Robots help create 3D map of subsea canyon

A research project at Whittard Canyon in the Bay of Biscay has used a combination of subsea robots and ship measurements to create a 3D map of the underwater habitat. According to the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), which led the project, the canyon is England’s only deep-water Marine Conservation Zone. Until now, the mapping techniques used to chart its depths have not provided huge amounts of detail, but advances in robotics have meant that more accurate measurements can now be made.