MBARI
A nonprofit oceanographic research center
Menu
  • Science
      • Upper-ocean systems
        • Acoustical ocean ecology
        • Biological oceanography
        • Chemical sensors
        • Interdisciplinary field experiments
        • Ecogenomic sensing
        • Ocean observing system
      • Midwater research
        • Midwater ecology
        • Zooplankton biodiversity
      • Seafloor processes
        • Biology and ecology
        • Climate change in extreme environments
        • Geological changes
        • Revealing the secrets of Sur Ridge
        • Submarine volcanoes
      • Areas of study
        • Biology
        • Bioluminescence: Living light in the deep sea
        • Chemistry
        • Geology
        • Physical oceanography and climate change
        • Ocean acidification
      • Past research
        • Molecular ecology
        • Ocean chemistry of greenhouse gases
    • Close
  • Technology
        • Solving challenges
          • Taking the laboratory into the ocean
          • Enabling targeted sampling
        • Emerging and current tools
          • Communications
          • Data management
          • Instruments
          • Power
          • Vehicle technology
          • Video
        • Engineering research
          • Bioinspiration
          • Seafloor mapping
        • Technology transfer
    • Close
  • Products
      • Data repository
      • Image gallery
      • Video library
      • Creature feature
      • Deep-sea wallpapers
      • Seminars
      • Research software
      • Educational resources
      • Publications
      • Sample archive
      • SciComm Resources
    • Close
  • News
      • Recent News
      • News archive
      • Social media
      • Press room
      • MBARI in the news
    • Close
  • At Sea
      • Ships
      • Vehicles
      • Expeditions
      • Cabled observatory
      • Research tools
    • Close
  • About
      • Vision
      • MBARI’s JEDI resources
      • Leadership
      • Staff
      • Employment
      • History
      • Public events
      • Annual reports
      • Lectures & mentorships
      • Financial reports
      • Guest information
      • Library
      • Making an impact
      • Land acknowledgement
    • Close
  • Menu Menu

MBARI news—2020

1

Glow your own: Comb jellies make their own glowing compounds instead of getting them from food

10 Dec 2020

December 10, 2020 – At least nine major groups of deep-sea animals, including jellies, corals, brittle stars, squids, and fish, use the same light-emitting chemical, coelenterazine, to power their displays.

2

Researchers discover carnivorous sponges that make their own light

07 Dec 2020

December 7, 2020 – MBARI scientists confirm the first evidence of bioluminescence in a sponge, showing that the sponges contain the chemicals necessary to make light within their bodies.

3

Cameras reveal largest aggregation of fishes in abyssal deep sea

23 Nov 2020

Nov 23, 2020 – Researchers recently discovered the largest aggregation of fishes ever recorded at abyssal depths (below 3,000 meters or 9,800 feet) in the ocean.

4

Monitoring ocean acidification in the coastal ocean

17 Nov 2020

November 17, 2020 – Underwater gliders carrying pH sensors can monitor ocean acidification over large areas and long periods of time.

5

New $53 million grant to create a world-wide fleet of robotic floats to monitor ocean health

29 Oct 2020

Oct 29, 2020 – The National Science Foundation has approved a $53 million grant to build a global network of chemical and biological sensors that will monitor ocean health around the world.

6

MBARI participates in 2020 SACNAS National Diversity in STEM virtual conference

27 Oct 2020

Oct 27, 2020 – Last week, MBARI staff joined students, scientists, and engineers from across the country for the 2020 SACNAS National Diversity in STEM virtual conference.

7

Patterns in blue whale songs show whether the whales are feeding or migrating

01 Oct 2020

Oct 1, 2020 – Recordings from MBARI’s deep-sea hydrophone show that blue whales mostly sing at night when they are feeding, but are more likely to sing during the daytime when they are migrating.

8

Monitoring river health using a robotic water sampler

21 Sep 2020

Sept 21, 2020 – Researchers from MBARI and the USGS recently published a paper showing how MBARI’s environmental sample processors can be used to monitor the health of rivers.

9

Listening to an underwater eruption

08 Sep 2020

Sept 8, 2020 – MBARI scientists use sound to track day-to-day changes in the eruption of an underwater volcano.

