Follow MBARI on social media

Studying delicate gelatinous animals can be more challenging than you might think! They often fall apart when sampled by traditional methods like trawl nets. 💔 . This is where our remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) come in handy. MBARI scientists collect organisms using ROVs and transport them into the laboratory to further investigate features that cannot be successfully observed at sea. Detritus samplers are clear plastic cylinders often used to collect fragile organisms like jellies. The cylinders are attached to a mechanical arm that swings out from the body of the ROV. To capture these specimens, the ROV pilot must maneuver the entire ROV (which weighs about 3,000 kilograms or three tons in the air) until the animal is inside the cylinder. Then the co-pilot quickly closes the mechanical lids to seal off the top and bottom of the cylinder, trapping the specimen inside. Watch as our ROV pilots expertly grab this jelly in a detritus sampler. . This jelly, Stellamedusa ventana, was discovered by MBARI biologists and named after our ROV Ventana! ⠀ . #ROV #ROVsampling #detritussampler #ROVtech #marinetech #ROVVentana#marineoperations #underwatertech #underwaterrobot #jellyfish #gelata #gelatinouszooplankton #deepsealife #deepsea #ocean #oceanlife #sealife #midwater #pelagic #plankton #mesopelagic #MBARI #underwaterphotography #marinebiology

Meet Tethys, one of MBARI’s long range autonomous underwater vehicles (LRAUV). In contrast to other AUVs or gliders, Tethys has an ultimate range and battery life of up to 2,000 kilometers, significantly extending the reach of MBARI’s shore-launched AUVs. The range and endurance of these LRAUVs greatly expands the types of observations and experiments possible with autonomous platforms. The key to Tethys’ longevity is power management and the ability to operate sensors only when necessary, or not at all. The vehicle’s microprocessor can also be “throttled down” to low clock speeds which reduces power consumption while drifting or moving at slower speeds. The design of the Tethys ingeniously utilizes different strategies to maximize battery life. Engineers used a low-drag body shape, with minimal appendages, to reduce the amount of effort needed to propel the vehicle through water. They also incorporated a custom propeller design and gearless propulsion motor to optimize efficiency during low-speed operations. All of these elements combined make the Tethys a champion of long distance oceanic missions. #AUV #TethysAUV #autonomousunderwatervehicle #autonomousvehicle #autonomousrobot #oceanrobot #MarineOperations #MBARI #ResearchVessel #Marinetechnology #ocean #oceantech #oceanography #oceanscience #oceandata #MossLanding #MontereyBay

Swimming sea cucumbers?!? 🏊🏽‍♂️🌊🥒 . . This sea cucumber, Peniagone sp., normally can be found on the seafloor 3000 meters below the sea surface. But this one was encountered swimming about 300 meters above the floor of Monterey Canyon! They undulate their bodies and tentacles to slowly move through the water, sometimes many hundreds of meters from the seafloor where they feed on organisms in the sediment. The transparent body allows you to see sediment in this one's digestive system.⠀ ⠀ #underwaterphotograpy #swimmingcucumber #seacucumber #deepseacucumber #deepsealife #sealife #ocean #oceanlife #wildnature #underwaterphotography #ROV #ROVDocRicketts #mbari #benthopelagic #marinebiology

Gas and mud and volcanoes, oh my! In the fall of 2017 while surveying geologic features in the deep sea off Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, researchers observed bursts of gas emanating from the seafloor near the top of a large mud volcano around 425 meters (1394 feet) deep. Mud volcanoes form when methane gas and highly fluidized mud bubbles make their way up from more than one kilometer (3280 feet) beneath the seafloor. MBARI’s MiniROV captured video footage of large methane gas bubbles bursting out of the muddy seafloor. These gas bubbles disturb and propel clumps of mud approximately one meter (3 feet) into the water column. The mud then settles on the seafloor and accumulates over time creating large mounds. Many mud volcanoes have been identified all over the world including offshore the United States. Some scientist even think there may be a few on Mars. #seafloor #mudvolcano #volcano #underwatervolcano #deepseafloor #deepsea #ocean #ROV #underwatervideo #MiniROV #geology #sediment #sedimentology #methane #methanegas #oceangeology #geologyrocks #MBARI

Who wins the prize for one of the longest animals in the world? It’s this guy—the giant siphonophore, Praya dubia. . At almost 40 meters long, it rivals other lengthy creatures like blue whales that can measure up to 30 meters, and lion’s mane jellies whose tentacles reach over 35 meters. This picture shows the two nectophores (swimming bells) on the left side and a fragment of the long chain which it pulls through the water. Traditionally, scientists studied deep-sea animals by dragging a trawl net through the water, but delicate animals like Praya come up in hundreds of pieces in the net. Exploring the deep midwater with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) gives us an opportunity to see what these animals look like intact in their natural habitat. . #siphonophore #jellies #gelata #gelatinouszooplankton #ROV #cnidaria #deepsealife #deepsea #ocean #oceanlife #sealife #midwater #pelagic #plankton #mesopelagic #MBARI #underwaterphotography #marinebiology

MBARI postdoc Charles Boch examines a small juvenile abalone in an experiment that tested how ocean change affects abalone. Over the summer, a team of MBARI scientists monitored abalones under carefully controlled environmental conditions for two months to learn more about how these animals will fare in future ocean conditions. Abalone live near the coast, an area subject to upwelling—the process of deep nutrient-rich water coming up toward the surface. Recent research indicates that coastal species exposed to upwelling can have lower growth rates, weaker calcification, and low rates of survival. Future upwelling is expected to be more stressful for coastal animals due to ocean acidification and declining oxygen levels. The results of this study will help researchers understand how natural and human-caused climate variability is affecting coastal species and ecosystems. #oceanacidification #oceanhealth #abalone #MBARI #marinebiology #intertidal #upwelling #experiment #oceanscience #biology #ecology #environment #gastropod #marinesnail #mollusc #climate #climatechange #marinebiologist #marinescientist #ecologist #coast #oceanchange