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Website makes it possible to see underwater

April 20, 2010

Through a partnership between CSUMB and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, it's now possible to see what's going on beneath the cold waters of the bay via the web.

The Sanctuary Characterization & Image Display or SCID allows students, scientists and members of the public to study the sanctuary seafloor without leaving their dorm room, office or home.

"The idea is to see what's there and what's going on," said Dr. James Lindholm, director of CSUMB's Institute for Applied Marine Ecology (IfAME).

An underwater camera captures photo and video of the fish and other creatures that live within the sanctuary's boundaries. Those images are uploaded to a database accessible at the SCID website.

Visitors to the site can choose from more than 1,000 Google markers on the sanctuary map; they can then choose to view photos or video. Should they choose video, a short YouTube video pops up when a marker is clicked, revealing what's underneath. According to Dr. Lindholm, the deepest area captured on video was nearly a quarter mile down.

"Our goal is to make it easier for people to get a sense of what the bottom looks like," Dr. Lindholm said.

One graduate student is using the site to look at a link between types of fish and seafloor features inside a marine protected area in the southern part of the sanctuary.

The map's images include the times and dates they were taken and the depths where they were shot. Those images were taken in three ways: using a camera sled, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and a submersible occupied by a person.

A team of staff members and students from IfAME go out throughout the year to collect the images and videos.

The website started four years ago; the new version is the third incarnation. The site will be updated as new data becomes available.

Version 3.5 is set to launch before the end of 2010.

Photo caption: This camera sled is towed behind the RV Fulmar, collecting video imagery of the seafloor. Photo by Ashley Knight