As a collaborative researcher for the University of Tokyo, four underwater surveys were conducted since 2014 at Mindanao, Philippines as part of an investigative project titled ‘Clarifying the Ecosystem Functions of Seagrass Beds as Bio-Shields Against Environmental Disturbances’.
By using acoustic survey systems, an underwater topographic survey map of the seabed was created by capturing the seagrass beds on the seafloor.
Beginning the Survey at Mindanao Island
A survey ship was chartered on the location and survey equipment was installed.
When beginning the survey on 2014, a video footage of local dugongs were successfully captured. As dugong populations in the Philippine Sea are highly cautious and never return to areas with close human contact, this rare instance of video capture was the first in Mindanao.
Scenes from the 2017 Survey
A video that includes the survey scenery, drone and ROV (underwater drone) from the 2017 survey has been released.
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