The remote location, depths and complexities of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine
Sanctuary make it necessary for researchers to use a wide variety of tools and technology
to research, explore, monitor and manage this ocean treasure. In addition to the obvious
need for a large vessel, scientists employ 'tried and true' methods as well as cutting
edge technology. Tools typically used by the sanctuary team include:
Data buoys that record information such as current direction and velocity at specified depths, wind direction and velocity, and wave height.
Instruments installed near the reef to measure water parameters such as temperature,
salinity and light attenuation.
SCUBA diving to make direct observations.
Still and video cameras used alone (called drop cameras) or in combination with divers,
remotely operated vehicles or manned submersible to record changes in the reef over time.
Improvements in underwater videography over the last 10 years have allowed scientists to
make more accurate observations at much greater depths than in the past.
High-Resolution Multibeam Bathymetry technology improvements provide drastically more
refined profiles of the seafloor than earlier technologies.
Remotely operated vehicles and manned submersibles, combined with today's high tech
camera systems, allow longer periods of observation at greater depths because they
eliminate the restrictions associated with human diver limitations.
For more information about how high-resolution bathymetry and remotely operated vehicles are being used at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, visit the 
