A robotic float drifts at the ocean surface. The float has a yellow plastic housing. At the top are white and black sensors protruding out of the water. The background is blue ocean.

News

New AI approach sharpens picture of carbon export in the Southern Ocean

Applying machine learning algorithms to a trove of data collected by robotic floats has improved estimates of ocean productivity and carbon export in the Southern Ocean.

Expedition Log

08.25.25

Life at sea

Life at sea Expedition log by MBARI Senior Scientist Aaron Micallef The first full days at sea have been a mix of preparation, discovery, and settling into the rhythm of life aboard the IBRV Araon. With calm seas guiding us eastward, we have been busy testing instruments, holding coordination meetings, and fine-tuning our workflow so …

A beach with dark grey and brown sand in the foreground and ocean in the background. On the beach are bones from a whale and remnants of an overturned grey wooden boat. Two long bones form an arch. A red and white ship appears on the ocean offshore through the arch.

Expedition Log

08.22.25

Departure from Utqiagvik

Departure from Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow, Alaska) Expedition log by MBARI Senior Scientist Aaron Micallef We arrived in Utqiagvik on August 19, 2025, and were transferred to the Korean ice-breaking research vessel Araon by helicopter on August 20, 2025. We spent the first day setting up equipment on board, coordinating logistics, and carrying out a safety drill …

A research ship sits at a dock in Oregon. The vessel has a blue bow and white hull with various scientific and maritime instrumentation. Two marine operations crew work on the ship’s exterior while a third crew member walks up a gangway from the pier to the ship’s deck. In the foreground is the gray concrete pier. In the background is a coastal community, with clear blue sky overhead.

News

08.13.25

MBARI’s new flagship research vessel completes first science expedition

R/V David Packard expedition produces new high-resolution maps of Oregon seafloor, advancing earthquake and tsunami research.

A silver metal robotic arm holds a camera to film a deep-sea octopus crawling over the rocky deep seafloor. The camera has a silver metal housing with a black plastic cap and five red lights. The camera is on the left side of the frame, filming an octopus on the right side of the frame. The octopus has a bulbous pale purple body and eight arms. In the foreground is rocky seafloor covered in fine brown sediment. In the background is black water, with several fan-like corals on the horizon.

Press Release

08.06.25

MBARI researchers deploy new imaging system to study the movement of deep-sea octopus

3D visual data collected by MBARI’s groundbreaking EyeRIS camera system could contribute to the design of bioinspired robots in the future.

A photo collage shows 16 particles of marine snow. The individual particles are brown and come in a variety of shapes, including fluffy tufts, spirals, and tubes. The background is solid back.

News

06.19.25

Marine snow provides new clues about the export of carbon to the deep sea

Genetic sequences in microscopic particles of sinking organic material reveal the mechanisms of carbon transport into the deep sea that can help improve satellite-based models of carbon export.

Press Release

06.12.25

MBARI hosts 2025 Open House on Saturday, July 12

MBARI’s annual Open House is a free, family-friendly community event where visitors can meet the MBARI team and learn more about our latest discoveries and technology innovations.

Marine operations crew members launch a robotic submersible over the side of a research ship into the water. The crew members are on the left side of the frame. The submersible has a yellow float, black frame, and a red mechanical arm, and is equipped with various scientific instruments. A black tether extends offscreen at the top of the frame to a crane on the research ship. Marine operations crew members are holding two yellow tethers, one to carry video from the submersible’s cameras and one to stabilize the submersible during deployment. The background is gray-blue ocean and overcast gray sky.

Press Release

06.09.25

MBARI research and technology play integral role in new Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences

International collaborations leverage MBARI’s expertise and advanced technology to better understand polar ecosystems.

Press Release

06.04.25

MBARI welcomes new president and CEO Antje Boetius

World-renowned polar and deep-sea researcher will represent MBARI at the upcoming 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference.

A satellite image shows a bright-green plankton bloom off the coast of California and Baja California. The bloom is producing several swirled eddies of green that extend into the blue ocean to the left. To the right of the frame is brown land and white snow. To the left of the frame are white clouds over the ocean.

News

05.06.25

MBARI researchers develop new method for tracking ocean carbon from space

Satellite data on winds and currents can fill gaps in modeling carbon transport from the ocean’s surface to the deep sea.

A research vessel sails across Monterey Bay. The research vessel has a black hull and white upper deck. Various oceanographic equipment is staged on the ship’s deck. The ship is traveling to the upper right of the frame, with frothy waves in front and leaving a white wake behind. The background is flat, dark-blue ocean.

