Exploring Offshore Hydrothermal Venting Using Low-Cost ROV and Photogrammetric Techniques: A Case Study from Milos Island, Greece

The use of low-cost, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and underwater photogrammetry techniques for 3D reconstruction of shallow hydrothermal vent sites around Paleochori Bay, Milos Island, Greece. Characterising venting fields through interactive bathymetry models produced from still images taken from camera onboard ROV flown over areas of interest in double raster pattern. First time the shallow venting fields on Milos have been actively surveyed using ROV. Areas were successfully surveyed and the bathymetry was reconstructed using SfM photogrammetry with a ~10 cm scale resolution. A diverse range of benthic habitats were surveyed and the resulting topographic models will act as a baseline, providing further characterisation of the vent systems and any evolving seafloor morphology associated with mineral deposition.