Cross-environmental 3D reconstruction: a novel framework for terrestrial and underwater adaptation

Abstract Computer vision and sensor technology advancements have enabled significant progress in 3D reconstruction. However, critical challenges remain when extending these methods to underwater environments. This paper addresses the disparities between terrestrial and underwater 3D reconstruction by presenting a novel comparative framework that evaluates identical objects in these distinct settings under real-world conditions. To mitigate underwater-specific challenges such as light absorption, scattering, and reduced image clarity, a new enhancement methodology combining RGB stretching and Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) is proposed. Experimental results demonstrate that the enhancement increased processing time by 2.99% compared to the underwater model, while improving reconstructed points by 5.05%, detected features by 3.12%, and reconstructed features by 6.58%. Furthermore, structural metrics such as smoothness, genus connectivity, and average skewness showed significant positive improvements. Furthermore, structural metrics showed significant improvements with genus connectivity increasing by 1.29%, smoothness improving by 0.69%, and average skewness increasing by 0.18%, based on the raw underwater model and underwater enhanced model. By providing a direct cross-environment comparison, this study bridges the gap between terrestrial and underwater 3D reconstruction, offering critical insights into methodological adaptations necessary for robust and reliable modeling in diverse environmental conditions. The proposed framework lays the foundation for advancing underwater 3D reconstruction technology to achieve parity with its terrestrial counterpart, with applications spanning cultural heritage preservation, marine exploration, and environmental monitoring.