Seabed video and still images from the northern Weddell Sea and the western flanks of the Powell Basin

Abstract

Research vessels equipped with fibre optic and copper-cored coaxial cables support the live onboard inspection of high-bandwidth marine data in real time. This allows for towed still-image and video sleds to be equipped with latest-generation higher-resolution digital camera systems and additional sensors. During RV Polarstern expedition PS118 in February–April 2019, the recently developed Ocean Floor Observation and Bathymetry System (OFOBS) of the Alfred Wegener Institute was used to collect still-image and video data from the seafloor at a total of 11 predominantly ice-covered locations in the northern Weddell Sea and Powell Basin. Still images of 26-megapixel resolution and HD (high-definition) quality video data were recorded throughout each deployment. In addition to downward-facing video and still-image cameras, the OFOBS also mounted side-scanning and forward-facing acoustic systems, which facilitated safe deployment in areas of high topographic complexity, such as above the steep flanks of the Powell Basin and the rapidly shallowing, iceberg-scoured Nachtigaller Shoal. To localise collected data, the OFOBS system was equipped with a Posidonia transponder for ultra-short baseline triangulation of OFOBS positions. All images are available from: https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.911904 (Purser et al., 2020).