Case Study: University of Rhode Island Achieves 365 Days of Deep-Sea Habitat Monitoring with Autonomous Imaging
University of Rhode Island Achieves 365 Days of Deep-Sea Habitat Monitoring with Autonomous Imaging
The University of Rhode Island deployed SubC Imaging's Rayfin Autonomous Timelapse System to capture a full year of visual data from deep benthic habitats recovering from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The University of Rhode Island (URI), in partnership with NOAA and the Department of the Interior, is monitoring mesophotic and deep benthic coral and sponge habitats in the Gulf of America through the Habitat Assessment and Evaluation (HAE) Project.
As part of the broader restoration effort following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, URI deployed custom-built landers at depths exceeding 1500 meters, across sites from Henderson Ridge to the West Florida Escarpment. Each lander carries oceanographic sensors, data loggers, and an autonomous imaging system.
Challenge: Capturing reliable, scientifically useful imagery at extreme depth during year-long unattended deployments
Outcome: 365 days of time-lapse video collected at 1500+ meters, creating a long-term visual dataset for ecological analysis
The Mission
Deep-sea habitat recovery unfolds over decades, requiring researchers to understand how biological communities respond to changing environmental conditions over time.
For URI, visual observations provide an important complement to environmental sensor data. Rather than relying solely on periodic surveys or individual dives, the team needed a way to repeatedly document habitat conditions and biological activity throughout extended deployments.
The goal was to build a long-term dataset that could support restoration assessment, ecological research, and future management decisions.
The Challenges
Collecting consistent imagery for an entire year at extreme depth presented three key challenges:
Extreme Operating Conditions
The system needed to withstand depths beyond 1500 meters for extended periods.
Reliable Image Quality
Footage needed to clearly capture biological activity, habitat conditions, and species interactions while complementing environmental sensor data.
Long-term Autonomy
Recording, power, and storage all needed to be managed without physical access to the lander for up to 365 days.
Sample collection of the sea fan Muricea pendula using a remotely operated vehicle in the Gulf of America aboard the vessel R/V Point Sur, October 2022. Credit: NOAA, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, UNCW UVP
The Solution
URI integrated SubC Imaging's Autonomous Timelapse Camera Systeminto its custom landers. The system combined deep-water capability, high-resolution imaging, programmable recording, and low-power operation for extended deployments.
What Was Deployed
Rayfin Benthic Cameras - rated to 6000 meters, with a 12.3 MP sensor for high-resolution stills and HD/4K video.
Aquorea LEDs - underwater illumination with output up to 16,000 lumens in lamp mode or 50,000 lumens in strobe mode.
MantaRay Parallel Lasers - fixed scaling reference.
How it Worked in the Field
The Rayfin cameras were programmed to capture a still image followed by a 10-second video clip at intervals ranging from 1-4 hours.
Between recording events, the camera entered a low-power hibernation state, conserving energy while remaining ready for the next scheduled capture. Recording frequency and clip duration could also be programmed around the requirements of each deployment.
With SubC’s built-in data logging, important information such as date, time, and sensor data were embedded directly into images through EXIF metadata.
There isn’t anything else like SubC’s cameras on the market that could withstand that pressure, capture time-stamped video at set intervals, and last for the full duration. This was the one that fit the bill.
Dr. Jane Carrick
Postdoctoral Scientist, University of Rhode Island
The Results
The Autonomous Timelapse System enabled URI to:
Collect 365 days of time-lapse data
Operate successfully at depths exceeding 1500 meters
Build a structured visual dataset alongside environmental sensor data
Document habitat conditions across multiple sites, from Henderson Ridge to the West Florida Escarpment
The resulting dataset provides researchers with a continuous visual record that can be analyzed alongside environmental measurements to better understand habitat conditions and biological responses over time.
“It's fairly unprecedented to have actual video footage of a habitat over this span of time.”
- Dr. Jane Carrick, Postdoctoral Scientist, University of Rhode Island
Aquarists retrieve coral samples collected from a mesophotic reef by a remotely operated vehicle. This work took place in July 2022 during a cruise to study coral spawning in and around Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Credit: Kelly Martin/NOAA
365 days. 1500+ meters. One autonomous imaging system.
URI demonstrated that long-duration, scientifically useful deep-sea video monitoring is possible without physical access to the system during deployment.
Conclusion
By integrating SubC's Autonomous Timelapse System into its custom lander platforms, the University of Rhode Island was able to extend visual monitoring from individual surveys to a full year of continuous observation.
Researchers can now avoid the cost and logistics of repeated vessel deployments just to check on equipment, freeing up both budget and ship time for the science itself.
The combination of programmable imaging, low-power operation, and environmental sensor data gives scientists a more complete picture of how deep-sea habitats change over time, which supports ongoing restoration research in the Gulf of America.
Our team is also exploring additional deployment flexibility, including the Rayfin's ability to support real-time topside video transfer during lander placement and setup.
Planning a long-duration deep-sea monitoring project?
Talk to our team about building an imaging system around your deployment requirements.
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References
Farlow, J. et al., “Lander Designs for the Study of Mesophotic and Deep Coral Reef Systems in the Gulf of Mexico,” OCEANS 2023 - MTS/IEEE U.S. Gulf Coast, Biloxi, MS, USA, 2023, pp. 1–4. DOI: 10.23919/OCEANS52994.2023.10336962.
