site.btaUnderwater Drones to Map Black Sea Seagrass in Five-Nation Project

Scientists from five nations are launching a joint project to study the condition of seagrass beds in the Black Sea using underwater robot drones, the project team announced here on Thursday.

The project is valued at around EUR 1.6 million and funded by the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme and is a collaboration between the Union of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities (UBBSLA), Bulgaria's Varna Technical University, Greece's Democritus University of Thrace, Georgia National University, Turkiye's Istanbul University, and Romania's National Institute for Marine Research and Development.

Mariyana Kancheva, CEO of UBBSLA, highlighted the importance of the project, while Varna Technical University Deputy Rector Hristo Nenov explained that the collected data could form the basis for measures to improve both seagrass habitats and seawater quality.

Seagrass beds play a crucial role in supporting biodiversity, reducing coastal erosion, and promoting the development of marine life, said Georgios Sylaios from Democritus University of Thrace. He emphasized the scarcity of data on these habitats in the Black Sea, pointing out that previous research was limited to areas accessible by scuba divers, covering only a small portion of the seabed.

The underwater drones, capable of operating at depths of 300 meters, will be used continuously by the partners for five years after the project's end. In addition to monitoring seagrass beds, they will also study the impact of human activity on the sea floor.

Kancheva also announced that four information kiosks will be established in Varna, Burgas, and Nesebar, providing the public with access to real-time information on seawater conditions.