Developing New Tools to Unlock Mysteries of the Twilight Zone

Eric Berkenpas
Partner and Co-Founder
Second Star Robotics

Midwater ecosystems are the most substantial on Earth, containing swimming fishes, crustaceans, cephalopods, and gelatinous organisms. These animals live in perpetual twilight and inhabit an important position within oceanic food webs, forming dense vertically migrating groups. These daily migrations are critical to the ocean’s ability to absorb atmospheric carbon.  Techniques for collecting data from these ecosystems are typically manned submersibles, ship-based profiling platforms, and remotely operated vehicles.  The high-cost of these sampling methods often limits how often they can be employed.  Eric Berkenpas is an engineer and the co-founder of Second Star Robotics a company developing technologies to radically reduce the cost of mid-water sensing and exploration.  Learn about the tools being developed to unlock the mysteries of the ocean’s twilight zone and some of the discoveries that have been made along the way.