Video transects and their use in the environmental assessment of deep water marine disposal sites

Environmental studies of proposed or designated disposal sites are directed by regulations that presently require extensive sampling of all possible components of biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of the sites with little regard for the application of this data to predicting real, as contrasted to perceived, impacts to the environment. These broad-brush studies are poorly focused, may provide little guidance for measuring actual impacts, and are extremely costly. To address these problems, a new method of carrying out environmental assessments of deep water dredged material disposal sites has been developed that incorporates the latest developments in both video imaging and computer analysis as well as selective, habitat based, sampling