10

Canyon up close: New animation drains Monterey Bay to uncover the beauty of its geology

18 Aug 2020

August 18, 2020 – Using mapping AUV data, MBARI researchers worked with Frame 48 to develop the highest resolution animation of Monterey Canyon to date.

11

Marine biologists publish editorial in New York Times about risks of deep-sea mining

14 Aug 2020

August 14, 2020 – Today the New York Times ran an editorial highlighting the potential effects of deep-sea mining on midwater animals.

12

Harbor porpoises and seal bombs

04 Aug 2020

August 4, 2020 – Using recordings from MBARI’s deep-sea hydrophone, researchers concluded that the sounds of seal-bombs could affect the behavior of harbor porpoises in and around Monterey Bay.

13

Ocean research in a time of COVID-19

30 Jul 2020

July 30, 2020 – MBARI’s Summer 2020 CANON experiment shows how robots can collect samples and data at sea even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

14

DNA analysis confirms a zooplankton community border along Baja California

21 Jul 2020

July 21, 2020 – Using a sweeping DNA analysis technique, MBARI researchers explored the boundaries between different communities of tiny drifting animals along the California coast.

15

Glow-in-the-dark corals light up the deep sea

13 Jul 2020

July 13, 2020 – A new research paper shows that some of the most common and iconic deep-sea corals can create their own light.

16

Scientists urge caution, further assessment of ecological impacts above deep-sea mining

09 Jul 2020

July 8, 2020 – A new study argues that deep-sea mining poses significant risks not only to seafloor ecosystems, but also to animals in the vast midwater realm.

17

New papers describe discoveries at MBARI’s long-term deep-sea research site off California

16 Jun 2020

June 16, 2020 – A recent special issue of the journal Deep-Sea Research II features 16 new papers about MBARI’s long-term, deep-sea research site Station M.

18

Statement on systemic racism from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

04 Jun 2020

June 4, 2020 – As an institution committed to better understanding and protecting our ocean and climate, we believe that, unless issues of inequality are addressed, it will be impossible to live sustainably.

19

New laser system provides 3D reconstructions of living deep-sea animals and their mucous filters

03 Jun 2020

June 3, 2020 – A new study published in Nature describes a unique laser-based system for constructing 3D models of diaphanous marine animals and their mucous structures in the deep sea.

20

Hundreds of hydrothermal chimneys discovered on the seafloor off the Pacific Northwest

28 Apr 2020

April 28, 2020 – MBARI’s underwater mapping efforts off the Pacific Northwest have revealed almost 600 hydrothermal chimneys rising from the deep seafloor.

Page 1 of 212

News

Recent News
News archive
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
Social media
Press room
Media FAQs
Requesting video and still images
Location shoots
Media contact information
MBARI in the news

Science

  • Upper-ocean systems
  • Midwater research
  • Seafloor processes
  • Areas of study
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Geology
    • Ocean acidification
    • Physical oceanography and climate change
  • Past research

Technology

  • Solving challenges
    • Taking the laboratory into the ocean
    • Enabling targeted sampling
    • Advancing a persistent presence
  • Emerging and current tools
  • Technology transfer

Products

  • What is happening in Monterey Bay today?
  • Data repository
    • Data policy
  • Image gallery
  • Video library
  • Creature feature
  • Deep-sea wallpapers
  • Seminars
  • Research software
  • Educational resources
  • Publications
  • Sample archive
  • SciComm Resources

News

  • Recent news
  • News archive
  • Social media
  • Press room
  • MBARI in the news

At Sea

  • Ships
  • Vehicles
  • Expeditions
  • Cabled observatory
  • Moorings
  • Research tools
MBARI Facebook MBARI Twitter MBARI Instagram MBARI trumblr
MBARI Youtube MBARI Linkedin MBARI Linkedin
» Subscribe to our newsletter

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.


  • Vision
  • Leadership
  • Staff
  • Employment
  • History
  • Public events
  • Financial reports
  • Guest information
  • Library
  • Making an impact
  • MBARI’s JEDI resources
  • Land acknowledgement
7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, California, 95039 U.S.A. | Phone: 831-775-1700 | Staff login
  • © MBARI 2017
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Scroll to top