Instrument Apex Profiling Floats Technology Apex Profiling Floats Profiling floats with ISUS nitrate sensors
Instrument Benthic Event Detectors Technology Benthic Event Detectors A motion-sensing instrument that can be placed within the sediment or on the canyon floor.
Instrument Benthic Respirometer System (BRS) Technology Benthic Respirometer System (BRS) This system measures the oxygen consumption of organisms living in the sediment.
Vehicle, Autonomous Robotic Rover, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Benthic Rover Technology Benthic Rover A mobile lab that methodically charts deep-sea carbon cycles.
Instrument CTD Rosette Technology CTD Rosette The CTD measures conductivity (which helps determine salinity), temperature, and depth.
Instrument Deep Particle Image Velocimetry (DeepPIV) Technology Deep Particle Image Velocimetry (DeepPIV) The DeepPIV consists of a laser and optics that illuminate a quantifiable sheet of fluid.
Instrument Directional Hydrophone Technology Directional Hydrophone The Directional Hydrophone samples sound at a much lower rate than the MARS omnidirectional hydrophone of the Ocean Soundscape Project.
Instrument Echosounder Technology Echosounder An instrument that emits several sound frequencies from transducers, this device serves as both an underwater speaker and a microphone.
Instrument Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) Technology Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) This “lab in a can” provides on-site collection and analysis of water samples from the ocean, identifying the presence of organisms and/or biological toxins.
Instrument EyeRIS Technology EyeRIS An instrument that captures 3D video with a single camera using lightfield imaging.
Instrument Free-OceanCarbon Enrichment (FOCE) system Technology Free-OceanCarbon Enrichment (FOCE) system An experiment designed to study the effects of increased carbon dioxide concentrations in seawater on marine animals.
Vehicle, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Dorado Class Gulper Technology Gulper An upper-water-column autonomous underwater vehicle that rapidly acquires multiple large-volume seawater samples throughout the upper water column.
Vehicle, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Dorado Class i2MAP Technology i2MAP An autonomous underwater vehicle with a high-resolution camera, downward and forward-looking acoustic transducers, and water chemistry sensors.
Instrument In Situ Ultraviolet Spectrophotometer (ISUS) Technology In Situ Ultraviolet Spectrophotometer (ISUS) A sensor that measures concentrations of dissolved chemicals from their ultraviolet absorption spectrum.
Instrument Lagrangian Sediment Traps (LST) Technology Lagrangian Sediment Traps (LST) These sediment traps collect small particles sinking from the surface waters of the ocean to study their chemical and biological properties.
Instrument Laser Measure Technology Laser Measure ROV Video Transects MBARI’s remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) frequently perform benthic video transects, where the ROV flies in a straight line just above the seafloor over kilometer distances. The main video camera records all of the benthic animals seen, providing valuable information to benthic ecologists on what species are present and in what numbers. While …
Instrument Laser Raman Spectroscopy Technology Laser Raman Spectroscopy Laser spectrometers are used for geochemical studies in the deep ocean.
Vehicle, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Tethys Class Long-range AUV (LRAUV) Technology Long-range AUV (LRAUV) The long-range AUV (LRAUV) greatly expands the types of observations and experiments possible with autonomous platforms.
Instrument MARS Echosounder Technology MARS Echosounder DEIMOS data helps researchers understand how animals in the open ocean respond to underwater events and processes.
Software MB-System Technology MB-System Open source software for processing and display of multibeam and sidescan sonar data.
Instrument Midwater Respirometer System (MRS) Technology Midwater Respirometer System (MRS) An instrument that allows MBARI researchers to study the breathing of deep-sea animals without removing the animals from their environment.
Vehicle, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) MiniROV Technology MiniROV The MiniROV is used to conduct shallow water transects and make in situ observations.
Instrument Mobile Flow Cytometer Technology Mobile Flow Cytometer This instrument uses a tuned light source to reveal cell size and the presence of fluorescent pigments that allow cells to be identified.
Vehicle, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) MOLA AUV Technology MOLA AUV The MOLA AUV—multimodality, observing, low-cost, agile autonomous underwater vehicle—has advanced sensors and software to survey and monitor marine ecosystems.
Observatory, Cabled Observatory Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS) Technology Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS) MARS provides electrical power and data connections for new research instruments in the deep-sea.
Observatory, Mooring Moorings Technology Moorings Moorings are used to measure basic oceanographic parameters like wind speed, temperature, and salinity.
Vehicle, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) ROV Doc Ricketts Technology ROV Doc Ricketts An integrated unmanned submersible research platform with features providing efficient, reliable, and precise sampling and data collection.
Vehicle, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) ROV Ventana Technology ROV Ventana A remotely operated vehicle equipped with a Sea-Bird 19plus V2 CTD package including a dissolved oxygen sensor, transmissometer, and spatial lasers mounted on the main camera.
Vehicle, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Dorado Class Seafloor Mapping AUV Technology Seafloor Mapping AUV The Dorado class autonomous underwater vehicles are optimized for meter-scale seafloor mapping.
Instrument Sediment Event Sensor (SES) Technology Sediment Event Sensor (SES) A sediment trap that images the sample rather than collecting it.
Instrument Sediment Traps Technology Sediment Traps Sediment traps collect the samples needed for the lab’s measure of particulate organic carbon.
Instrument SeeStar Imaging System Technology SeeStar Imaging System A modular, light weight, self-contained, low-cost subsea imaging system for short to long-term monitoring of marine ecosystems.
Instrument Smart Underwater Connector Technology Smart Underwater Connector The Smart Underwater Connector allows a host computer to recognize an instrument and begin accepting data from it immediately.
Software Spatial-Temporal Oceanographic Query System (STOQS) Technology Spatial-Temporal Oceanographic Query System (STOQS) This open-source software program provides new capabilities for scientists to gain insight from oceanographic data.
Observatory Station M Technology Station M Instruments at this research site continuously study deep-sea communities 4,000 meters (2.5 miles) below the ocean’s surface and 291 kilometers (181 miles) off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.
Vehicle, Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) Technology Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) The Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is an aerial platform for cameras and other sensors that observe phenomena at or near the sea surface.
Instrument Vibracores Technology Vibracores Vibracoring is a common technique used to obtain samples from water-saturated sediment.
Software Video Annotation and Reference System (VARS) Technology Video Annotation and Reference System (VARS) A software interface and database system that provides tools for describing, cataloging, retrieving, and viewing the data associated with deep-sea video archives.
Vehicle, Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) Wave Glider Technology Wave Glider An autonomous surface vehicle built by Liquid Robotics, purchased and outfitted with sensors and communications gear by MBARI engineering.
Instrument Wave Glider-Based Communications Hotspot Technology Wave Glider-Based Communications Hotspot An integrated system that enables autonomous devices to talk back.
Instrument Wave-Power Buoy Technology Wave-Power Buoy A buoy that generates power from the motion of the ocean’s waves.