A sample of multi-colored seafloor bathymetry shows circular depressions called pockmarks on the seafloor. The image color represents a depth gradient with shallower depths in orange on the right transitioning to yellow, green, and blue on the left to represent deeper depths. The pockmark formations are circular in shape and spaced evenly apart. There are 18 large pockmark formations in the frame, as well as four smaller pockmark formations and a handful of other small, dark pits on the seafloor.

Press Release

New research reveals that prehistoric seafloor pockmarks off the California coast are maintained by powerful sediment flows

Data from MBARI’s advanced underwater robots point to erosion during intermittent sediment flows as the mechanism maintaining these circular depressions for hundreds of thousands of years.

Press Release

05.01.24

FathomVerse mobile game inspires a new wave of ocean exploration

FathomVerse combines immersive imagery, engaging gameplay, and cutting-edge science to help improve the artificial intelligence tools needed to study marine life and assess ocean health.

News

04.16.24

MBARI welcomes new director of marine operations

Kaya Johnson will oversee the team that operates MBARI’s research vessels and deploys our advanced underwater robots.

News

02.27.24

Annual report showcases MBARI’s scientific discoveries and tech developments in 2023

MBARI’s 2023 Annual Report reviews highlights from our work in science, engineering, and outreach over the past year.

A large black bus with a black accordion center parked along the Santa Cruz coastline. The bus features large images of animals, including a transparent squid, a red jelly, a white rope-like siphonophore, a brown fish, a transparent jelly, an orange flapjack octopus, a red vampire squid, and a red comb jelly. The bus also has large white text reading “Protecting Our Deep Sea One Ride At A Time.” This photo from a drone shows the bus parked on wet black asphalt with green plants, brown cliffs, blue ocean, white waves, blue sky, and gray clouds in the background.

News

02.21.24

MBARI and Santa Cruz METRO team up to raise awareness about the amazing animals of the deep

New bus featuring MBARI’s deep-sea images joins Santa Cruz METRO fleet as part of the “One Ride at a Time” campaign.

A torpedo-shaped, orange-and-yellow underwater robot glides at the ocean’s surface. The robot’s tail “fin” extends above the water’s surface. This robot was photographed during a deployment on a cloudy day, with dark blue, rippled ocean in the foreground, billowy gray clouds on the horizon, and blue sky with hazy gray clouds above.

News

02.13.24

Innovative camera system provides a closer look at elusive ocean predators

MBARI's Piscivore system combines advanced underwater robots and camera technology to study tunas, sharks, and other marine life.

A deep-sea robot with a yellow float at top, black metal frame in the middle, and silver metal frame at the base sits on the gray deck of a research vessel. Two bright white headlights are shining at the top of the robot. On the left is an unfolded origami-like sampling device and on the right is a camera system shining five bright red lights. This robot was photographed outdoors, head on, at night with bright yellow floats, various maritime equipment, and black sky visible in the background.

News

01.17.24

Advanced MBARI technology aids efforts to research fragile deep-sea animals

New study from MBARI engineers and collaborators outlines how new sampling and imaging technologies can transform our understanding of marine life.

A pale purple octopus with a round body, black eyes, and eight thin arms sitting on the deep seafloor. This screen capture from underwater video shows an animal perched on a rock covered in fine brown sediment. Its body is pointed to the back and its arms are curled around the front. At the top right, a black canister holding a light is illuminating the octopus, casting shadows behind the octopus and creating a vignette effect with the edges of the frame left in dark shadows.

Behind the Scenes

11.16.23

MBARI technology featured in an episode of BBC Studios Natural History Unit’s landmark series

MBARI robots and cameras allowed filmmakers to capture an intimate look at nesting deep-sea octopus for the new global series, Planet Earth III.

A dreamer anglerfish with a bulbous black body. The fish is swimming downwards, facing the bottom left, with its round transparent tail fin at the top of the photo. This screen capture from underwater video shows a fish observed in open water with blue water and tiny specks of organic particles drifting in the background.

Behind the Scenes

11.07.23

Fresh from the Deep:
MBARI scientists film elusive dreamer anglerfish in 4K

Recent observation marks MBARI’s ninth encounter with this ultra-black deep-sea fish.

News

10.25.23

MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle Ventana completes 4,500 deep-sea dives

Robotic submersible marks a major milestone in ocean science, exploration, and conservation.

