Researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa have implemented artificial intelligence, or AI, into coral reef conservation.
The AI is used to study reef halos — patches of bare sand around isolated coral.
The halos are a sign of abundant sea life and a healthy reef, according to UHM's School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.
Herbivores grazing on the algae around the coral minimizes its risk of being eaten and nearby predators ensure that there are always a diverse group of fish.
"Reef halos may be important indicators of the health and vitality of coral reefs, but until now, their measurement and tracking has been a challenging and time-consuming process,” said Simone Franceschini, a postdoctoral research fellow at UH, in a press release.
The researchers found that the AI was able to identify and measure reef halos from satellite images with 91% accuracy.
The AI's ability was compared to five scientists from UH Mānoa and the computer was able to accurately identify reef halos in a shorter amount of time.
"The AI can definitely better identify the halos with more accuracy because sometimes when we look at an image and we zoom to the pixel, we lose a little bit of the perception of the change in color because we are not used to seeing objects in pixels," Simone Franceschini, a post-doctoral fellow at UH, told HPR.
He said that the AI will be used to observe coral reef health over time and to compare its traits with other parts of the world.
To read the full study, click here.
