“HabCam”: Window of seabed life

Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have developed a device capable of photographing and mapping the entire seabed.

Le “Cam” part of HabCam is a camera system that is towed across the ocean floor along the continental shelf off the east coast of the United States.

The capture system 6 frames per second - that's half a million images a day, then a process corrects the color and an algorithm puts the photos together to create a giant panorama of the seabed. Every day, HabCam can capture 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers) of ocean floor.

The images collected should make it possible to learn more about the evolution of ecosystems at different temporal and spatial scales by accurately documenting biodiversity and habitats.

HabCam: an amazing machine to discover the seabed

HabCam: habitat mapping camera system