Behind the Scenes

04.17.25

MBARI mourns the passing of former board member Dean Morton

As a member of our Board of Directors for 25 years, the longtime Hewlett-Packard executive brought valuable business expertise that helped guide MBARI operations.

News

04.03.25

MBARI expands capacity for ocean research with new state-of-the-art ship

MBARI’s marine operations team begins preparations for science missions aboard our new flagship research vessel David Packard later this year.

Three MBARI staff prepare for deployment of a scientific instrument on the gray metal deck of a research vessel. The researcher on the left is wearing an orange hard hat, a black hooded sweatshirt, and dark pants. The deckhand in the middle is wearing a white hard hat, sunglasses, and a dark hooded jacket. The engineer on the right is wearing a white hard hat, sunglasses, a navy-blue jacket, an orange life vest, navy-blue pants, and brown boots. All three are in silhouette in front of the bright sun. The scientific instrument has a rectangular silver metal frame, white plastic panels, a silver metal sphere, and a yellow plastic sphere and is being moved with three yellow nylon straps and one green nylon strap attached to a crane out of frame. In the background is blue ocean, with coastal mountains and blue sky in the distance on the horizon.

Behind the Scenes

03.17.25

MBARI researchers deploy innovative new tech for seafloor monitoring

Geo-Sense is a new portable instrument that uses distributed acoustic sensing technology for long-term, high-resolution monitoring of the geological processes that sculpt the seafloor.

Four MBARI researchers adjust scientific instruments in a brightly lit engineering lab with white walls and shelves full of plastic bins. The researcher in the foreground has shoulder-length brown hair and is wearing glasses, a blue pullover, and khaki pants. She is adjusting a cylindrical instrument with metal components and multi-colored wires sitting next to a computer and three red voltage meters on a wooden table. The three researchers in the background are wearing blue pullovers and examining instruments with metal components and multi-colored wires.

News

03.12.25

New robotic technology lab expands MBARI’s capacity for ocean exploration and technology innovation

The Instrumentation Integration and Testing Facility will support the development of innovative new technologies for studying ocean health.

Behind the Scenes

03.04.25

New annual report reviews major milestones in MBARI’s work in 2024

MBARI’s 2024 Annual Report includes highlights from our work in ocean science, technology, and education over the past year.

Ocean waves gently crash in front of MBARI’s research facilities. The research facilities have gray concrete walls, several large windows, and a gray roof with teal trim. In the foreground are wet sand and several clumps of brown drift kelp. In the background is a pale blue sky with pink clouds.

Behind the Scenes

03.03.25

MBARI mourns the passing of former board member Robert Spindel

A member of MBARI’s Board of Directors for 16 years, Spindel provided invaluable expertise to help guide technology development at MBARI.

News

02.26.25

A tale of two whales: Songs reveal levels of resilience among whales

Studying whale songs in the aftermath of a marine heat wave offers clues to how whales adapt to changing ocean conditions.

A robot moves through open water. The robot has a black metal frame outside with a clear glass dome at the front, facing the left side of the frame. Inside is a yellow metal cylinder with stickers for MBARI and the CoMPAS Lab. A thin yellow cable extends from the robot off frame to the right. The background is bright-blue water.

News

02.12.25

MBARI’s newest underwater robot seeks to make ocean exploration more accessible

The MOLA AUV is a powerful and portable underwater robot equipped with advanced sensors and software to collect detailed data about ocean environments.

A carousel of beige plastic pucks with clear plastic plunger tops held on a circular metal plate. The pucks and plungers have alphanumeric codes printed on their sides in black ink. Metal instrumentation is on the left of the frame and multi-colored wires are on the right of the frame. The background is blurred lens flare and animated white circular particles.

News

12.18.24

MBARI’s advanced technology transforms the monitoring of aquatic ecosystems

Partnerships across the country and overseas bring the power of MBARI’s Environmental Sample Processor to ecosystem health assessments in the ocean and our nation’s waterways.

A transparent gelatinous sea slug drifts in open water. The sea slug has a cavernous hood facing the right side of the frame, pink organs inside its body, and a paddle-shaped tail with several finger-like projections. The background is dark-blue, almost black, water.

Press Release

11.12.24

MBARI researchers discover remarkable new swimming sea slug in the deep sea

A new glowing nudibranch species is the first known to swim through the ocean’s midnight zone and has unique adaptations for life in this environment.

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