A stereo-image analysis JAVA software with links to executable and source code

Scientists planning to use underwater stereoscopic image technologies are often faced with numerous problems during the methodological implementations: commercial equipment is too expensive; the setup or calibration is too complex; or the imaging processing (i.e. measuring objects in the stereo-images) is too complicated to be performed without a time-consuming phase of training and evaluation. The present paper addresses some of these problems and describes a workflow for stereoscopic measurements for marine biologists. It also provides instructions on how to assemble an underwater stereo-photographic system with two digital consumer cameras and gives step-by-step guidelines for setting up the hardware. The second part details a software procedure to correct stereo-image pairs for lens distortions, which is especially important when using cameras with non-calibrated optical units. The final part presents a guide to the process of measuring the lengths (or distances) of objects in stereoscopic image pairs. To reveal the applicability and the restrictions of the described systems and to test the effects of different types of camera (a compact camera and an SLR type), experiments were performed to determine the precision and accuracy of two generic stereo-imaging units: a diver-operated system based on two Olympus Mju 1030SW compact cameras and a cable-connected observatory system based on two Canon 1100D SLR cameras. In the simplest setup without any correction for lens distortion, the low-budget Olympus Mju 1030SW system achieved mean accuracy errors (percentage deviation of a measurement from the object's real size) between 10.2 and -7.6% (overall mean value: -0.6%), depending on the size, orientation and distance of the measured object from the camera. With the single lens reflex (SLR) system, very similar values between 10.1% and -3.4% (overall mean value: -1.2%) were observed. Correction of the lens distortion significantly improved the mean accuracy errors of either system. Even more, system precision (spread of the accuracy) improved significantly in both systems. Neither the use of a wide-angle converter nor multiple reassembly of the system had a significant negative effect on the results. The study shows that underwater stereophotography, independent of the system, has a high potential for robust and non-destructive in situ sampling and can be used without prior specialist training.

Some hydrophysical and hydrochemical parameters of the upper part of the hydrogen sulfide zone in the Black Sea, September 11-22, 1994

Features of spatial variability of hydrogen sulfide in the northeastern part of the Black Sea are estimated. Some technical aspects of H2S concentration determination in the anoxic zone are discussed: in its upper part at H2S concentration <30 µmol/l, the photometric method is recommended, while for deeper layers the iodometric method should be used. With linearity of vertical distribution of hydrogen sulfide and ammonium taken into account their vertical gradients are estimated as 0.49+/-0.04 µmol/m and 0.19+/-0.06 µmol/m respectively. It is shown that the upper boundary of the H2S layer corresponds to the isopycnal surface with Sigma_t = 16.19+/-0.05 arbitrary units. Special attention is paid to relationship of hydrogen sulfide distribution with hydrophysical features in the region under study, in particular in the coastal zone. It is shown that hydrodynamic conditions control spatial distribution of hydrogen sulfide. On the basis of isopycnal treatment of the H2S field existence of a coastal convergence zone is proved, and peculiarities are recognized of vertical circulation in the main Black Sea gyre and coastal anticyclonic eddies; here hydrogen sulfide serves as a tracer of hydrophysical mixing processes.

Concentration of hydrogen sulfide in waters of the Black Sea in the layer of its coexistence with oxygen

About 100 parallel determinations of hydrogen sulfide by the volumetric and photometric methods were made in the layer of coexistence of oxygen with hydrogen sulfide (C layer). Thiosulfates were determined simultaneously. Regardless of locations of the stations, determinations by two methods coincided for the entire range of depths of occurrence of the C layer upper boundary. Within the C layer hydrogen sulfide readings obtained by these two independent methods agreed; thiosulfates were not found by direct measurements. Difference in the readings appears at the lower boundary of the C layer and below it, accompanied by appearance of thiosulfates. It is therefore concluded that it is correct to determine the upper boundary of the C layer by the iodometric method and to use concentration of hydrogen sulfide obtained by this method in the C layer to calculate rate of chemical oxidation of hydrogen sulfide in quasistationary processes.

