Hidden wrecks and Black Reefs: harnessing AI to unveil maritime mysteries and environmental risks

Karamitrou, Alexandra, Sturt, Fraser and Bogiatzis, Petros (2025) Hidden wrecks and Black Reefs: harnessing AI to unveil maritime mysteries and environmental risks. In European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2025. European Geosciences Union. 2 pp . (doi:10.5194/egusphere-egu25-9298).

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

Shipwrecks have long fascinated people with their stories of mysteries and hidden treasures. UNESCO estimates that more than three million shipwrecks lie undiscovered in the world’s oceans and lakes, yet less than 10% of these have been precisely located. Beyond their historical and archaeological significance, shipwrecks can pose significant environmental threats. Instead of treasures, they often conceal harmful substances like fuels and corroded heavy metals, which, if released, can harm surrounding ecosystems and nearby communities.

This study introduces an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) approach, leveraging convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and open-access remote sensing data, to detect and map shipwrecks in remote coral reefs. The method is designed to identify wrecks based on the environmental footprint they leave, referred to as "Black Reefs", even in cases where the shipwreck itself has completely degraded.

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