Seabed videos were collected using one battery-operated, high-definition (1920 x 1080 pixels) GoPro digital video camera mounted and a Subsea Video Systems digital camera mounted on the USGS SEABed Observation and Sampling System (SEABOSS). See the cross-references for additional descriptions of SEABOSS. The Subsea camera had a live feed to the surface and was used only to observe obstacles, like gill nets and lobster gear, in order to avoid entanglement. In the case of camera failure, the Subsea camera provided backup video.
As the SEABOSS drifted over the seabed, the cameras imaged the seabed at a rate of 60 frames per second from an altitude of ~1 meter. Lighting was provided by one battery-operated Keldan LED video light that provided a light flux of up to 9000 lumens at a correlated color temperature of 5000 kelvins. Two parallel red lasers mounted 15 centimeters apart provided a scale in the video images.
Video imagery includes the launch of the SEABOSS, transit through the water column, and the drift over the seabed. The duration of individual video files ranges from 4 to 16 minutes. Video files are archived in .MP4 format and range in size from 0.9 to 3.6 gigabytes.
These video files are not available as part of this data release. Video files are archived at the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, 384 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA 02543.
The position (latitude and longitude) and time were recorded from the navigation receiver by hand in the log book at the time of the deployment of the SEABOSS, when it reached the seabed, when a grab sample was attempted, and when it left the seabed. Latitude and longitude positions recorded by hand in the log book were later adjusted to match the data recorded in the GPS navigation file. Video was recorded during the descent through the water column (1-2 minutes), during the drift over the seabed and during the ascent to the surface.