Physicochemical parameters of water sample the four coastal lagoons at the Peninsula of Yucatan

Study sites. Samples of surface water were taken from 4 coastal lagoons on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico: Celestun (20° 45' N - 90° 22' W), Chelem (21° 15' N - 89° 45' W), Rosada Lagoon (21º 19' N - 89º 19' W), and Sabancuy Estuary (18° 58' N - 91° 12' W). The sampling was performed from august to October of 2011 (Chelem 08/24; Laguna Rosada 09/06; Celestún 09/28; Sabancuy 10/25). The sampling was random without replacement and 10 samples of surface water were collected along a transect parallel to the coastal axis. Samples were deposited in sterile plastic bottles and conserved in refrigeration at 4°C. All samples were processed within 24 hours after sampling. According to the Mexican laws and regulations no permissions are required to obtain water and sediment samples from open public areas. Analysis of environmental and physicochemical parameters. Determinations of the environmental parameters were performed with a Hach 5465000 model 156 multi-parameter measuring instrument. The Lorenzen method was used to determine chlorophyll-a (21) with 90% acetone and the concentration was calculated according to the formula: Chla= 27.63 (OD665o - OD665a)(VA)/VM x L Where, OD665o: absorbance at 665 nm before acidification; OD665a: absorbance at 665 nm after acidification; VA: volume (ml) of acetone for extraction; VM: volume (ml) of filtered water; L: length (cm) of the photometric cell. Determinations of the physicochemical parameters (silicates, phosphates, nitrates, nitrites and ammonia) were performed using the spectrophotometric techniques described and modified by Strickland and Parsons (1972).

Corrected ICESat altimetry data, surface mass balance, and firn elevation change on Antarctic ice shelves

Accurate prediction of global sea-level rise requires that we understand the cause of recent, widespread and intensifying glacier acceleration along Antarctic ice-sheet coastal margins. Floating ice shelves buttress the flow of grounded tributary glaciers and their thickness and extent are particularly susceptible to changes in both climate and ocean forcing. Recent ice-shelf collapse led to retreat and acceleration of several glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula. However, the extent and magnitude of ice-shelf thickness change, its causes and its link to glacier flow rate are so poorly understood that its influence on the future of the ice sheets cannot yet be predicted. Here we use satellite laser altimetry and modelling of the surface firn layer to reveal for the first time the circum-Antarctic pattern of ice-shelf thinning through increased basal melt. We deduce that this increased melt is the primary driver of Antarctic ice-sheet loss, through a reduction in buttressing of the adjacent ice sheet that has led to accelerated glacier flow. The highest thinning rates (~7 m/a) occur where warm water at depth can access thick ice shelves via submarine troughs crossing the continental shelf. Wind forcing could explain the dominant patterns of both basal melting and the surface melting and collapse of Antarctic ice shelves, through ocean upwelling in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas and atmospheric warming on the Antarctic Peninsula. This implies that climate forcing through changing winds influences Antarctic Ice Sheet mass balance, and hence global sea-level, on annual to decadal timescales.

Topographic model of Greenland (elevation lines in PanMap and ASCII format)

In this paper, a new high-resolution elevation model of Greenland, including the ice sheet as well as the ice free regions, is presented. It is the first published full coverage model, computed with an average resolution of 2 km and providing an unprecedented degree of detail. The topography is modeled from a wide selection of data sources, including satellite radar altimetry from Geosat and ERS 1, airborne radar altimetry and airborne laser altimetry over the ice sheet, and photogrammetric and manual map scannings in the ice free region. The ice sheet model accuracy is evaluated by omitting airborne laser data from the analysis and treating them as ground truth observations. The mean accuracy of the ice sheet elevations is estimated to be 12-13 m, and it is found that on surfaces of a slope between 0.2° and 0.8°, corresponding to approximately 50% of the ice sheet, the model presents a 40% improvement over models based on satellite altimetry alone. On coastal bedrock, the model is compared with stereo triangulated reference points, and it is found that the model accuracy is of the order of 25-35 m in areas covered by stereo photogrammetry scannings and between 200 and 250 m elsewhere.