Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering recently closed a deal for $2 million in funding in order to scale up their data-driven approach to marine ecosystem restoration. The startup combines environmental science with high-tech tools. It aims to restore seagrass meadows, a very critical but rapidly declining part of marine ecosystems worldwide.
And yet, seagrass meadows cover only 0.1% of the ocean floor but are touted to store up to 18% of the ocean's carbon. The carbon capture and oxygen production from seagrass meadows would offer a way of cleaning the air, and healthy marine life with better protection of coasts from erosion. Except. But it is fast disappearing-one estimate by researchers put the rate of seagrass meadow loss at about 1.5% annually in the world, due to human activities and climate change. It is against this background that UEE is stepping in to try and reverse the trend.
What really differentiates it is that UEE deploys drones for data-driven usage: They fit them with sensors and data-capture capabilities to monitor the health of seagrass, map the coverage of meadows, and even assess the quality of the marine environment around them. With that aerial mapping, they are able to get very accurate data, monitor changes over time, and compute optimal spots for planting seagrass.
One key metric includes the "blue carbon" absorbed by seagrass, a term for stored carbon within marine ecosystems. Indeed, the data from UEE enables them to quantify this carbon storage locally, which can be helpful in giving meaning to the ecosystem health and even some applications in carbon credit systems.
Results returned to date from pilot tests by UEE have been promising, with a 40% increase in seagrass cover within treated areas. The new funding will see them expand such efforts, reach additional sites, and improve data analytics to magnify the effectiveness of restoration. Their expansion also involves working with research institutions to deepen their understanding of growth patterns, seasonal variations, and environmental stressors such as pollution or temperature changes.
It was a significant milestone for UEE, which deploys a data-driven, drone-enabled process for ecosystem restoration—'hacking' environmental problems at scale with the precision that was missing. As it grows, datasets from UEE are likely to shed new light on the resilience of marine ecosystems and will mold future conservation efforts all over the world.
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