All Technologies

Oceanographic float on the ocean's surface.

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

Deep-Sea DuraFet

Technology

Deep-Sea DuraFet

A pressure tolerant ISFET pH sensor.

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.

Long-range autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) flies underwater.

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

MATLAB Scripts

Technology

MATLAB Scripts

MATLAB scripts for oceanographic calculations

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.

The Sediment Event Sensor ready for deployment.

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.

Research technician annotated video using MBARI's Video Annotation and Reference System.

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.

You might be interested in:

Technologies

Instruments

Instruments

Observatories

Observatories

Software

Software

Vehicles

Vehicles

All Technologies

Apex Profiling Floats

Benthic Event Detectors

Benthic Respirometer System (BRS)

Benthic Rover

CTD Rosette

Deep Particle Image Velocimetry (DeepPIV)

Deep-Sea DuraFet

Directional Hydrophone

Echosounder

Environmental Sample Processor (ESP)

EyeRIS

Free-OceanCarbon Enrichment (FOCE) system

Gulper

i2MAP

In Situ Ultraviolet Spectrophotometer (ISUS)

Lagrangian Sediment Traps (LST)

Laser Measure

Laser Raman Spectroscopy

Long-range AUV (LRAUV)

MARS Echosounder

MATLAB Scripts

MB-System

Midwater Respirometer System (MRS)

MiniROV

Mobile Flow Cytometer

MOLA AUV

Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS)

Moorings

ROV Doc Ricketts

ROV Ventana

Seafloor Mapping AUV

Sediment Event Sensor (SES)

Sediment Traps

SeeStar Imaging System

Smart Underwater Connector

Spatial-Temporal Oceanographic Query System (STOQS)

Station M

Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS)

Vibracores

Video Annotation and Reference System (VARS)

Wave Glider

Wave Glider-Based Communications Hotspot

Wave-Power Buoy