Methods for quantitative studies of seafloor hydrothermal systems using 3D visual reconstructions
Abstract 3D visual mapping of the seafloor has found applications ranging from environment monitoring and survey of marine minerals to underwater archaeology and inspection of modern artificial structures. However, the attenuation of light is significantly more pronounced in water than in air or in...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2017-09-01
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| Series: | ROBOMECH Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40648-017-0091-5 |
| _version_ | 1811279428215373824 |
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| author | Adrian Bodenmann Blair Thornton Ryota Nakajima Tamaki Ura |
| author_facet | Adrian Bodenmann Blair Thornton Ryota Nakajima Tamaki Ura |
| author_sort | Adrian Bodenmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract 3D visual mapping of the seafloor has found applications ranging from environment monitoring and survey of marine minerals to underwater archaeology and inspection of modern artificial structures. However, the attenuation of light is significantly more pronounced in water than in air or in space, and so in order to obtain underwater images in colour, it is typically necessary to be within 2–3 m of the seafloor. In addition to the high risk of collision when operating underwater vehicles at such low altitudes, the limited area of the seafloor covered in each image means large area surveys require a significant investment of time. In this research, we aim to increase the efficiency of mapping large areas of the seafloor by developing an underwater imaging system that can take colour images at ranges of more than 10 m, so that each image can cover a larger area, together with the necessary algorithms to automatically process the data it obtains. The system was deployed to map artificial hydrothermal vents in Iheya North field using the ROV Hyper-Dolphin in October 2012. The surveyed area is of particular interest to the research community, as multiple artificial vent holes were drilled during a mission in 2010, which locally impacted the flow of hydrothermal fluids. In this paper, we describe the methods used to process the data that the imaging system obtains and demonstrate how the mapping data can be used in quantitative studies of the seafloor. Habitats of Shinkaia crosnieri squat lobsters, which are abundant in the hydrothermally active areas, are identified in the maps and their population density calculated, and the amount of hydrothermal deposits that have grown on the artificial vent is derived from the mapping data. The work demonstrates how 3D visual mapping can be applied to benthic biology and geological studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T00:55:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8d5cfc03b1144db38dcd842fc5f58132 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2197-4225 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T00:55:31Z |
| publishDate | 2017-09-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | ROBOMECH Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-8d5cfc03b1144db38dcd842fc5f581322022-12-22T03:09:43ZengSpringerOpenROBOMECH Journal2197-42252017-09-01411910.1186/s40648-017-0091-5Methods for quantitative studies of seafloor hydrothermal systems using 3D visual reconstructionsAdrian Bodenmann0Blair Thornton1Ryota Nakajima2Tamaki Ura3Institute of Industrial Science, The University of TokyoInstitute of Industrial Science, The University of TokyoScripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San DiegoCenter for Socio-Robotic Synthesis, Kyushu Institute of TechnologyAbstract 3D visual mapping of the seafloor has found applications ranging from environment monitoring and survey of marine minerals to underwater archaeology and inspection of modern artificial structures. However, the attenuation of light is significantly more pronounced in water than in air or in space, and so in order to obtain underwater images in colour, it is typically necessary to be within 2–3 m of the seafloor. In addition to the high risk of collision when operating underwater vehicles at such low altitudes, the limited area of the seafloor covered in each image means large area surveys require a significant investment of time. In this research, we aim to increase the efficiency of mapping large areas of the seafloor by developing an underwater imaging system that can take colour images at ranges of more than 10 m, so that each image can cover a larger area, together with the necessary algorithms to automatically process the data it obtains. The system was deployed to map artificial hydrothermal vents in Iheya North field using the ROV Hyper-Dolphin in October 2012. The surveyed area is of particular interest to the research community, as multiple artificial vent holes were drilled during a mission in 2010, which locally impacted the flow of hydrothermal fluids. In this paper, we describe the methods used to process the data that the imaging system obtains and demonstrate how the mapping data can be used in quantitative studies of the seafloor. Habitats of Shinkaia crosnieri squat lobsters, which are abundant in the hydrothermally active areas, are identified in the maps and their population density calculated, and the amount of hydrothermal deposits that have grown on the artificial vent is derived from the mapping data. The work demonstrates how 3D visual mapping can be applied to benthic biology and geological studies.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40648-017-0091-5Underwater3D mappingInformation extractionDeep-sea hydrothermal vents |
| spellingShingle | Adrian Bodenmann Blair Thornton Ryota Nakajima Tamaki Ura Methods for quantitative studies of seafloor hydrothermal systems using 3D visual reconstructions ROBOMECH Journal Underwater 3D mapping Information extraction Deep-sea hydrothermal vents |
| title | Methods for quantitative studies of seafloor hydrothermal systems using 3D visual reconstructions |
| title_full | Methods for quantitative studies of seafloor hydrothermal systems using 3D visual reconstructions |
| title_fullStr | Methods for quantitative studies of seafloor hydrothermal systems using 3D visual reconstructions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Methods for quantitative studies of seafloor hydrothermal systems using 3D visual reconstructions |
| title_short | Methods for quantitative studies of seafloor hydrothermal systems using 3D visual reconstructions |
| title_sort | methods for quantitative studies of seafloor hydrothermal systems using 3d visual reconstructions |
| topic | Underwater 3D mapping Information extraction Deep-sea hydrothermal vents |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40648-017-0091-5 |
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