HI-TECH VIDEO CAMERA GOES OVERBOARD TO SPY ON REEF
30 April 2004
A state-of-the-art camera system will touch down in Townsville
today, ready for its mission to film life on the seabed as part
of the three-year, $6m Great Barrier Reef Seabed Biodiversity Project.
The camera, designed and built in Cleveland (Brisbane) and Hobart
by CSIRO Marine Research, will be towed underwater behind the Australian
Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) research vessel RV Lady Basten,
on her third cruise to map life on the seabed of the Great Barrier
Reef Marine Park.
The camera will be used to film the seabed from Townsville to the
southern border of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, visiting
sites as far out as the edge of the continental shelf.
According to CRC Reef program leader Dr Peter Doherty from AIMS,
“Much of the seabed between the reefs has never been studied, and
tools such as the towed video camera enable us to see these environments
for the first time.”
“Mapping the biodiversity of the Marine Park seabed will help managers
to protect important plants and animals, and provide a snapshot
of the current status of the seabed so we can monitor changes in
these populations in the future. The project will also help ensure
sustainable fisheries in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.”
During the cruise from 24 April until 28 May, seven scientists
and seven crew will work day and night to gather information from
the seabed using towed video, Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations
(BRUVS), and a small sled to collect samples of the plants and animals
living on the sea floor. The RV Lady Basten will return to port
to collect the camera.
The team expect to collect around 500 hours of video footage and
15,000 high-resolution photographic images of the seabed during
their 37 days at sea. The camera system generates stereoscopic images
so scientists can see the seabed in 3D, and take accurate measurements
of bottom-dwelling plants and animals. The new system also measures
the water turbidity, salinity, temperature and light level as it
records. Information gathered from surveys across the Marine Park
will be meticulously analysed by scientists over the next two years.
The Great Barrier Reef Seabed Biodiversity Project is funded by
CRC Reef, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, and
the National Oceans Office. It is co-funded by the Australian Institute
of Marine Science, CSIRO, Queensland Department of Primary Industries
and Fisheries, and the Queensland Museum.
Photo opportunity: the camera will be loaded onto RV Lady
Basten on Saturday 1 May at 10am at Riverside Marine, 310 Boundary
St, South Townsville.
For more information contact:
Dr Peter Doherty, CRC Reef and AIMS, or Dr Roland Pitcher,
CSIRO, onboard RV Lady Basten 0429 728 196
Dr Louise Goggin, Media Liaison, CRC Reef, 07 4729 8404 or
0402 243 116, louise.goggin@crcreef.com
Or visit:
http://www.reef.crc.org.au/resprogram/programC/Seabed.htm
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