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Mr. Stupakoff has been involved in multiple baseline surveys using the sediment profile imaging (SPI) and plan view imaging (SPI/PV) systems since 2015. The SPI/PV projects involved a variety of environments and water depths, from monitoring of dredge material disposal (50 m depth), to several offshore environmental monitoring and baseline study surveys for the oil and gas industry (3,800 m depth). He is also responsible for bi-annual dredged material disposal monitoring at the San Francisco Ocean Disposal Site. Mr. Stupakoff is proficient in the use of SPI hardware, database management, SPI image analysis, data interpretation, and reporting. He has also been employed by both national, and international companies to train their consultants to properly deploy the SPI/PV equipment and analyze the imagery and data it collects.
Sediment profile imaging provides valuable information about the sediment structure, composition, and biological communities associated with different sediment layers. It allows scientists and researchers to identify and classify different types of sediments, such as sand, silt, clay, or organic matter. The images can also reveal features such as layering, stratification, sedimentary structures, bioturbation (biological mixing of sediments), and the presence of macrofauna and benthic organisms.
The images obtained through SPI can be analyzed to estimate sediment grain size distribution, sediment accumulation rates, sediment mixing and reworking processes, and the presence of contaminants or pollutants. By examining changes in sediment characteristics over time, SPI can provide insights into environmental changes, sedimentation patterns, and the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems.
SPI has become a valuable tool in environmental monitoring, ecological research, and sediment management. It is widely used in studies related to coastal and estuarine environments, lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. The collected images can be further processed and analyzed using software tools to extract quantitative data, create sediment profiles, and facilitate comparisons between different sampling locations or time periods.
Overall, sediment profile imaging offers a non-destructive and efficient method for assessing sediment characteristics and understanding the complex processes occurring in aquatic ecosystems. It provides visual documentation and quantitative data that can aid in environmental assessments, habitat mapping, sediment dynamics studies, and informed decision-making for the management and conservation of aquatic environments.