Seabed Imagery from the Sabrina Seafloor Survey, East Antarctica

Six camera tow transects were completed during survey IN2017-V01 on the RV Investigator between January and March 2017, targeting the Sabrina Coast seafloor in East Antarctica. Imagery was collected using the Marine National Facilities Deep Tow Camera system, capturing oblique downward-facing still images and high-definition video at depths between 480 and 1680 meters. The dataset includes associated sensor data for CTD measurements, altitude, and pressure.

Use Cases

• Classifying benthic fauna and substrate types based on the high-resolution still images and video footage.
• Analyzing seafloor topography and habitat structure using the altimeter and geolocation data.
• Studying oceanographic conditions (temperature, salinity) in relation to observed biological communities using the CTD sensor data.
• Developing image correction algorithms using the colour-corrected still images with described blue bias removal.

Strengths

• Includes six distinct camera tow transects providing spatial coverage of the Sabrina Coast.
• Contains both high-resolution still images (Canon 1DX) and high-definition video (Canon C300).
• Integrates imagery with multiple sensor streams (CTD, altimeter, pressure, USBL) for environmental context.
• Images were colour corrected to remove blue bias, which may improve visual analysis.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• A known timing error creates an offset between the CTD, altimeter, pressure data and the images.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au, collected by the Marine National Facility on RV Investigator.

Collection Method

Collected via towed camera system (Deep Tow Camera) with attached sensors during a dedicated seafloor survey.

Time Range

January to March 2017

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-16 21:34:17.371684; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Sabrina Coast seafloor, East Antarctica, upper slope and outer continental shelf.