"Development and use of a novel diver-operated ski for surveying nearsh" by Carol S. Thornber, Giancarlo Cicchetti et al.
 

Development and use of a novel diver-operated ski for surveying nearshore rocky reef habitats

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Limnology and Oceanography: Methods

Publication Date

7-1-2024

Abstract

The use of camera and video technologies for conducting underwater surveys has rapidly expanded over the past several decades. However, the utility of these systems can be significantly hampered by numerous logistical factors, including limited underwater visibility, rough bottom topography, and ease of use for the operator. Video studies can be difficult to compare when methods and terminologies differ. Here, we describe the development of a cost-effective diver-propelled underwater ski-based video system for rapidly acquiring videos in challenging shallow, high-energy rocky benthic habitats for quantifying fish, macroalgae, and invertebrates in a coastal temperate system. The ski held the camera at a (relatively) fixed distance from the seafloor, we used parallel lasers to quantify our observations, and we used the standardized language of the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard to acquire consistent quantitative data to serve as an ecological baseline, also including archived images. Our results indicate that the ski proved to be an effective tool for capturing insightful data that would otherwise be very difficult and time-consuming to collect. Our baseline and repeatable methods can be used by other investigators at this or other locations for monitoring, re-evaluation, or comparisons to other sites.

Volume

22

Issue

7

First Page

495

Last Page

506

DOI

10.1002/lom3.10617

E-ISSN

15415856

Link to Full Text

Share

 
COinS
 
 
 
BESbswy