Oceangoing robots are taking on ever-more complicated tasks and ushering in a technology revolution in oceanography, transforming the everyday work of ocean researchers.

dun dun…. dun dun…… DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN! We had a white tip shark visit the @MBARI_News mini ROV during tonight’s #DEEPCHawaii2018 dive to 300 meters to look for ctenophores. @NSF_bio pic.twitter.com/2PeDy0Z4fI — Darrin Schultz (@conchoecia) November 11, 2018 Our new favorite instrument is the MiniROV. The Mini has significantly increased our view …

Learning about the respiration and metabolism of deep midwater animals is a priority of the Midwater Ecology Group. Studying an animal’s respiration (how much oxygen it consumes), helps us better understand how much energy (food) it needs to live. Understanding this relationship between oxygen consumption and energy requirements for different organisms gives scientists a better …

As mentioned in the first log entry of the expedition, the midwater contains much of the ocean’s biodiversity and MBARI’s use of ROVs to study this huge and unknown habitat has led to many discoveries. Some of the most surprising discoveries made by MBARI’s midwater biologists involve giant larvaceans (Bathochordaeus). These pelagic tunicates thrive in …

We got these stunning close-up shots of this viperfish, Chauliodus macouni, this week with ROV Doc Ricketts. This fish is over 500 meters (1,640 feet) below the surface and no longer than your forearm. The fact that we can fly a large underwater robot in the deep midwater, spot and zoom in on an amazing deep-sea fish, watch …

Exploring the midwater with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) gives us a unique perspective of the communities living there. Traditional methods for studying the midwater involved trawling—dragging a net behind the boat and then sorting through the haul. That haul can be filled with fish, squid, crustaceans, and LOTS of jelly parts. Due to their …

Between the ocean surface and the seafloor lies a vast, fluid universe, Earth’s least-known environment. That habitat, commonly called the midwater, contains much of planet Earth’s biodiversity. Using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to study the animals living there gives us a unique perspective of this ecosystem. Regular investigations of midwater ecology with ROVs has led …

Senior Research Technician Shannon Johnson, Postdoctoral Fellow Manabu Bessho, and Graduate Research Assistant Jacob Winnikoff This year we are lucky to be able to participate in the blue-water scuba diving operations. It’s hard to describe the experience, but it’s kind of like floating in the most beautiful, ethereal, warm blue water. We use lines and clips …

If you are a fan of nature documentaries, you may have come across a strange, gelatinous creature floating through the water with its many-colored glimmering comb rows. These luminescent animals are not, in fact, aliens or robots, but ctenophores (the “c” is silent, so it is pronounce “tee-no-fors”), commonly called comb jellies. Ctenophores are gelatinous …

Building on their 2015 expedition, MBARI researchers will be mapping the Pescadero Basin and searching for hydrothermal vents.

The cruise activities don’t end when we get back to shore. Next, comes the data analyses, interpretation, and communication through peer-reviewed research papers, social media, and press releases. The sediment traps and Sedimentation Event Sensor recorded another period during which large amounts of marine snow reached the seafloor. Interestingly, data from the Benthic Rover, time-lapse …

Contributor: University of Aveiro (Portugal) Postdoctoral Researcher Luciana Genio Knowing where and for how long the pelagic larvae of deep-sea benthic animals live in the water column is extremely important to understand how populations respond to natural (e.g., climate and food supply) and human (e.g., pollution, overfishing, mining) disturbances. On this cruise, we deployed a …

Over the 30-year (and counting) time-series study at Station M, we have seen changes in the biological carbon pump with changing sea surface conditions along the California coast. The abyss is not the invariable environment most people once envisioned. Short-term processes and events can have major impacts on long-term patterns. Every two hours, the Sedimentation …

MBARI engineers recently tested a new long-range autonomous underwater vehicle that is designed to detect and track oil spills.

The Benthic Rover is a fully autonomous underwater vehicle that collects data for the Pelagic-Benthic Coupling Lab’s studies of seafloor carbon consumption. Capable of yearlong deployments, it is the only untethered underwater rover in the world operating at abyssal depths. The Rover has transited over 11 kilometers of abyssal seafloor at 4,000 meters depth since …

MBARI engineers recently tested a new version of a camera system to study groundfish on deep, rocky reefs.

A new paper shows that currents in submarine canyons often involve large-scale movement of the seafloor. This discovery could help ocean engineers avoid damage to pipelines, communications cables, and other seafloor structures.

A new paper shows that currents in submarine canyons often involve large-scale movement of the seafloor. This discovery could help ocean engineers avoid damage to pipelines, communications cables, and other seafloor structures.

We’re heading home! During this cruise, we completed 25 ROV dives, collected 130 vibracores, and 348 push cores. This totals over 20,000 centimeters of sediment cores collected during this expedition. Of those samples, we sliced, bagged, and labeled over 2,000 one-centimeter slices of mud and sand. Now the next phase begins: we analyze all these samples to understand …

In the last two weeks aboard the R/V Western Flyer, we’ve spent 24 ROV dives cruising across the seafloor offshore Southern California, collecting sediment cores. Much of the seafloor we have surveyed is flat, muddy, and brown. So, one can imagine the eruption of excitement when we see a cool deep-sea animal. More notable organisms …