DIN EN 16260:2013-01

This European Standard describes methods, requirements and equipment for remote visual surveillance of organisms and the seabed using still photography and video recording to ensure precise and reproducible data. The main aims of the methods are to record or monitor seabed conditions and organisms on and just above the seabed in a reproducible way at a resolution that is appropriate to the aims of the survey. In caves and overhangs this standard may not be suitable due to technological limitations related to navigation and movement of the observation platform. Information on the habitats, biotopes, substrates and species diversity on the seabed is an important part of ecosystem-based environmental management. It is necessary in order to evaluate the consequences of various anthropogenic activities. Meeting European Directives and required monitoring of substrates and species diversity will require documentation and monitoring of different types of seabed types using intercomparable and generally non-destructive methods. Many seabed areas are difficult, if not impossible to investigate using traditional sampling such as grabs and dredges or may host fragile communities such as cold-water coral reefs. Visual surveillance using geo-referenced positions is essential to allow revisiting of locations, documentation of environmental conditions and detection of changes in species composition which otherwise would be difficult to achieve. The equipment and methods described here can also be used in combination with acoustic equipment for seabed characterisation. The methods presented in this European Standard are particularly suitable for seabed mapping and monitoring at depths below depths achievable using traditional scuba diving, and in cases where safety or economic issues limit the use of scuba diving. They are also suitable for the description of distribution and occurrence of large and scattered organisms on substrates, where sampling with grabs do not provide representative results. For investigations on soft seabed substrate please refer to EN ISO 16665 and for investigations on shallower hard seabed to EN ISO 19493. This European Standard is also applicable within the operational depth of scuba diving, for example, for large scale surveys and mapping of the seabed composition, characteristic plant and animal species occurrence and depth distribution. Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and passive tethered observation platforms are used for mapping and environmental surveys of the seabed via video and still photographs. However, the methods used and the results obtained can be rather variable without proposed consideration of geographic positioning, taxonomic precision and quantification. It is therefore important that the methods used are standardised in order to compare results. This document has been prepared in WG 2 "Biological methods" of CEN/TC 230 "Water Analysis", the chairmanship of which is held by BSI (secretariat: United Kingdom). The responsible German committee is Working Group NA 119-01-03-05-06 AK "Biologisch-ökologische Gewässeruntersuchung" ("Biological-ecological water examination") of Working Committee NA 119-01-03 AA "Wasseruntersuchung" ("Water Analysis") at the Water Practice Standards Committee (NAW).