Benthic Rover II
The Benthic Rover II is a fully autonomous underwater vehicle capable of back-to-back long-duration deployments to 4,000 m depth. It provides key data about carbon in deep-sea ecosystems.
Pelagic-Benthic Coupling Group
Station M: A long-term observatory on the abyssal seafloor
For 30 years, MBARI Senior Scientist Ken Smith and his colleagues have studied deep-sea communities at a research site called Station M.
Station M long-term time series
The Station M study is one of the most detailed investigations of any abyssal area in the world ocean. Over this 25-year study, we have continuously monitored the amount of sinking particulate matter through the benthic boundary layer.
Monitoring instrumentation suite
We use a suite of instruments, most of which are autonomous, to perform long time-series monitoring of the sea floor at Station M, off shore of the California Coast (34.5°N, 123° W).
Sargasso Sea research
Sargassum macroalgal rafts in the Sargasso Sea are vital feeding and spawning grounds for pelagic fishes, seabirds, sea turtles and whales. How might changes in ocean conditions and Sargassum habitat impact rafting animals?
Antarctic research
Global climate change is causing Antarctic ice shelves to shrink and split apart, yielding thousands of free-drifting icebergs in the nearby Weddell Sea. These floating islands of ice are having a major impact on the ecology and chemistry of the ocean around them, serving as “hotspots” for ocean life.
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About MBARI
Research programs at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) encompass the entire ocean, from the surface waters to the deep seafloor, and from the coastal zone to the open sea. The need to understand the ocean in all its complexity and variability drives MBARI's research and development efforts.