Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) habitat mapping at South Scott Reef, Western Australia

Updated: 2017-11-20

The AUV conducted a total of 19 science missions including combinations of straight line transects, open grids, and quadrats with full cover between the lines. The full cover quadrats were located in shallow (~30 m) and deep water (~48 m) to test the potential of the AUV to be used as a long-term monitoring tool in water depths beyond normal SCUBA diving limits. Further, the deep-water, full cover quadrat was re-sampled to demonstrate the repeatability of AUV-based surveys.Towed video and digital stills were collected and aided where the AUV was deployed. Test the potential of the AUV to be used as a long-term monitoring tool in water depths beyond normal SCUBA diving limits.