A ship deployed remote control underwater camera closed-circuit TV system was developed for observation of sea floor dynamics and processes

microgeomorphology and sediment-water profile of siltclay sediment

water visibility

activities of benthic organisms

etc. It takes photos and video tape recordings while a TV monitor shows a picture of the scene below. The instrument was successfully deployed to take a series of video tape recordings during a field test in Jiaozhou Bay near Qingdao. The instrument consists mainly of a watertight underwater cubicle with a wedge shaped lower case and a transparent plastic window. Plunged into the bottom by its own weight

the remote controlled TV-camera takes photos through the window. The instrument penetrates the sea bed to about 100–150 mm and can take close up photos with a view area of about 1 square meter. The possibility of getting real time pictures of suspended solid matter motion in the very turbid benthic layers usually found in estuaries is discussed.