June 2004
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HI-TECH VIDEO CAMERA GOES OVERBOARDA state-of-the-art camera system is filming life on the seabed as part of the three-year, $6 million multi-agency Great Barrier Reef Seabed Biodiversity Project.
The camera, designed and built by CSIRO Marine Research, was 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 The camera was 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. The team collected 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 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. For more information see the Seabed
Biodiversity Project webpage or contact Dr Peter Doherty, p.doherty@aims.gov.au,
or Dr Roland Pitcher, roland.pitcher@csiro.au |
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