IntroductionDeep sea submersibles such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs, e.g., Jason/Medea) and human-occupied vehicles (HOVs, e.g., DSV Alvin) have revolutionized research by allowing viewing and recording of deep sea environments as well as in situ experimentation and specimen collection. Observations of activities and behavior of benthic fauna for extended periods is not practical, however, given the expense and/or limited bottom time of ROVs and HOVs. The absence of longterm observations may slow discovery of key biological/ecological phenomena, since rare events are not often documented. For example, the first observation of spawning by the giant tubeworm Riftia pachyptila happened by a chance sighting, despite hundreds of dives that have visited this environment (Van Dover 1994). Cabled observatories are planned and will provide a powerful means of allowing a continuous presence for instrumentation and observation in the deep sea (see the Neptune Canada project; Barnes et al. 2007). One disadvantage is the overall cost, and the limitation that deployments are generally fixed at one area for long periods, until the instrumentation can be moved by submersible.The ability to deploy one or several additional observation platforms by submersible can multiply the capability for observation of biota and, for biological studies, greatly increase the amount of observational data with a negligible increase in cost to the operations. Here we describe the standalone instrument SMOKE (Submersible Macrophotography Observation Kamera Equipment). SMOKE is capable of timelapse photography for up to 28 h, with simultaneous recording of temperature (for use in hydrothermal vent environments), and was recently deployed at greater than 2200 m depth at the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the Northeast Pacific. This instrument is less expensive and simpler than other deep-sea imaging and time-lapse devices. Each element is stand-alone and functions independently, thus this approach increases instrument reliability via reduced complexity. In its present configuration, SMOKE is designed as an underwater macro camera capable of acquiring high-resolution pictures of small organisms in an 18-by 14-cm field of view. The camera operates without external connections. Image acquisition rate is set before deployment, and autofocus exposure features are used to control focus and exposure time.
AbstractLong-term observations of faunal communities are essential to identify biological and ecological key phenomena. Observational studies of deep sea habitats such as hydrothermal vents, however, have been restricted by technological limitations. Here we describe our recently developed instrument SMOKE (Submersible Macrophotography Observation Kamera Equipment) that was used for time-lapse macrophotography synchronized with temperature readings for up to 28 h at 2200 m depth. Lighting was provided by a novel low-cost white LED array powered by AA or AAA batteries embedded in epoxy within an aluminum case. SMOKE was successfully deployed at the Juan de ...