Using Underwater Imagery as a Supporting Tool for Benthos Sampling in a High-Energy Hydrodynamic Environment

Underwater imaging is becoming more widely utilised to describe communities and ecosystems, as well as to assist in the creation and maintenance of marine protected areas. In the Raz Blanchard (Aldernez Race), a place in the English Channel characterised by high-energy hydrodynamics, we designed an underwater photography system to monitor the seafloor and benthic ecosystems. Despite the arduous conditions of acquisition, the underwater photos revealed the Raz Blanchard's seabed's heterogeneity.