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If there really is a giant lurking in Loch Ness, this group of researchers have a good chance of spotting it.
They have already photographed what look like ‘micro-monsters’ after sending a state-of-the-art holographic camera into the water for the first time.
Technically, the organisms are plankton (tiny marine drifters) and so won’t be pulling anybody down into the depths. But they are still incredibly interesting in telling us about the loch’s ecosystem and biodiversity.
Plus, you never know what else researchers might spot as they go through thousands of underwater photos in great detail…
‘There is life there in Loch Ness, and we want to discover that,’ general manager of the Loch Ness Centre, Nagina Ishaq, said.
The centre joined forces with academics at the School of Engineering at the University of Aberdeen to deploy a tool dubbed the weeHoloCam in freshwater for the first time.
It is the first time such detailed underwater images have been obtained in the famous loch, and will help us get a better idea of what lives there.
Unfortunately, they’re not available just yet as work is still underway to classify all the organisms.
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Dr Andy Starkey, one of the engineers, said: ‘We’re going to enlist the help of some biologists to help us so they can tell us exactly what they are. That’s another reason why it’s special – we have pictures of these animals in situ. We haven’t killed them and taken these images. Those animals still live and exist in the loch. So we’re going to have examples of these animals for the first time in situ from Loch Ness, which is hugely exciting.’
The body of water is one of the most famous in the world, since a report of a monster there appeared in the Inverness Courier in 1933.
While some claim to have snapped pictures, the cryptid – if it exists – has remained elusive, and certainly hasn’t been subject to scientific study.
The search for Nessie remains fruitless, but at least now enthusiasts can console themselves with Planktonnie (though admittedly, the name needs work).
Thangavel Thevar, from the University of Aberdeen, said: ‘This was a unique opportunity for us to deploy the weeHoloCam into fresh water, as it has previously only been used in ocean salt water.
‘We were curious as to what the water quality would be like, especially at lower depths, as we know that too much peat could obstruct the recording path of the instrument.
‘We lowered the camera to around 200 metres and were able to see lots of interesting particles which, by working with biologists, should be able to give us more information about the biodiversity of Loch Ness.’
The camera is capable of producing several thousand digital holographic images of microscopic marine organisms in one dive and uses AI to classify the images.
The new project follows the Loch Ness Centre’s latest giant search of the water as it continues in its pursuit of uncovering the loch’s mysteries.
As part of the recent search, a hydrophone was used to listen for mysterious sounds echoing from the depths of the loch.
Alan McKenna, from Loch Ness Exploration, captured a unique noise using the hydrophone which will be analysed, describing it as ‘a rhythmic pulsing sound that lasted about 10 seconds’.
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