Guidelines on what constitutes adequate mapping for OBS deployments.

Avoid sites:

1. subject to bottom trawling.
2. that experience down-slope or along-slope sediment transport. (Obviously no turbidite channels, but offshore the west coast of New Zealand where we used multibeam data to ensure that we did not drop OBS in turbidite channels, we believe that some OBS were still partially buried in sediment sometime over the course of the one-year deployment._
3. subject to strong currents. Stay away from contourite deposits or sites that show bottom scour.
4. that have rough topography.

Best to select sites of substantial areal dimension. Remember that the SIO and WHOI OBS will be deployed by free-fall. As they fall through the water, these OBS are sometimes pushed laterally so that their seafloor location is 200 m or more away from the drop location. Some of the OBS will be deployed from the Wecoma which does not have DP so in heavy weather dropping the OBS at a given location may be a challenge.