AI Will Help Keep the Sea of Azov Clean
Donetsk State University has successfully tested a prototype of an automated biomonitoring network for the aquatic environment. The system was developed as part of the implementation of Russia’s government-approved Sustainable Development Strategy for the Sea of Azov Region through 2040.
The new system consists of a network of autonomous stations that collect real-time data on water conditions and transmit it to a central hub for comprehensive analysis. The advanced IT solution combines Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, industrial telemetry, large-scale data processing, analytical software, and neural-network methods.
High Technology for the Depths of the Sea
The Sea of Azov is Russia’s shallowest sea. Because it contains relatively little water, pollution can pose a greater threat than it does in larger marine basins. The Sea of Azov’s ecosystem is also highly unstable. Its salinity has increased by 60% over the past 19 years, primarily because less water is flowing into the sea from the Don and Kuban river basins. At the same time, the volume of untreated wastewater remains high at 1.045 billion cubic meters. The target is to reduce that figure to 888 million cubic meters by 2030 and 731 million cubic meters by 2040.
Researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences recently analyzed water samples. Their findings showed that the concentration of hydrocarbon compounds was 5.4 times above the permissible level. That is twice as bad as the results of comparable studies conducted nearly a decade ago. The upward trend is continuing steadily.
That makes such a monitoring system essential for the Sea of Azov region. The government-approved strategy through 2040 sets ambitious goals for restoring the sea’s ecosystem, developing fisheries and tourism, and addressing water salinization and pollution. Digital monitoring will make it possible to see what is actually happening in the water and respond to threats quickly. The experimental prototype is expected to be followed by an expansion in the number of stations and the creation of a full-scale network. In the future, similar stations could be adapted for the Black, Caspian, and Baltic seas, as well as major rivers and reservoirs.
Robots at Work, Plankton in 3D
Scientists at the Institute for Research and Engineering of the Sea of Azov Region and the Sea of Azov have created a digital twin of the Sea of Azov. The 3D model tracks and forecasts changes in the abundance and species composition of plankton. These microscopic organisms, in turn, actively break down hydrocarbons, gradually helping restore the ecosystem’s natural balance. By modeling the marine environment, researchers will be able to predict with high accuracy the “population” of these almost invisible organisms.
Scientists in Sevastopol have proposed using machine learning to analyze the behavior of bivalve mollusks and turn them into “living sensors” for detecting pollution. Meanwhile, researchers in Nizhny Novgorod have developed an algorithm to improve the accuracy of satellite-based water-quality monitoring. In Vladivostok, researchers have tested autonomous IoT stations powered by solar panels.
The United Shipbuilding Corporation is also continuing to develop marine robotics. Its engineers are working on a concept that would connect several robots weighing between 50 and 300 kilograms into a single network. The robotic system would consist of an unmanned carrier boat and autonomous underwater vehicles. They could operate simultaneously at different depths and in different formations, tackling tasks ranging from marine-environment monitoring to large-scale seismic surveys.
A Unified Development System
The unified development management system for the Sea of Azov basin includes 79 measures across 18 different areas, from ecosystem restoration to unlocking the region’s tourism potential. For people living along the coast, the benefits mean cleaner water, safer recreation, and protection of fish stocks. For Russia, the system offers a way to build a unified digital picture of the condition of its water resources, manage strategically important waters more effectively, and develop export opportunities for high-tech environmental monitoring solutions. The future of environmental protection lies in distributed sensor networks, satellite data, and artificial intelligence. Donetsk State University’s project is another important step toward a national “digital vision” system for monitoring the health of Russia’s seas and rivers.
