MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY
Complex topographies: Dr. Katleen Robert has a passion to reveal the ocean floor's secrets

Dr. Katleen Robert is on a mission to reveal the mysteries of the ocean floor, especially around Newfoundland and Labrador.

With less than 30 per cent of the world's seafloor mapped, and even less known about its rocky underwater terrain, her work is both pioneering and essential.

"Just like on land, the seafloor has different topographies, such as mountains, canyons, and hills, but for most of it, we still do not have maps that capture this complexity," she said.

Dr. Katleen Robert in the Galápagos Islands on board the research vessel RV Falkor (too) during an expedition funded by Schmidt Ocean Institute. Photo: Submitted

Dr. Robert, an associate professor at Memorial University's Marine Institute, was recently renewed as the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in ocean mapping.

She also received $75,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation through its John R. Evans Leaders Fund, in support of her CRC research program.

Dr. Robert says her research focuses on mapping the ocean floor and using the information to better understand the distribution of marine species and how they may respond to changing ocean conditions.

Detailed 3D maps to reveal intricate habitats

In the institute's School of Ocean Technology, Dr. Robert leads the 4D Oceans Lab, where she and her team, including Marine Institute graduate students, use cutting-edge technologies such as autonomous underwater vehicles, remotely operated vehicles, multibeam sonar and photogrammetry to map the ocean's spatial complexity from the seafloor to the surface.

These tools allow the researchers to collect high-resolution acoustic data and video imagery, creating detailed 3D maps that reveal the intricate habitats hidden beneath the waves.

"The fact that there is still so much to discover is one of the reasons I chose this specific field." Dr. Katleen Robert

The research supports marine spatial planning and sustainable resource management, providing critical baselines for monitoring ecosystem changes.

Dr. Robert says the CRC renewal represents an "amazing" opportunity to expand this work, including employing new tools and technologies to explore our waters.

"The world of marine technology and the application of AI is fast evolving, and by using these newest approaches, we have a chance of capturing the current state of marine habitats before they are further impacted by climate change," she said.

New discoveries

Dr. Robert's work has direct implications for understanding biodiversity.

During her first five-year CRC term, her team made significant discoveries, including new cold-water coral habitats both in Newfoundland and Labrador waters and abroad.

Underwater images taken by the remotely operated vehicle SuBastian taken during expedition Fkt230918 - Vertical Reefs in the Galapagos. Photo: Submitted

One of the highlights was discovering an 800-metre-long, cold-water coral reef in the Galápagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador, when she led a Schmidt Ocean Institute research expedition onboard the RV Falkor (too), she says.

Closer to home, her team found significant biodiversity in a soft coral garden within the Funk Island Deep Closure.

"In both cases, we were able to image and map these habitats in incredibly high resolution through collaborations with Canadian companies at the forefront of marine technologies," Dr. Robert said.

One of her most recent projects involved working on the 2025 Miawpukek First Nation-led ocean science expedition onboard the training ship Oqwatnukewey Eleke'wi'ji'jit (Polar Prince).

The team conducted camera drops, collected environmental DNA (eDNA) samples and measured the water's salinity and temperature on the province's southwest coast.

The expedition had two main goals: providing Mi'kmaw and Inuit youth from the Qikiqtaaluk region with first-hand experience with ocean science and exploring the biodiversity of deep-water coral habitats.

"The CRC program provides a lot of flexibility to increase my students' opportunities as well as the ability to support important initiatives such as Indigenous-led expeditions," said Dr. Robert.

'Only way to truly understand'

Her work is not just about science, she says, it's about stewardship, education and unlocking the secrets of one of the planet's last frontiers.

She says she is excited to continue mapping the ocean around Newfoundland and Labrador, uncovering its underwater habitats and sharing discoveries with communities and youth.

"It's incredibly difficult to manage something if we don't know where it is," she said. "Mapping gives us the foundation to understand species distributions, habitat interactions and the effects of currents and climate.

"The fact that there is still so much to discover is one of the reasons I chose this specific field," she continued. "If I had unlimited time and resources, I'd map every day block by block. It's the only way to truly understand what's down there."