Autonomous sampling and eDNA metabarcoding for offshore biodiversity monitoring: a pilot study around an FPSO in the Southwestern Atlantic

Around an FPSO in the Santos Basin, Brazil, autonomous eDNA metabarcoding detected 34 species with 12S and 28 with 16S, capturing 74.3% and 65.4% of estimated richness.

• Why it matters: Offshore biodiversity monitoring needs broader spatial and temporal coverage to separate persistent ecological change from short-term variability while reducing reliance on crewed sampling.
• What they did: A third-generation Environmental Sample Processor on the W Tupan II uncrewed surface vessel collected 64 water samples at coastal sites, transit locations, and the FPSO area, followed by mitochondrial 12S and 16S metabarcoding.
• The result: Near the FPSO, radial differentiation across 300–1,500 m was weak with no near–far indicators after multiple-testing correction, and temporal Jaccard dissimilarity was largely driven by turnover (about 73% for 12S, 80% for 16S).