Tiburon Subsea Inc. (TSI) and Ocean Floor Geophysics Inc. (OFG) are excited to announce their professional collaboration for 2025.

In 2024, Tiburon Subsea introduced its patented vectored thrust control system JETTE for defence markets and established AUV manufacturers.

In 2025, Tiburon is launching an initiative to develop its own revolutionary commercial AUV with its patent-pending technology. As a key part of this initiative, Tiburon announces an agreement to incorporate OFG’s Self-Compensating Magnetometer, Hypermag, iCP, and HyperEMF systems for non-contact cathodic protection inspection, AC/DC cable EMF and depth of burial, and UXO survey.

“Our respective companies share a goal and vision of creating new subsea survey and inspection capabilities for our clients. We believe that advancing dynamic underwater technologies will propel us into a new era in marine robotics. Consider how satellite networks are the backbone hardware of the earth’s science data network; autonomous vehicles are quickly becoming the same backbone needed to open data acquisition on a planet which is 70% water. Renewable energy, climate change remediation, marine fishery protection, weather monitoring, and coastal engineering will all benefit from access to this technology,” writes Tiburon Subsea Founder and CEO, Tim Taylor. 

TSI’s revolutionary design offers hydrodynamic efficiency and redundancy and allows autonomous underwater vehicles to operate in all dimensions. Essentially, Tiburon Subsea is offering a dual market product. The JETTE system can provide all AUV manufacturers with vehicles featuring the ability to traverse any environment, hover, scan, stabilize, and carry larger payloads with more power. This new technology solves multiple shortcomings of current vehicles.

Ideal uses for the Tiburon fleet will include site exploration, oceanographic research, biodiversity management, defense, wind and wave renewable energy survey and maintenance, export and inter-array cable inspection, hydrographic survey, subsea security, methane leak detection, and coastal health monitoring. Tiburon Subsea is expanding into a platform that will disrupt current industry processes and help its clients overcome barriers to technology.

OFG CEO Matthew Kowalczyk states: “I have worked with Tim Taylor on many subsea projects throughout the years and his latest tech innovation will allow us to deploy our systems on a platform with unique capabilities to provide comprehensive data to our clients and the underwater marine community. OFG and Tiburon Subsea share a belief that the future of the ocean economy is digital, autonomous, and resident. That future requires quality data.”

About OFG

OFG provides solutions to address our clients’ subsea surveying challenges across a range of markets including the renewables, oil and gas, defense and minerals sectors. OFG brings together expert teams of engineers and geoscientists to design, integrate and operationalize complex sensor systems deployed from AUV, ROV, USV and surface vessels. OFG collects rich multiphysics datasets and interprets these to meet and exceed survey objectives efficiently and safely, with minimal environmental impact. More info on OFG can be found at www.oceanfloorgeophysics.com.

About Tiburon Subsea

Founded by acclaimed ocean explorer Tim Taylor and famed ocean scientist Dr. Sylvia Earle, Tiburon Subsea is building the world’s first global autonomous undersea drone and data technology platform. TSI’s new commercial AUV will be equipped with the proprietary JETTE thruster system, offering more speed, maneuverability, reliability, and versatility than current defense industry and commercial survey vehicles. Companies interested in access to survey quality AUV systems are encouraged to learn more at www.tiburonsubsea.com.

UNESCO’s groundbreaking environmental DNA programme has mapped nearly 4,500 marine species across 21 World Heritage sites around the world, providing new key data and a revolutionary method for stronger ocean protection in an era of rapid climate disruption.

“This UNESCO programme revolutionizes the way we observe and monitor marine life. At a time when the degradation of biodiversity is reaching an alarming pace, it provides new opportunities to better understand and protect critical ecosystems in the 18,000 protected marine areas around the world. In accordance with its Recommendation on Open Science, UNESCO makes this technology freely accessible and calls on its Member States to support the scientific community for its large-scale use”, declared Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General.

Climate disruption, including ocean warming, is forcing marine species away from their natural habitats and creating an urgent need to better understand and monitor their distribution. UNESCO has developed a new standardized eDNA sampling method to map ocean life.

Over the course of three years, marine experts and local scientists took 500 samples from 21 sites protected by UNESCO under the World Heritage Convention, detecting the presence of nearly 4,500 marine species – an impressive result that would previously have taken many years of survey work and cost millions of dollars. Nearly half of the identified species were fish, and also include 86 shark and ray species, 28 mammal species, and 3 turtle species. Among the findings were 120 species listed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.

The study also determined that many of these species will soon be confronted with temperatures exceeding their known tolerance limits. Based on the warmest future climate scenario, up to 100% of fish species in the tropical and subtropical sites studied would exceed their current thermal limits and be potentially endangered, while 10-50% of fish species in temperate oceans would exceed their current thermal limits.

