Seafloor photos of sediment grab locations, western Long Island Sound (2023)

Sediment samples were obtained with a Ponar grab sampler during R/V Lowell Weicker surveys of western Long Island Sound in June 2023. The sampling was done as part of the Long Island Sound mapping project Phase 3A. Two GoPro video cameras mounted to the frame of the Ponar sediment grab device were used to capture video of the seafloor to help characterise its nature at the location of the grab samples. One video camera looked forward, the second looked straight down. Diving lights were used to illuminate the bottom. At some stations one of the two camera failed to record a suitable video due to battery or other problems. Also, the three stations on the first day were recorded only with the bottom-looking camera. These still images are in JPEG format and were extracted by Chris Conroy as frame grabs from the video when the seafloor was showing the clearest. For geographical location, the images where tagged with the location recorded for the sediment grab station which is based on the ship DGPS system. The bottom images were collected to provide a better overview of the actual seafloor from which the grab samples are taken. They also allow the seafloor character to be classified when a grab sample could not be recovered, e.g. when the bottom was too hard or consisted of exposed rocks. This project was made possible by the Long Island Sound Research and Restoration Fund, established by a Memorandum of Understanding among the members of the Policy Committee of the Long Island Sound Management Conference and administered by Long Island Sound Cable Fund Steering Committee.