USE OF THE DEVELOPED AUTONOMOUS ROBOT SYSTEM “MOBILE BIOLOGIST” FOR STUDYING THE ANTARCTIC ECOSYSTEM

The paper addresses the issues of using the developed autonomous robotic system to study the influence of water dynamics parameters on the density of Antarctic krill accumulations in traditional areas. With the help of this system, potentially vulnerable natural and ecological habitats of Antarctic krill can be identified, based on the data from which solutions for their conservation and stabilization can be proposed. An autonomous robotic system allows for such continuous monitoring to observe the basic trophic levels of ecosystems, the effects of changes in sea ice conditions, and other Antarctic environmental factors affecting the marine ecosystem. The application of the proposed method allows simultaneous measurements of environmental parameters in order to assess the relationship between the physical parameters of sea currents and biological processes. By integrating the system data with ship and satellite data in postprocessing, the response of Antarctic krill populations to multifactorial stresses can be assessed. The work was carried out according to the state assignment No. 0128-2021-0002 (“Mechanisms for the formation of the circulation structures of the World Ocean: key processes in the boundary layers and their role in ocean dynamics based on expeditionary studies, numerical and laboratory modeling”).