Mapping life in the deep Atlantic
Building a clearer picture of life in the deep Atlantic, and the evidence needed to protect it.
Safeguarding Atlantic biodiversity. Endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade.
The deep ocean is largely unknown
The deep Atlantic is vast, remote and difficult to observe. We have only a fragmented understanding of where deep-sea species, communities and ecosystems occur.
Thousands of hours of seabed imagery have been collected through research expeditions and monitoring programmes, yet much of it has never been analysed. Manual analysis is slow, which makes it hard to build the large biological datasets that mapping needs.
Thousands of hours of unanalysed footage.
You cannot effectively protect an ecosystem if you do not know where it is.
Observe. Identify. Model. Map.
DeepMap brings together seabed imagery, artificial intelligence, environmental data and habitat modelling to understand where biodiversity occurs across the deep Atlantic.
AI-assisted tools will help identify and quantify organisms in thousands of hours of underwater imagery, with results checked and validated by expert scientists.
These biological observations will then be combined with environmental information — including depth, temperature, salinity, currents and food supply — to understand the conditions associated with different species and communities.
The result will be predictive maps that extend beyond the places we have directly observed.
Observe
Identify
Model
Map
By connecting individual observations with the wider environment, DeepMap aims to move from isolated records to an Atlantic-scale understanding of deep-sea biodiversity.
Looking beyond single species
DeepMap looks beyond individual species to the communities and ecosystems they form.
The project will map species distributions and densities alongside larger biological patterns, including deep-sea biotopes such as:
- Cold-water coral reefs
- Coral gardens
- Sponge fields and sponge aggregations
- Other biologically rich deep-sea communities
A biotope is an area defined by particular environmental conditions and the biological community associated with them.
Mapping these communities and ecosystems is important because biodiversity is not evenly distributed. Some areas support concentrations of species or particularly vulnerable habitats and may therefore be especially important for conservation.
One of the largest collections of deep-sea imagery
deployments
hours of video
never analysed
DeepMap will use AI to make analysing this imagery faster, more consistent and more scalable, while keeping expert scientists at the centre of the process.
The project will combine these existing observations with new data to build a standardised biological dataset spanning the Atlantic.
From data to Atlantic-scale maps
The observations generated through DeepMap will be used to develop species distribution and habitat suitability models.
These models connect biological observations with environmental conditions to predict where species, communities and ecosystems are likely to occur — including areas where direct observations are limited or unavailable.
Atlantic-scale biodiversity maps
Species and community distribution models
Biotope and ecosystem maps
High- and low-resolution habitat models
Standardised biodiversity datasets
Open-source AI and annotation tools
An online mapping portal
Making the maps useful
The evidence generated by the project will help identify areas of high biodiversity and support decisions about how the deep ocean can be managed and protected.
DeepMap will provide evidence to help inform:
Identifying and protecting important deep-sea habitats and biodiversity hotspots.
Supporting measures such as bottom-fishing closures and other spatial protections.
Providing biodiversity information alongside other environmental and human-use data.
Helping assess potential impacts of activities on deep-sea ecosystems.
Supporting scientific advice and implementation of frameworks such as the High Seas Treaty and regional environmental management plans.
Helping decision-makers understand what is where, what is rare, and what may need protection.
A lasting legacy beyond the Atlantic
DeepMap brings together researchers and institutions across the UK, Europe, Africa, South America and Asia, combining expertise in deep-sea ecology, artificial intelligence, habitat modelling and marine policy.
Led by Professor Kerry Howell at the University of Plymouth and Plymouth Marine Laboratory, the project brings together an international network working towards a shared understanding of Atlantic deep-sea biodiversity.
The project will also leave a legacy beyond the Atlantic.
By developing scalable AI methods, open-source tools and standardised approaches to deep-sea mapping, DeepMap aims to make future analysis faster, more cost-effective and more widely accessible.
The methods developed through the project could ultimately be applied across the global ocean.
Building Knowledge for a Healthier Ocean
Build the foundations
Develop the models
Map the Atlantic
Working in Collaboration With
DeepMap is an international collaboration bringing together expertise in deep-sea ecology, artificial intelligence, habitat modelling, marine science and policy.
