Archaeological use of Synthetic Aperture Sonar on deepwater wreck sites in Skagerrak

Ødegård, Øyvind; Hansen, Roy Edgar; Singh, Hanumant; Maarleveld, Thijs J.

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2017.10.005

Cited by 32 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Comparing imagery from both sides of the wreck enhanced our ability to interpret both echo intensity and shadows in a complementary manner, making it possible to e.g., discern the shape and extent of an upright standing boiler in the starboard aft area. Multi-view fusion as described in Ødegård et al, 2018 [24] was not possible due to spatial inconsistencies, but the added value of multiple aspects was apparent when considering the details in the starboard forward section that were only visible in one of the images. The image from the port-side pass ( Figure 3b) showed a shadow of the wreck site's vertical profile.…”

Section: Auv and Mini-rov 2015 Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping the Historical Shipwreck Figaro in the High Arctic Using Underwater Sensor-Carrying Robots

et al. 2020

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In 2007, a possible wreck site was discovered in Trygghamna, Isfjorden, Svalbard by the Norwegian Hydrographic Service. Using (1) a REMUS 100 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) equipped with a sidescan sonar (SSS) and (2) a Seabotix LBV 200 mini-remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with a high-definition (HD) camera, the wreck was in 2015 identified as the Figaro: a floating whalery that sank in 1908. The Figaro is to our knowledge currently the northernmost wreck in the world to be investigated by archaeologists. As the wreck is protected by law as an underwater cultural heritage (UCH) site, only non-intrusive methods could be used during surveys. In this study, we demonstrate how using multiple complementary remote sensing techniques can be advantageous with respect to acquiring a holistic overview of a recently discovered wreck site. In January 2016, the wreck was revisited, and a full photogrammetric survey of the site was conducted with a Sperre Subfighter 7500 medium class ROV. In addition to stereo camera images, HD-video and underwater hyperspectral imagery was also obtained from the wreck site. In terms of data analysis and interpretation, the emphasis was in the current study put on the photogrammetric 3D model and the underwater hyperspectral imagery. The former provided an excellent general overview of the Figaro wreck site, whereas the latter supplied detailed information from a 14.65-m2 sub-area situated on the top of the wreck. By analyzing classified underwater hyperspectral imagery in context with supplementary information from the 3D model, the levels of biofouling associated with different marine archaeological substrate types were assessed. Our findings suggest that strongly protruding archaeological objects support significantly higher levels of biofouling than their surroundings, and consequently that high-density biological assemblages could serve as proxies for identifying human-made artifacts on the seafloor.

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Section: Auv and Mini-rov 2015 Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping the Historical Shipwreck Figaro in the High Arctic Using Underwater Sensor-Carrying Robots

et al. 2020

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“…It is suitable to emphasize the review of acoustic seabed classification (ASC) [65], which provided some future directions for the ASC field in that year, such as the "statistical × interpretation" issue, sampling resolution and the use of multiple frequencies to improve ASC. Resolution has been a recurrent theme since 1954 [66]-when accuracy was better than 1 in 3000 fathoms-and today has reached the centimetric resolution of synthetic aperture sonar [67]. Both "resolution" and "accuracy" have appeared in the word cloud since 1990 until now, in a way fully concordant with the technological advances.…”

Section: Importance Applicability and Future Directions Of Seabed Mmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seabed Mapping: A Brief History from Meaningful Words

Menandro

Bastos

2020

Geosciences

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Over the last few centuries, mapping the ocean seabed has been a major challenge for marine geoscientists. Knowledge of seabed bathymetry and morphology has significantly impacted our understanding of our planet dynamics. The history and scientific trends of seabed mapping can be assessed by data mining prior studies. Here, we have mined the scientific literature using the keyword “seabed mapping” to investigate and provide the evolution of mapping methods and emphasize the main trends and challenges over the last 90 years. An increase in related scientific production was observed in the beginning of the 1970s, together with an increased interest in new mapping technologies. The last two decades have revealed major shift in ocean mapping. Besides the range of applications for seabed mapping, terms like habitat mapping and concepts of seabed classification and backscatter began to appear. This follows the trend of investments in research, science, and technology but is mainly related to national and international demands regarding defining that country’s exclusive economic zone, the interest in marine mineral and renewable energy resources, the need for spatial planning, and the scientific challenge of understanding climate variability. The future of seabed mapping brings high expectations, considering that this is one of the main research and development themes for the United Nations Decade of the Oceans. We may expect a new higher resolution ocean seafloor map that might be as influential as The Floor of the Oceans map.

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“…Synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) mounted on an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) deploys advanced long-range sonar signal to achieve high-resolution imagery and 3D-data of large seabed areas. Ødegård highlighted SAS imaging as a technology with huge potential for autonomous mapping of underwater cultural heritage (UCH) [46]. He also called attention to underwater hyperspectral imaging (UHI) as a novel close-range optical technology, which is currently being tested on UCH sites [47].…”

Section: Workhop Presentations and Special Issue Papersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensing Archaeology in the North: The Use of Non-Destructive Geophysical and Remote Sensing Methods in Archaeology in Scandinavian and North Atlantic Territories

et al. 2020

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In August 2018, a group of experts working with terrestrial/marine geophysics and remote sensing methods to explore archaeological sites in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Scotland and Sweden gathered together for the first time at the Workshop ‘Sensing Archaeology in The North’. The goal was to exchange experiences, discuss challenges, and consider future directions for further developing these methods and strategies for their use in archaeology. After the event, this special journal issue was arranged to publish papers that are based on the workshop presentations, but also to incorporate work that is produced by other researchers in the field. This paper closes the special issue and further aims to provide current state-of-the-art for the methods represented by the workshop. Here, we introduce the aspects that inspired the organisation of the meeting, a summary of the 12 presentations and eight paper contributions, as well as a discussion about the main outcomes of the workshop roundtables, including the production of two searchable databases (online resources and equipment). We conclude with the position that the ‘North’, together with its unique cultural heritage and thriving research community, is at the forefront of good practice in the application and development of sensing methods in archaeological research and management. However, further method development is required, so we claim the support of funding bodies to back research efforts based on testing/experimental studies to: explore unknown survey environments and identify optimal survey conditions, as well as to monitor the preservation of archaeological remains, especially those that are at risk. It is demonstrated that remote sensing and geophysics not only have an important role in the safeguarding of archaeological sites from development and within prehistorical-historical research, but the methods can be especially useful in recording and monitoring the increased impact of climate change on sites in the North.

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Archaeological use of Synthetic Aperture Sonar on deepwater wreck sites in Skagerrak

Cited by 32 publications

References 27 publications

Mapping the Historical Shipwreck Figaro in the High Arctic Using Underwater Sensor-Carrying Robots

Mapping the Historical Shipwreck Figaro in the High Arctic Using Underwater Sensor-Carrying Robots

Seabed Mapping: A Brief History from Meaningful Words

Sensing Archaeology in the North: The Use of Non-Destructive Geophysical and Remote Sensing Methods in Archaeology in Scandinavian and North Atlantic Territories

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