Publications

Four peer-reviewed articles in Nature Portfolio journals, an archived image dataset and three software releases. The papers were written by the lab’s director at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel between 2022 and 2025, before SIEAL was established; they are the methodological foundation the lab now works from.

The datasets and software below are listed alongside the papers deliberately. A method that has been released and archived can be inspected, rerun and audited; a citation cannot. For anyone assessing whether this lab can deliver a piece of work, the released artefacts are the stronger evidence.

In preparation

Mbani, B. (2026). Blue-BII: A Biodiversity Integrity Index for blue carbon ecosystems. In preparation.

@unpublished{mbani2026bluebii,
  title = {Blue-BII: A Biodiversity Integrity Index for blue carbon ecosystems},
  author = {Mbani, Benson},
  year = {2026},
  note = {In preparation}
}

Journal articles

Mbani, B., & Greinert, J. (2025). Automated underwater image analysis reveals sediment patterns and megafauna distribution in the tropical Atlantic. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 27481.

DOI

@article{mbani2025atlantic,
  title = {Automated underwater image analysis reveals sediment patterns and megafauna distribution in the tropical Atlantic},
  author = {Mbani, Benson and Greinert, Jens},
  journal = {Scientific Reports},
  volume = {15},
  number = {1},
  pages = {27481},
  year = {2025},
  publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
  doi = {10.1038/s41598-025-12723-y}
}

Mbani, B., Buck, V., & Greinert, J. (2023). An automated image-based workflow for detecting megabenthic fauna in optical images with examples from the Clarion–Clipperton Zone. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 8350.

DOI

@article{mbani2023faund,
  title = {An automated image-based workflow for detecting megabenthic fauna in optical images with examples from the Clarion--Clipperton Zone},
  author = {Mbani, Benson and Buck, Valentin and Greinert, Jens},
  journal = {Scientific Reports},
  volume = {13},
  number = {1},
  pages = {8350},
  year = {2023},
  publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
  doi = {10.1038/s41598-023-35518-5}
}

Mbani, B., & Greinert, J. (2023). Analysis-ready optical underwater images of manganese-nodule covered seafloor of the Clarion–Clipperton Zone. Scientific Data, 10(1), 316.

DOI

@article{mbani2023dataset,
  title = {Analysis-ready optical underwater images of manganese-nodule covered seafloor of the Clarion--Clipperton Zone},
  author = {Mbani, Benson and Greinert, Jens},
  journal = {Scientific Data},
  volume = {10},
  number = {1},
  pages = {316},
  year = {2023},
  publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
  doi = {10.1038/s41597-023-02245-5}
}

Mbani, B., Schoening, T., Gazis, I.-Z., Koch, R., & Greinert, J. (2022). Implementation of an automated workflow for image-based seafloor classification with examples from manganese-nodule covered seabed areas in the Central Pacific Ocean. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 15338.

DOI

@article{mbani2022aiscw,
  title = {Implementation of an automated workflow for image-based seafloor classification with examples from manganese-nodule covered seabed areas in the Central Pacific Ocean},
  author = {Mbani, Benson and Schoening, Timm and Gazis, Iason-Zois and Koch, Reinhard and Greinert, Jens},
  journal = {Scientific Reports},
  volume = {12},
  number = {1},
  pages = {15338},
  year = {2022},
  publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
  doi = {10.1038/s41598-022-19070-2}
}

Datasets and research software

Mbani, B., & Greinert, J. (2023). Analysis-ready optical underwater images collected along OFOS profiles during SONNE cruises SO268/1 and SO268/2, Clarion–Clipperton Zone (Pacific Ocean). PANGAEA.

DOI

@misc{mbani2023pangaea,
  title = {Analysis-ready optical underwater images collected along OFOS profiles during SONNE cruises SO268/1 and SO268/2, Clarion--Clipperton Zone (Pacific Ocean)},
  author = {Mbani, Benson and Greinert, Jens},
  year = {2023},
  howpublished = {PANGAEA},
  doi = {10.1594/PANGAEA.957274}
}

Mbani, B., Schoening, T., & Greinert, J. (2023). Automated and Integrated Seafloor Classification Workflow (AI-SCW). GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

@misc{mbani2023aiscwsoftware,
  title = {Automated and Integrated Seafloor Classification Workflow (AI-SCW)},
  author = {Mbani, Benson and Schoening, Timm and Greinert, Jens},
  year = {2023},
  howpublished = {GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel}
}

Mbani, B. (2023). Megabenthic Fauna Detector with Faster R-CNN (FaunD-Fast). Zenodo.

@misc{mbani2023faundzenodo,
  title = {Megabenthic Fauna Detector with Faster R-CNN (FaunD-Fast)},
  author = {Mbani, Benson},
  year = {2023},
  howpublished = {Zenodo}
}

Mbani, B., Buck, V., & Greinert, J. (2022). Megabenthic Fauna Detection with Faster R-CNN (FaunD-Fast): short description of the research software. GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

@misc{mbani2022faundsoftware,
  title = {Megabenthic Fauna Detection with Faster R-CNN (FaunD-Fast): short description of the research software},
  author = {Mbani, Benson and Buck, Valentin and Greinert, Jens},
  year = {2022},
  howpublished = {GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel}
}

Thesis

Mbani, B. (2024). Characterisation of sediment patterns and benthic megafauna distribution using automated underwater image analysis [PhD thesis]. Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel.

@phdthesis{mbani2024thesis,
  title = {Characterisation of sediment patterns and benthic megafauna distribution using automated underwater image analysis},
  author = {Mbani, Benson},
  school = {Christian-Albrechts-Universit{\"a}t zu Kiel},
  year = {2024}
}