The next expansion of NEMO-SN1, EMSO node, by video imaging equipment for the monitoring of the local deep-sea communities

• Main Authors: Aguzzi, Jacopo, Company, Joan B., Favali, Paolo
• Format: Still Image
• Language: unknown
• Published: European Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observatory 2013
• Subjects: Arctic; Climate change
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/132694

Aguzzi, Jacopo. et. al.-- European Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observatory Conference Ocean Observatories Challenges and Progress (EMSO Conference OOCP), Scientific ideas, early results and infrastructure development, 13-15 November 2013, Rome.-- 1 page NEMO-SN1 is the cabled node in the Western Ionian Sea of EMSO Research Infrastructure (European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water-column Observatory; www.emso-eu.org). EMSO is aimed at establishing, implementing and operating ocean observatories from the Arctic, the Atlantic Ocean and to the Mediterranean, for long-term observations and studies of geo-hazards, climate change and marine ecosystems. In this scenario, we describe the next implementation of the NEMO-SN1 node within the framework of the CREEP-2 project, led by the Rock & Ice Physics Laboratory at University College London) and funded by NERC. A video-camera system will be deployed at 2100 m depth, with the major objective of monitoring the local benthic community and its temporal changes at high frequency over a very large period of time. Briefly, the camera system (Luxus Colour Zoom) will be installed onto the frame of a multi-sample rock deformation apparatus, assembled for geophysical experiments devoted to the monitoring of ultra-long-term brittle creep in crustal rocks (including acoustic emission output as a proxy for crustal seismicity). Here, we will describe the system architecture in terms of hardware equipment and software requirements, considering the needs of time-lapse video image acquisition for the high frequency monitoring of the community. The use of that video-imaging will be discussed in relation to potential ecological research scenarios related to the behaviourally sustained benthopelagic coupling, the study of which is of relevance to understand the dynamism of deep-sea communities Peer Reviewed