Combining USV ROV and multimetric indices to assess benthic habitat quality in coastal areas

Coastal marine ecosystems are subject to interference from all human activities that develop on the coast and on the continental shelf. New monitoring methodologies involving innovative autonomous platforms and synthetic multimetric habitat quality indices could enhance our knowledge about coastal ecosystem responses and contribute to preventing habitat degradation. We assessed the coast-to-offshore extent and ecological status of benthic habitats in three coastal marine areas of the northeastern Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy), evaluating the effectiveness of an integrated remote sensing approach that combined autonomous (Unmanned Surface Vehicle - USV) and remotely operated (Remotely Operated Vehicle - ROV) technologies, along with the application of multimetric habitat quality indices. The results highlighted a moderate habitat quality of the study sites and the usefulness of the proposed methodology for broad application in other coastal areas worldwide, especially in very heterogeneous seabeds. This approach could enhance the capabilities of numerical models and of the Digital Twins of the Oceans (DTOs), providing high-resolution and near real-time accurate habitat quality data.