Developing the next generation of sediment profile imaging camera/ planar optode system for use on autonomous platforms

海洋中的人为影响可导致海底环境健康状况不佳。例如，为了养活不断增长的人口而设计的大型养鱼场，产生了大量沉入深海的粪便。这些对海床和生活在其中的生物的健康造成压力。沉积物剖面成像（SPI）相机被广泛用于评估人为影响和海底健康。SPI相机拍摄沉积物-水界面的照片。这些图像用于确定动物与沉积物的关系，氧气渗透深度，生物扰动（动物引起的颗粒和水位移）和底栖动物栖息地质量。然而，这种技术的主要缺点是，只观察沉积物的两个维度，而忽略了第三个维度，信息会丢失。结论是基于错误的假设得出的。这个NEXUSS项目涉及到SPI相机的改进，以考虑沉积物的三维。评估沉积物的第三维度需要开发新的创新技术。这将从自主着陆器平台上部署，以实现对海底健康状况的快速和更准确的调查。

Anthropogenic influence in the ocean can lead to poor environmental health of the seabed. For example, huge fish farms, designed to feed our exploding population, produce massive faecal pallets that sink to the deep. These causes stress to the health of the seabed and the organisms living in it. Sediment-profile imaging (SPI) cameras are widley used to assess anthropogenic influence and the health of the seabed. SPI cameras take pictures of the sediment-water interface. These pictures are used to determine the animal-sediment relationship, the oxygen penetration depth, bioturbation (particle and water displacement caused by animals) and the Benthic Habitat Quality. However, the major disadvantage of this technique is that by only looking at two dimensions of the sediment and ignoring the third one information get lost. Conclusions are reached based on incorrect assumptions. This NEXUSS project involves the improvement of the SPI camera to consider the third dimension of the sediment. Assessing the third dimension of the sediment requires to develop new and innovative techniques. This will be deployed from autonomous lander platforms to achieve a rapid and more accurate investigation of the seafloors' health condition.