New Mapping Finds the Oceans Are Filled With "Dark Vessels"

autotldr Bot , 6 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

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Researchers have exposed an enormous quantity of previously untracked human activity at sea using a combination of satellite imagery, vessel GPS data, and AI.

The resulting maps are a stunning reminder of just how many boats and ships, oftentimes referred to as “dark vessels,” literally fall under the radar, and how these activities at sea have changed in recent years.

It’s also an excellent showcase of the power of deep learning algorithms, which can find elusive patterns in massive caches of data — for good or ill.

The team also found that offshore energy development had expanded significantly, with the number of new wind turbines outnumbering new oil structures by the end of 2020.

The new publicly available data comes at a time when maritime activity is expanding at alarming rates and could give policymakers a much-needed overview to enact meaningful change, especially in light of a growing climate crisis.

As our reliance on fossil fuels and depletion of fish stock around the world continues, it’s more important than ever to get a clearer picture of all of the activity that has until now been hiding in plain sight.

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