If you were listening to BBC Radio 4 this morning just before 7am, your ears might have pricked up to the mention of the Isle of Wight.
Roger Harrabin, the BBC’s Environment Analyst, presented a segment from Bembridge Pier.
He was joined by Amber Cobley from Southampton University, Tim Ferrero from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Rex, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
“And we lived beneath the waves”
Rex is a tiny yellow submarine with a camera strapped to its back. It’s being used to provide valuable high definition images ahead of the Government decision on the Marine Conservation Zone, or ‘blue belt’ as it’s become known.
As Rex was making its way through the meadow of seagrass under the pier, Roger and the others were able to watch on a monitor from inside the lifeboat station. It instantly made us think of the wonderful images shared with us by Isle of Wight photographer, Scott Hedley (see above and below) taken by Bembridge Pier last month which show how incredibly clear the waters are there.
Eyes in the ocean
Rex is a wonderful advancement, it becomes the eyes in the ocean, providing a much better perspective than before, as it can stay under the water longer than a diver and brings with it beautiful high definition images.
It’s clear that Rex will revolutionise our knowledge of Britain’s seabed and hopefully help policy-makers when considering future plans to protect our waters.
If you missed the segment you can listen again on the BBC Radio 4 Radio iPlayer Jump to 50 minutes into the programme.
Image: © Scott Hedley
