Photographer Builds Underwater Camera Trap to Reveal America’s Disappearing Salt Marshes

A 21-year-old National Geographic photographer has built an innovative amphibious camera system to capture the rapidly disappearing salt marshes in the U.S.

Salt marshes, which can be found along every coast in the U.S., are critically important wetlands that provide natural protection against rising seas. However, these ecosystems are under increasing threat from climate change and sea level rise, causing them to vanish at an alarming rate.

According to a report by Grace Go at PBS, Soren Goldsmith, a National Geographic Young Explorer and photo engineer, has invented an underwater amphibious camera trap to document the activity of the salt marshes in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.

Camera traps, which automatically take photos when motion is detected, have long been a staple of wildlife photography. Yet there are reportedly few options for capturing similar images underwater or in areas that are only periodically submerged.

Goldsmith’s invention, named the Intertidal Motion Picture Activated Camera Trap, or IMPACT, addresses this challenge. Using motion sensors and waterproof engineering, the device can operate in environments that are underwater for part of the day while remaining exposed at other times. Designed for extended use, the IMPACT can continuously capture the salt marshes for up to a week.

“Salt marshes are intertidal environments, which means that half the day they’re dry, but the other half of the day, the water is going to come up and cover this landscape,” Goldsmith tells Go at PBS. “I had this idea of what if I could build an amphibious camera trap.”

To bring this idea to life, Goldsmith collaborated with engineers from multiple disciplines at the University of Wisconsin.

“I ended up heading to the University of Wisconsin for engineering. And suddenly I had all these resources at my disposal,” he says. “I had mechanical engineers, environmental engineers, civil engineers, computer engineers that were able to combine their expertise onto one project, because a camera trap is a complex contraption. We spent many months building this, putting this together, getting everything to fit, getting everything waterproof so it doesn’t flood when it’s underwater.”

Goldsmith’s work comes as U.S. salt marshes are predicted to largely disappear by the end of this century if current trends continue. These wetlands serve as natural defenses, reducing flooding, filtering pollution, and storing carbon. Yet rising seas and human development are accelerating their decline. Goldsmith hopes his photography will inspire conservation efforts.

“Some of the stuff that I have been able to build, 15 years ago, would not have been possible,” the photographer says. “I’m lucky to be young right now, when I have all of these cool technology and opportunities that I can leverage to tell my stories that older people might not have had.”