Species Mapping

An OCEANOS intern uses a compact camera to photograph a seven meter by seven meter section of the sea floor off of Punta Soldado, Culebra (Puerto Rico). The camera takes a photo every half second, which will produce about 600 photos per quadrant. Back on land, the students stitch these images into a high-resolution mosaic of the ocean floor. Analyzing these highly-detailed images allows the interns to catalog the types and distribution of various coral species.