On this expedition we are using two different remotely operated vehicles (ROV). The main one, ROV Doc Ricketts, is always deployed from R/V Western Flyer, while the smaller one, MiniROV is what we call a “flyaway” vehicle because it can be launched from any research vessel anywhere in the world. We can ship the vehicle …

MBARI Collaborator Katie Thomas How do we catch black fish? Three members of the team (Sonke Johnsen, Katie Thomas, and Karen Osborn) are working on figuring out how deep-sea fish make themselves super black to disappear into their dark surroundings. While many deep-sea animals can be collected in beautifully pristine condition with ROVs, fish are …

MBARI Collaborator Sonke Johnsen Art and science go hand in hand, and the animals of the deep sea are particularly inspiring to both worlds. I still remember the excitement I felt when I saw the paintings from the very first trip humans took into the deep ocean—not only because because they opened so many questions …

My name is Joost, and I am a research engineering technician in MBARI’s Bioinspiration Lab. This is my first cruise on the Western Flyer, and in the coming days I hope to share with you some of my amazement and excitement about this expedition. Having the biggest ship in the harbor can be both a …

What are we going to study in the ocean twilight zone? The Bioinspiration Lab and collaborators will be conducting ROV dives, DeepPIV measurements, trawls, animal collections, laboratory measurements of animal biomechanics, and measurements of optical properties of various tissues and materials to answer one question: What secrets do animals in the ocean twilight zone possess …

A monthlong research cruise revealed that the “White Shark Café” supports much more abundant and diverse marine life than scientists expected.

We had a successful 24 hours yesterday sampling with the R/V Ruben Lasker during the day at the front and then following them at night along the Davenport line while they conducted their traditional trawl sampling. The Wave Glider Tiny that is following the 3G ESP LRAUV Makai has a very bright light and during night sampling …

Bringing to light an urgent message of ocean conservation to the public, leaders of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium wrote a column that was published in the New York Times today.

We’re beginning our joint sampling with the R/V Ruben Lasker today. We want to explore how fronts affect the aggregations of different organisms. Last night and this morning we took a Pairovet sample at our time series station, which is currently located within the frontal region. Some of the organisms we found during last night’s …

In honor of World Oceans Day, MBARI researchers highlight the discovery of over 200 deep-sea animal species over the last 30 years.

Cranes are integral to MBARI’s marine operations, including moving massive pieces of equipment on and off ships.

A machine-learning project by MBARI summer intern Daniel DeLeon inspired Google to produce a beautiful video about DeLeon and his work.

Researchers have named 14 new species and created a new family tree of bone-eating (Osedax) worms.

An interdisciplinary group of researchers are conducting a monthlong research cruise at the “White Shark Café,” in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii.

Starting this week, anyone can eavesdrop on the sounds of the deep sea via a continuous streaming YouTube video that carries live sound from the depths of Monterey Bay.

New format for annual report showcases highlights of 2017 with in-depth articles, brand new videos, and vivid imagery.

How much carbon makes it to the deep sea? The Pelagic-Benthic Coupling Group at MBARI runs a long-term time-series study at a site called Station M, 200 kilometers off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. Our goal is to understand the supply of carbon—in the form of sinking organic matter (e.g., pieces of dead organisms, …

Marine biologist Steven Haddock and his team have embarked on an ambitious project to understand the evolutionary history of ctenophores.

MBARI researcher Steve Litvin is investigating the feeding habits of juvenile market squid in changing ocean conditions. It's a tale of two krill.

When a coral reef was exposed to artificially acidified seawater, the corals and coralline algae retained less calcium carbonate and the reef grew more slowly.