Exploring the Arctic with the ASTRID ROV

From July 11 – August 8, 2024, 4 CSSF team members piloted the CCGS Amundsen’s ROV, ASTRID (Amundsen Science Technology for Remote Innovation and Discoveries) in the Labrador Sea as part of contract work to support Amundsen Science.

Leg 2a of the 2024 Amundsen Expedition was led by the Nunatsiavut Government in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and several other research programs led by other organisations, including ArcticFish, Arctic Kelp, Avaaforfish, Natural Resources Canada’s marine mapping programs, the Northern Contaminants Program and the Ocean Frontier Institute’s Sustainable Nunatsiavut Futures program. Leg 2a took place along coastal Labrador, as well as in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay, Canada. Two programs required the use of an ROV during Leg 2a, 1) the Imappivut Initiative and 2) DFO’s Benthic Refuges Program. For these, the science objectives were to further study previously identified biodiversity hot spots and investigate new biodiversity hot spots, with the guidance of local Nunatsiavut knowledge, as well as to characterize benthic habitats within or adjacent to Marine Refuges.

The objectives of our team were: to video survey and sample at 6 locations (Makkovik Bank, The Sentinel, Killinek, Hatton Basin, Davis Strait and Disko Fan) and for DFO Benthic Refuges, to: collect imagery, including for photogrammetry, and collect water samples. Our team conducted ROV work for both programs, for what ended up being 4 sites, for a total of 4 dives: 1) Makkovik Bank, 2) The Sentinel, 3) Davis Strait Conservation Area and 4) Disko Fan Conservation Area. We installed 3D printed corals on top of a wall and deployed data loggers onto existing, live corals, as well as facilitated the collection of imagery along multiple transects for photogrammetry, which in part, involved flying ASTRID backwards to prevent sediment from entering the thrusters. Overall, we assisted in collecting biological samples of corals, sponges and other marine life as well as eDNA samples. Science highlights included newly discovered corals, a range extension of a species of sea star, and the complex work that our team did, including installation of data loggers on corals living on vertical rock walls.

CSSF’s Luke Girard has been working with ROPOS for 8 years but had never worked with ASTRID before. It was an exciting experience for him to be able to work with a completely new system and to be operating it in the Arctic! A highlight for the ROPOS Team members was that they had the opportunity to use a new suction sampler that Chris Morrissey, former Marine Robotics Professional at Amundsen Science, had designed, which they felt worked quite well. Luke explained how our team accomplished the installation of 3D-printed corals and the hanging of the data loggers. During the deployment of the ROV, a great amount of force is put onto the corals, so our team was able to stabilize them by affixing them to the front porch using a wooden frame. The Science Teams often supply our team with devices or instrumentation which we “ROV-ise”, or add attachments to, to make it possible for the ROV to manipulate. In this case, our team affixed hooks and handles to the data loggers, which were about the size of a pocketknife, that allowed us to hang them on the corals, much like Christmas ornaments on a tree. This was not the trickiest of these types of tasks that our team has done before, but for Luke, it was a new experience.

Our team met a few challenges on this expedition. Inclement weather hit, which, in this case, meant that we had to follow to the safety recommendations of the captain. A COVID outbreak also occurred on the ship, which we have experienced before — while it does add some inconvenience, it is still possible to accomplish tasks. Our team this summer was also working with an ROV system that was unfamiliar to them, as it was only their second time using it. Regardless, we were still able to dive efficiently!

For more information on the science programs from this mission, please see the Expeditions and Science Highlights sections on the Amundsen Science website.