A statistical framework for degraded underwater video generation

Abstract

Computer vision in the underwater medium presents unique challenges due to the distinct properties and conditions encountered beneath the water’s surface. Underwater environments are characterized by limited visibility, color distortion, scattering of light, and various water conditions such as turbidity and currents. These factors severely impact the performance of traditional computer vision algorithms designed for terrestrial images, leading to significant difficulties in underwater image and video analysis. One of the primary hardships in underwater computer vision is the degradation of image quality caused by the attenuation of light. As light travels through water, it is absorbed and scattered, resulting in reduced contrast, loss of details, and color distortion. These effects make object detection, recognition, and tracking challenging tasks. Additionally, the scattering of light causes blurring and reduces the sharpness of underwater images, further impeding accurate analysis. Another significant hurdle is the lack of reliable, in-depth information. Estimating depth in underwater scenes is complex due to the varying water conditions and the absence of well-defined visual cues. This limitation poses challenges for tasks such as 3D reconstruction, scene understanding, and object localization.