Benthic imagery acquired during cruises JC241 and JC257 in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (Pacific Ocean, 2023-2024)

Several collections of benthic still images and video transects were obtained using a downward-looking and oblique camera system mounted on the UK ISIS Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), and the UK Autosub5 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). The vehicles were deployed from the RRS James Cook during expeditions JC241 (2023) and JC257 (2024). All surveys were undertaken in the abyssal plain of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), Pacific Ocean (~4100-4700 m depth). The Grasshopper2 GS2-GE-50S5C and the Insite Pacific Super Scorpio camera system were mounted to the ROV and AUV, capturing still images and video at a target altitude of 2.5 - 3 m above the seabed. Surveys were undertaken to assess benthic biological patterns in an area disturbed by a deep-sea mining machine operated by the Ocean Minerals Company (OMCO) in 1979. Surveys were also undertaken in the in the UK-1 exploration area, 30 km south of the northern border of the UK-1 exploration area, and 100 km south of the northern border of the UK-1 exploration area. The surveys aimed to derive ecological understanding on the influence of past seabed mining activities on seabed community composition. The data were collected by scientists from the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK as part of the NERC-funded Seabed Mining And Resilience To EXperimental impact (SMARTEX) project (NE/T003537/1).