Currently on MARS

DEIMOS
The DEIMOS system works like the “fish finder” used on many recreational fishing boats, but instead of pointing down from the sea surface, it points up from the seafloor.

Directional Hydrophone
The Directional Hydrophone enables determination of the direction from which sounds come.

Ocean Soundscape
Hydrophone records sounds that originate from living organisms, natural processes and human activities.
Legacy MARS Science Experiments

Benthic Rover
The Benthic Rover autonomously transits the seafloor taking measurements of sediment community oxygen consumption, which the lab uses to calculate organic carbon demand.

CTD Sensors
CTD Sensors - Temperature, conductivity and pressure data from SENSORS CTD deployed on MARS.

Deep-Sea Environmental Sample Processor
Deep-Sea Environmental Sample Processor - MBARI's robotic biology lab already filters microbes from surface water and identifies them on its own. To study deep-sea life, this new ESP must be able to do its careful lab work in 90 times the pressure we feel on land.

Eye in the Sea
Eye in the Sea – This low-light camera sits quietly and looks for shy creatures by the eerie glow of their bioluminescence – a feature shared by 90 percent of deep-sea life. So far, we’ve studied the deep using loud subs with bright lights. Eye in the Sea uses a stealthier approach.

Free Ocean CO2 Enrichment system (FOCE)
The FOCE experiment is designed to study the effects of increased carbon dioxide concentrations in seawater on marine animals. This experiment is of vital importance, since seawater is becoming more acidic as more and more human-generated carbon dioxide dissolves from the atmosphere into the world’s oceans.

Light on MARS Project
Sensors record in situ bioluminescence to study the presence of organisms at night or in the dark ocean without disturbing them.

Monterey Ocean-Bottom Broadband Seismometer
Sensor detects quakes from the far West side of the San Andreas fault on the Pacific plate.

Photographic Benthic Observing System (PhoBOS)
PhoBOS - The Photographic Benthic Observing System (PhoBOS) is an integrated suite of instruments placed near the MARS site to monitor ocean conditions and seafloor life.
At Sea
- Ships
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- Research Vessel Western Flyer
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- Specifications
- R/V Western Flyer cruise planning
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- Checklist of Supplies
- Cruises outside home port
- Data and video: formats and specifics
- Departure/arrival times
- early departure
- Hazardous materials
- Precruises and postcruises
- ROV dive time definitions
- RHIB operations
- ROV users checklist
- Science party guidelines
- Scuba diving
- Ship to shore communications
- Research Vessel Rachel Carson
- Research Vessel Paragon
- Rates
- Marine operations policies
- Cruise planning
- Schedules
- Vehicles
- Expeditions
- Cabled observatory
- Moorings
- Research tools
- Administration & planning