An MBARI engineer in an orange life vest, dark navy shirt, and brown pants wearing glasses and a white hard hat inspects an orange-and-yellow-colored, torpedo-shaped, autonomous robot. The engineer is holding a yellow control switch for an overhead crane. The robot is suspended from two yellow nylon straps. A large test tank is visible in the background.

News

09.26.23

Commercial licensing expands access to innovative MBARI technology

New partnership with Saab, Inc. will make the MBARI long-range autonomous underwater vehicle commercially available for the first time.

A research technician in a yellow jacket and brown pants sits on a white ship and examines a plane-shaped robot after deployment in the ocean. The robot is a glider with short orange “wings,” a torpedo-shaped orange body, and a white tail section. The technician was photographed outdoors on an overcast day with clouds and dark blue ocean in the background.

News

09.07.23

New MBARI partnership will develop tools to monitor the effectiveness of ocean-based climate interventions

MBARI, WHOI, and MRV Systems launch new collaboration to leverage autonomous technology to measure and monitor effectiveness of ocean-based carbon dioxide removal.

Several pale purple octopus nesting in between greenish brown boulders. This screen capture from underwater video shows octopus oriented upside down with their arms and suckers exposed. Several pale orange sea anemones are interspersed among the nesting octopus.

Press Release

08.23.23

Scientists solve mystery of why thousands of octopus migrate to deep-sea thermal springs

MBARI’s advanced technology offers new insight into the “Octopus Garden” off Central California, the largest aggregation of octopus on Earth.

An MBARI staff member (right) wearing a navy blue polo shirt, jeans, and glasses is pointing to photos on a poster board while talking with two young visitors. One visitor is wearing a yellow shirt (center) and the second is wearing a gray shirt (left) and touching a rock sample on a table with a white tablecloth. In the background are other black poster boards with white posters and two Open House volunteers wearing blue t-shirts.

News

07.18.23

Join us for the MBARI Open House on Saturday, July 29

Meet the MBARI team and learn more about our latest discoveries and technology innovations at this free, family-friendly community event.

News

07.12.23

Innovative MBARI technology reveals processes that sculpt submarine canyons

An advanced sensor suite designed by MBARI engineers gives scientists an incredibly detailed look at Monterey Canyon.

The seafloor mapping toolsled with a weathered metal frame, silver and black metal canisters, and a tangle of green, blue, and yellow cables. The toolsled was photographed while submerged in MBARI’s test tank and suspended by a yellow crane hook and red ropes as the lidar canister projects three green lasers toward the bottom of the tank. Three gray, concrete walls are visible in the background.

Behind the Scenes

06.20.23

Next-generation underwater lidar technology aims to map the ocean floor in remarkable detail

MBARI and 3D at Depth will build and test a new laser system for improved mapping of the deep seafloor.

An aggregation of four bright orange sea stars. Each sea star has eight arms, each lined with thin spines on either side and held up above the seafloor. These sea stars were photographed on the deep seafloor, attached to a dark brown rock.

News

06.06.23

Researchers outline best practices for understanding life on the ocean’s vast seafloor

Following a few key practices will standardize data about seafloor invertebrates and guide resource management

An oval-shaped, transparent sea gooseberry with eight rows of iridescent comb plates and two long tentacles trailing to the left. This individual was photographed in a tank of water against a black background.

Press Release

05.17.23

Genetic research offers new perspective on the early evolution of animals

Mapping gene linkages provides clear-cut evidence for comb jellies as sibling group to all other animals

Four members of MBARI’s inaugural leadership team sitting around a brown table reviewing documents. In the background are bookcases full of binders and paper files.

News

04.25.23

MBARI mourns the passing of inaugural Executive Director Richard Barber

Barber’s early leadership laid the foundation of a new type of ocean research institute focused on teamwork and technology.

Sound bath participants lying on yoga mats and sitting in wooden pews of Grace Cathedral. The cathedral’s stone pillars are illuminated in purple light and the cathedral’s altar is illuminated in yellow and red lights.

Behind the Scenes

04.20.23

MBARI and Grace Cathedral partner on sound bath showcasing the ocean soundscape

MBARI is collaborating with Bay Area music collective Fractals of Sound to bring the sounds of the ocean to San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral on April 24.

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