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The nosy neighbors of the deep sea. ⁠ ⁠ These curious deep-water fish are commonly known as rattails or grenadiers. Some rattail species can grow to be two meters (over six feet) in length and live for more than 70 years. They typically prey on small fish, krill, prawns, amphipods, and cephalopods. In addition to their large eyes adapted to detect bioluminescent prey, rattails can also sense a variety of other food sources using sensory structures on their heads. They communicate with a swim bladder, which makes a drumming sound. Although we know little about this deep-water, long-lived species, we do know that they grow very slowly and may not reproduce until they are 30 or 40 years old.⁠

To mark International Women in Engineering Day, we’re celebrating the achievements of MBARI engineer Alana Sherman. #WomenInEngineeringDay⁠ ⁠ With an undergraduate degree in mathematics and a Ph.D. in bioengineering, the Chicago native is always up for a challenge. Interested in developing tools to solve complex challenges, she came to MBARI to tackle the problem of ocean access. Today, she leads MBARI’s electrical engineering group, where she develops innovative technologies and underwater vehicles that are transforming how we access and study the ocean. She manages the team of electrical engineers as they work together with scientists to build and deploy cutting-edge ocean technology. ⁠ ⁠ Alana works with various teams to enable their study of the ocean—from atoms to ecosystems. In addition to designing, building, and testing new instruments for marine science, she goes out to sea to test, deploy, and service MBARI’s research equipment. She was a pivotal member of the team that developed the Benthic Rover. About the size of a small car, this autonomous rover travels across the muddy seafloor taking photos and measuring how much oxygen bottom-dwelling animals and microbes are using over time. Information gathered by this rover has helped scientists understand how carbon cycles from the surface to the seafloor—data fundamental to understanding the impacts of climate change on the ocean. Alana, the mother of two young boys, often jokes that the rover was her first child.⁠ ⁠ According to the 2020 Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum, 49 percent of all professional and technical workers are women, but just 15 percent of the engineering workforce is made up of women. Highlighting women’s achievements in a traditionally male-dominated field reminds us how important it is to include a variety of perspectives and experiences in STEM fields. The more diverse a group of people designing new technology, the more inclusive and innovative those tools will become. (Image: Monterey Bay Aquarium).⁠ #INWED22

The sheer expanse of the deep sea and the technological challenges of working in an extreme environment make deep-water ecosystems difficult to study. By building on 25 years of engineering innovation, MBARI has developed a solution for long-term monitoring of the abyssal seafloor: Benthic Rover II.⁠ ⁠ About the size of a small car, Benthic Rover II travels across the muddy seafloor taking photos and measuring how much oxygen bottom-dwelling animals and microbes are using over time. This autonomous robotic rover has been continuously operational at Station M, an MBARI research site located 225 kilometers (140 miles) off the coast of central California and 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) below the ocean’s surface. The information gathered by Benthic Rover II at Station M has helped scientists understand how carbon cycles from the surface to the seafloor—data fundamental to understanding the impacts of climate change on the ocean.⁠ ⁠ The success of Benthic Rover II and MBARI’s ongoing work at Station M highlight how persistent platforms and long-term observations can further our understanding of the largest living space on Earth. With more companies looking to extract mineral resources from the deep seafloor, these data also give valuable insights into the baseline conditions in areas under consideration for industrial development or deep-sea mining. The ocean is a crucial component in Earth’s carbon cycle and climate. As we face a changing climate, our understanding of how carbon flows between the ocean’s sunlit surface and its dark depths is more important than ever. ⁠

Swimming on a full stomach.⁠ ⁠ This jellyfish, Halitrephes sp., was captured on camera with a full stomach (most likely krill). The video was taken by cameras mounted on MBARI's remotely operated vehicle Ventana at 392 meters (about 1,300 feet deep). Its bell can reach up to 10 centimeters (four inches) wide.

This is not your average anemone!⁠ ⁠ Pom-pom anemones, Liponema brevicorne, are amazing and adaptable invertebrates. This anemone resembles an unusual tentacle-covered dome, unlike the more common stalked column body associated with many other anemones. Even within the unique body shape, there is variability. Sometimes it is observed in a low, deflated position, while other times, it is puffy with tentacles extended. #WeirdAndWonderful

I think we can all agree that Cephalopod Week always goes way too fast. ⁠ ⁠ Galiteuthis phyllura, also known as the cockatoo squid, lives in the North Pacific from 200 to over 1,000 meters (656 to 3,280 feet) deep. It has a transparent body and photophores, or light organs, under it eyes. We often encounter this species hanging horizontally in the water column with its arms above its head, as we did here with ROV Doc Ricketts. ⁠#CephalopodWeek

When you’re just casually rolling through Cephalopod Week, and bump into your favorite flappy ceph!⁠ 🤩⁠ ⁠ MBARI’s robotic submersibles often spot this little octopus resting on the mud, its orange body resembling a flat, fluffy pancake. When startled by a predator, a flapjack octopus perks up and swims to safety by flapping its stubby fins, pulsing its webbed arms, pushing water through its funnel for jet propulsion—or all three at once. When the coast is clear, it stretches its webbed arms and parachutes back to the seafloor.⁠ ⁠ Flapjack octopuses (Opisthoteuthis spp.) can grow up to 20 centimeters (nearly eight inches) across. They're typically found at depths between 130 and 2,350 meters (430 and 7,710 feet) where they feed on small worms, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. #cephalopodweek

The @globalocean_bgc is a five-year project funded by the @nsfgov to build a global network of floats equipped with chemical and biological sensors to monitor ocean health. The project brings together researchers from @mbari_news @whoi.ocean @scripps_ocean @uofwa and @princeton to build and deploy 500 robotic biogeochemical floats around the globe. ⁠ ⁠ A single robotic float costs the same as two days at sea on a research ship. The floats can collect data autonomously for more than five years in remote areas and all seasons, including during winter storms, when shipboard work is limited. This game-changing technology is transforming how oceanographers and climate scientists observe and understand our changing ocean. Data streaming from the float array becomes available in near-real-time and is made freely available to researchers, educators, and policymakers around the world. Sharing these data brings new opportunities to learn, collaborate, and inspire collective action for our changing ocean. ⁠ ⁠ Learn more about the project and follow along @globalocean_bgc.⁠ ⁠

That awkward moment when you go in for the hug, but then remember that your friend is not a hugger. #juststretchingmyarms⁠ ⁠ Graneledone octopuses can be found in both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basins. We often observe individuals of this group walking along or swimming just above the seafloor, where they hunt for snails, crabs, and other small animals.⁠