habitat map of the culturally important Ramah Bay.
Investigations into the seabed habitat preferences of Iceland scallop and cockles/clams in Nunavut.
Funded as part of a MITACS project with Qikiqtaaluk Corporation, this work package looks at the distribution of harvestable species.
© 4D Oceans Lab
