Aerial–Aquatic robotics for safe and scalable biodiversity monitoring in polar environments

Collecting in-situ environmental data and biological samples in polar regions remains extremely challenging. Manually obtaining samples near large icebergs and water-facing glaciers is especially difficult, as the melting ice poses physical dangers for researchers. Icebergs can tip without warning and glaciers calving can create unpredictable landslides and tsunamis. Due to these risks, data is scarce, and little is known about the microbiology at the glacier-ocean interface. Yet these environments are ecologically dynamic and face unprecedented environmental change; iceberg-triggered upwellings, glacier runoffs, and drifting icebergs mix the water column, alter stratification and nutrient availability, and thereby reshape microbial community composition, primary productivity and carbon cycling.  Similarly, glacier runoff releases previously trapped microbes. 

 To help fill these observational gaps, we present MEDUSA, an aerial-aquatic robot capable of flying to far locations and performing underwater sensing. The newest variant of the MEDUSA robotic family, introduced here, combines flight with underwater sensing and sampling, enabling CTD profiling, targeted water retrieval, and filter sampling. This robot will enable new methods of obtaining water samples in extreme environments and could have a sweeping impact as to the amount of data available in Polar research. It can also support the interpretation of remote sensing measurements and strengthen multi-sensor biodiversity monitoring frameworks. Beyond polar regions, MEDUSA will be deployed in Swiss lakes and Mediterranean environments, supporting scalable biodiversity monitoring across diverse aquatic ecosystems.  

Recent field trials in southern Greenland, conducted from the Forel Research Platform, demonstrate MEDUSA’s ability to operate safely in iceberg-dominated fjords and obtain samples. The Forel is a sailing research boat, with an onboard clean-room, chemistry lab, and workshop, designed for environmental research. The boat approached glaciers and large icebergs, with MEDUSA closing the distance and sampling the water without posing a human risk. Here, we introduce our sampling methodology, as well as the hardware results of our field trials. We discuss the challenges and insights from this deployment, as well as the future directions and advancements for this robotic platform.