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MBARI's ROV Doc Ricketts recently came across this viperfish 500 meters (1640 feet) deep below the surface of the Monterey Bay showing off its dorsal fin ray. The Pacific viperfish, Chauliodus macouni, has a photophore, or light organ, at the end of the dorsal fin ray (sticking up and to the left in this image) which can dangle in front of its mouth to lure prey. They also have photophores along their belly. This use of bioluminescence is an adaptation known as counter-illumination—a camouflaging technique in which prey items strategically produce light to eliminate their shadows. #bioluminescence #deepseafish #livinglight #viperfish #chauliodus #PacificViperfish #ROVDocRicketts #deepsealife #deepsea #ocean #oceanlife #sealife #midwater #pelagic #plankton #mesopelagic #MBARI #underwaterphotography #marinebiology #MontereyBay

Much like counting rings on a tree, scientist historically have counted rings on some coral species to determine their age. New technology now allows scientist to go beyond age and look at what the ocean conditions were when the coral started to grow using isotopes. In some species this can be hundreds or even thousands of years ago! Here, you can see the skeleton of a bamboo coral (Isidella), which remains after the animal has died. The isotopes locked in the base of its skeleton reflect the ocean conditions at the time the coral started to grow. #coral #deepseacoral #bamboocoral #ageandgrowth #ecology #climate #oceanhealth #seafloor #benthicbiology #ecology #deepseafloor #deepsealife #ocean #oceanlife #MontereyBay #ROV #underwaterphotgraphy

Between the ocean surface and the seafloor lies a vast, fluid universe, Earth’s least-known environment. That habitat, commonly called the midwater, contains much of planet Earth’s biodiversity. Using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to study the animals living there gives us a unique perspective of this ecosystem. This beautiful jelly Colobonema sericeum can drop its tentacles and flee to distract a would-be predator. As a result, in a trawl net, the jelly comes up with no tentacles. The ROV video and images like this let us capture the true magnificence of many delicate deep-sea animals so we can share them with you! #jellyfish #gelata #gelatinous #Colobonema #deepseajellies #delicatebeauty #transparent #deepsealife #deepsea #ocean #oceanlife #sealife #midwater #pelagic #plankton #mesopelagic #MBARI #underwaterphotography #marinebiology

Blue-water diving allows scientists to collect specimens that are fragile and fall apart in nets. MBARI Senior Research Technician Shannon Johnson described blue-water diving off Hawai’i as “...floating in the most beautiful, ethereal, warm blue water...” Last month, an international team of scientists collaborating on the MBARI- and NSF-funded project participated in an expedition off the islands of Hawai’i on the R/V Kilo Moana. The Diversity, Ecology, and Ecophysiology of Ctenophores (DEEPC) project aims to collect, compare, and understand the evolutionary history of these remarkable gelatinous animals, more commonly known as comb jellies. Photo by Steve Haddock. #DEEPCHawaii2018 #expedition #bluewaterdiving #diving #divehawaii #scuba #scubadive #hawaii #underwaterphotography #DEEPC #ctenophore #combjellies #ocean #oceanlife #oceanscience #ecology #biodiversity #marinebiology #RVKiloMoana #scubadiver #underater

Many fish have some on the most stunning adaptions to life in the deep sea. Chiasmodon niger, the black swallower, has a large mouth that can engulf a fish similar to it’s own size. It’s gut can distend to hold in a huge prey item. In the deep sea, where food is scarce, this is a useful strategy to ensure that you won’t go hungry! this fish is about 15 cm in length, but to another fish, that voracious appetite is probably quite intimidating. #deepseafish #blackswalower #chismodon #deepseaadaptation #deepsealife #deepsea #ocean #oceanlife #sealife #midwater #pelagic #plankton #mesopelagic #MBARI #underwaterphotography #marinebiology

Like an albatross bobbing in the harsh antarctic waters, autonomous floats drift in the remote Southern Ocean, sending data back to researchers on land. The @SOCCOMproject Adopt-A-Float program lets students and teachers adopt their own high-tech ocean-monitoring floats and follow them as they drift around the Southern Ocean. The floats, which MBARI researchers helped develop, spend most of their time 1,000 meters below the sea surface. But every 10 days they rise up toward the surface, collecting data as they go. When they reach the surface, they send their data back to researchers (and schools) on shore, then descend back into the depths. The Adopt-A-Float Program was set up to help engage grade-school students, many of whom would not otherwise get to be involved in large-scale scientific research. Learn more in our stories and on our website! Photo: Cara Nissen, SOCCOM/ #SOCCOM #SouthernOcean #SOCCOMfloats #autonomousfloat #Argofloat #climate #Adoptafloat #oceanography #albatross #sealife #seabird #expedition #scied #STEMed #MBARI #engineering #Antarctica #Antarctic #oceandata #oceanmonitoring