Kelp Quest (Seattle Aquarium)

Come join the Seattle Aquarium’s Coastal Climate Resilience (CCR) research team on the seafloor! Our team uses remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to conduct benthic surveys and gather high-resolution images—hundreds of thousands of images! To process this high volume of visual data, we have trained machine learning (ML) models to automatically classify different categories of red, brown and green algae; sessile and mobile invertebrates; and distinct types of seafloor. These types of models have been around since the 1950s and can run on a single computer, allowing us to analyze a vast array of images and respond more quickly to changes in coastal ecosystems.

But ML models make mistakes. That’s why we need your help to review the predictions! Thanks to your contributions, we will (1) improve the precision of our ML models, (2) facilitate data analyses regarding species-habitat associations and (3) directly contribute to research that helps inform local kelp forest conservation and restoration. In turn, we hope to provide you with a unique look into the fascinating landscape of kelp forests. We are active in the Talk forum and are ready to engage. Ask us questions and share your findings! If you find an interesting subject, share it in the forum and we can pull the full-size image and post it for you.

And be sure to check out the Results section to access examples of ROV survey imagery, formal reports and links to our open-source active research on GitHub. We believe marine research and conservation benefits from transparency and collaboration, so we invite you to check out our ROV hardware, software, telemetry log management and more here.

Are you ready? Dive in and explore the kelp forests of coastal Washington with us!