A blueprint for marine biodiversity monitoring

UNESCO’s eDNA programme marks the first standardised application of eDNA sampling to monitor the status of marine species among global biodiversity hotspots. With a single 1.5-liter water sample, eDNA techniques can reveal genetic traces of approximately 100 marine species on average. Compared to other existing technologies, it is incredibly affordable, non-invasive and fast – reducing data-collection times from years to just months. This method is also extremely easy to implement, allowing local communities to participate in advancing knowledge alongside scientists. More than 250 schoolchildren, some as young as six years old, participated in sampling expeditions led by UNESCO. The results demonstrate the power of this method as a transformative tool for ocean conservation.

All data from the eDNA initiative is systematically uploaded to UNESCO’s Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), a global open-access platform that ensures the information is freely available, comparable, and interoperable for researchers and decision-makers worldwide. 

An essential tool to achieve climate and biodiversity targets

UNESCO’s initiative is a vital step toward achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s “30×30” goal of protecting 30% of the world’s terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine areas by 2030.

By combining cutting-edge science with citizen participation, UNESCO’s technology provides a scalable and accessible model that can be applied to the more than 18,000 existing marine protected areas – and new ones that will be created – to address the urgent challenges facing the ocean today.

The data collected will support science-based decision-making, helping Member States better plan and manage marine protected areas to adapt to changing climates. 

Read more: Environmental DNA Expeditions in UNESCO World Heritage Marine Sites

About UNESCO

With 194 Member States, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication and information. Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2300 people. UNESCO oversees more than 2000 World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks; networks of Creative, Learning, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities; and over 13 000 associated schools, university chairs, training and research institutions. Its Director-General is Audrey Azoulay.

“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed” – UNESCO Constitution, 1945.

More information: www.unesco.org

Curtin University has joined forces with NASA, the University of Miami, San José State University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology on a new-generation satellite mission to study the colour of the ocean from space, providing vital information about ocean health and its role in climate regulation.

Researchers recently deployed a 15-metre-tall buoy off the coast of Perth, Western Australia, as part of a new project to ensure the data quality for NASA’s newly launched PACE (Plankton, Aerosols, Clouds, Ocean Ecosystems) satellite mission.

Professor David Antoine, head of Curtin’s Remote Sensing and Satellite Research Group (RSSRG) in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the new optical system, known as MarONet (Marine Optical Network), deployed near WA’s Rottnest Island will play a critical role in verifying – or ‘ground- truthing’ – PACE’s satellite observations.

“We typically think of the ocean’s colour as blue, but in many places, it looks blue-green because those areas are teeming with single-celled plants called phytoplankton, which contain chlorophyll and absorb the blue light,” Professor Antoine said.

“Phytoplankton are tiny plants that, in addition to being a vital food source for all marine life, collectively produce more than half of the world’s oxygen and absorb almost as much carbon dioxide as all the trees and land plants on Earth.

“By measuring the colour of the ocean with both satellites and sea-based sensors, we can study the enormous impact phytoplankton have on our climate and the potential of this tiny plant to help combat climate change.

“Sensors on the buoy capture and analyse colours within sunlight reflected from the ocean to measure algae levels. This data is sent to shore via the mobile network, where it then helps fine-tune the satellite sensors for more accurate ocean monitoring.”

Project lead engineer Andrew Gray, also from Curtin’s RSSRG, said the collaboration with NASA will help ensure the accuracy of data collected by its PACE satellite.

“MarONet will improve the accuracy of remote sensing data collected by NASA by comparing it with physical measurements taken at ground level,” Mr Gray said.

“The unique oceanic conditions and clear atmosphere at the MarONet buoy site near Rottnest make it ideal for accurate calibration.

“Curtin is proud to be a part of this important global initiative and looks forward to advancing our understanding of Earth’s oceans and climate.”

University of Miami Principal Investigator Professor Art Gleason said the MarONet buoy deployed off Perth complements NASA’s existing sea-based (MOBY) systems.

“There are sea-based sensors off Hawaii that have been operating for more than 20 years, allowing close coordination with the new buoy off Rottnest,” Professor Gleason said.

About Curtin University

Curtin University is Western Australia’s largest university, with close to 60,000 students. In addition to the University’s main campus in Perth, Curtin also has a major regional campus in Kalgoorlie, and a campus in Midland, as well as four global campuses in Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai and Mauritius. Curtin staff and students come from Australia and more than 140 other countries around the world, with about half our international students studying at Curtin’s offshore campuses.

Curtin is ranked in the top one per cent of universities worldwide, with the University placed 9th in Australia according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2023 and has achieved a QS Five Stars Plus rating, the highest available for a tertiary institution, and one of only five to do so in Australia.

The University has built a reputation around innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit, being at the forefront of many high-profile research projects in astronomy, biosciences, economics, mining and information technology. It is also recognised globally for its strong connections with industry and for its commitment to preparing students for the jobs of the future.

For further information, visit curtin.edu.au.