VMS: Underwater Still Images from Antarctic Mertz Glacier Region

Underwater still images were collected from 93 sites across the George V shelf in East Antarctica during a 2011 marine science voyage. The images were captured by the Australian Antarctic Division using a camera attached to oceanographic equipment frames and lowered to 4-5 meters from the seafloor. The survey was conducted from January 4 to February 6, 2011, along the CLIVAR SR3 Transect and around the Mertz Glacier region.

Use Cases

• Analyze benthic biodiversity and species distribution based on imagery from 93 sites.
• Study seafloor substrate and habitat types across depths from 170 m to 2300 m.
• Monitor environmental changes in the Mertz Glacier region using time-stamped visual records.
• Validate oceanographic models with in-situ visual data collected alongside CTD and trawl deployments.

Strengths

• Images are precisely geolocated to 93 distinct sites across the George V shelf.
• Each image is stamped with UTC time, providing temporal context.
• Depth range is well-documented, spanning from 170 meters to 2300 meters.
• Operational details are specified, including camera positioning 4-5 m from the seafloor for 2-15 minutes.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the single 2011 survey voyage.

Provenance

Source

Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) marine science support team, via Geoscience Australia Data.

Collection Method

Camera attached to CTD or beam trawl frames and deployed during the VMS voyage on the Aurora Australis.

Time Range

January 4, 2011 to February 6, 2011.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 03:33:28.391011; freshness should be verified.

Geography

George V shelf in East Antarctica, specifically the Mertz Glacier region and along the CLIVAR SR3 Transect.