 AT A GLANCE
UTILITIES
|
November 17, 2008  The completed hub of the MARS observatory rests on the seafloor of Monterey Bay. The MARS Observatory will allow scientists to perform a variety of real-time experiments 900 meters below the ocean surface.
Off the coast of Central California, in the inky darkness of the deep sea, a bright orange metal pyramid about the size of two compact cars sits quietly on the seafloor. Nestled within the metal pyramid is the heart of the Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS)—the first deep-sea ocean observatory offshore of the continental United States. Six years and $13.5 million dollars in the making, the MARS Observatory went "live" on Monday, November 10, 2008, returning the first scientific data from 900 meters (3,000 feet) below the ocean surface.  This illustration shows how increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing the acidity of seawater, which in turn allows sounds (such as whale calls) to travel farther underwater.
September 29, 2008
It is common knowledge that the world's oceans and atmosphere are warming as humans release more and more carbon dioxide into the Earth's atmosphere. However, fewer people realize that the chemistry of the oceans is also changing—seawater is becoming more acidic as carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves in the oceans. These changes in ocean temperature and chemistry will have an unexpected side effect—sounds will travel farther underwater. Read more. |
NEWS BRIEFS
ANNOUNCEMENT
2009 Summer Internship
Now recruiting
for announced
2009 Postdoctoral Fellowships
 Skeleton shrimp
This strange-looking animal is a caprellid amphipod (also known as a skeleton shrimp) that lives on the mouthparts of deep-sea crabs. More.
At the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, our staff members are working extended hours Monday through every other Friday, generally between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. To reduce commute trips and conserve energy, we are closed every other Friday.
|
MBARI research featured in the Smithsonian's new 
Application deadline: February 11, 2009. 
Application deadline: December 11, 2008. 