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Bon voyage, ROV Doc Ricketts!⁠ ⁠ In the center of our world-class research vessel, Western Flyer, a moon pool opens to lower ROV Doc Ricketts into the ocean. Thanks to ROV Doc Ricketts we've been able to further study the happenings of the deep sea—and capture many of the images and videos we share here on IG!⁠ ⁠ #techtuesday #techtakeover⁠

We're getting up close and personal with Aulacoctena sp.⁠ 😳👋🏼⠀ ⁠⠀ This brick-red ctenophore in the genus Aulacoctena lives thousands of meters below the sea surface and is slightly larger than a football. Its red pigments hide it in the darkness of the deep sea because red light is one of the first wavelengths of visible light to be absorbed by the ocean (at approximately 100 meters). The red coloration is visible in this image because high-intensity lights shining from the ROV illuminate the scene. We have observed these unique comb jellies at depths of 500 meters to over 3,000 meters!⁠⠀ ⠀ #MBARI #comeonridethetrain #ctenophoretrain #deepsea #ocean #combjellies #ctenophore #underwater #nature #explore #science #exploremore #marinebiology ⁠⁠⠀ ⠀ ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀

While you're scrolling through Instagram our 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) M1 mooring is hanging out in the middle of Monterey Bay collecting data like temperature, pH and salinity, just to name a few. ⁠ ⁠ All that time spent in the ocean calls for some much-needed exfoliation. Here, our team is braving the chilly Monterey waters with thick wet suits and hefty dive gear to do some maintenance on our M1 mooring by scrubbing off any algae or marine life that have found an inconvenient home on our oceanographic sensors. ⁠ ⁠ #techtakeover #forscience #whatajob #montereybay #diving #thatsabout3600feetdeep #or1100metersdeep #oceantechnology #thankyoutech⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠

We're riding the ctenophore train this week with yet another one of these radiant creatures. ⁠ ⁠ Comb jellies (ctenophores) come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The cydippid ctenophores like the one pictured here, are distinguished by two long, retractable tentacles that extend opposite the mouth. This image shows how the tentacles look when they are retracted. ⁠ ⁠ #MBARI #comeonridethetrain #ctenophoretrain #deepsea #ocean #combjellies #ctenophore #underwater #nature #explore #science #exploremore #marinebiology ⁠⁠

How do our long-range autonomous underwater vehicles (LRAUVs) move? 🤷🏽‍♀️⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Think of a fish: fins help the fish stay balanced horizontally while swimming through the water and an internal air bladder allows the fish to control how deep or shallow the fish is in the water column. Now, take these ideas and apply them to our AUVs — which is exactly what our engineers did! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Those fins help provide balance horizontally, along with an internal ballast system keeps the AUV from spiraling through the water. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Inside these machines are cavities filled with oil—⁠which serve a similar purpose to a fish's air bladder. For those divers out there, this oil bladder compresses and expands as the AUV dives and ascends. This oil works to keep the AUV at a specific depth. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Lastly, just as a fish's tail fin provides power to propel the fish forward, the AUV's propeller gives this vehicle the power to zoom through the Monterey Bay for nearly 1,000 kilometers (~620 miles). Think of all the data we can collect! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #thanksfortheinspirationfish #fishpiration #tubesofscience #montereybay #oceantechnology #explore #nature #collectingdataalldayeveryday #montereybayaquariumresearchinstitute #AUV #autonomous

I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my squishy. 🤗⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ This adorable baby ctenophore was collected by the ROV Doc Ricketts on our latest MBARI expedition. Researchers use different technologies to explore and collect the many interesting species we hope to study. Delicate organisms like these comb jellies cannot be collected by traditional trawling methods, so the ROV allows us to retrieve these animals in perfect condition. Researchers can then study them up close in the lab. Swipe to see the actual size of this tiny ctenophore. Photo by Steve Haddock.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #MBARI #squishy #deepsea #ocean #tiny #ctenophore #underwater #nature #explore #science #exploremore #marinebiology ⁠⁠⠀