Acoustic Community Ecology Project Acoustic Community Ecology Acoustical analysis of different layers of animals in our ocean.
Acoustic Fingerprinting Project Acoustic Fingerprinting Matching acoustic signatures to animals by cataloging the signatures of organisms like fish, squid, and gelatinous creatures.
Age and Growth Studies Project Age and Growth Studies Studying the pace of life of deep-sea animals to better understand their recovery rates and resilience.
Arctic Shelf Edge Project Arctic Shelf Edge Investigating rapid changes in the seafloor morphology that have been discovered to occur under the Arctic Ocean.
Axial Seamount Volcanic Processes Project Axial Seamount Volcanic Processes Mapping the hydrothermal sites, lava flows, and geodetics of this active volcano.
Baleen Whale Behavioral Ecology Project Baleen Whale Behavioral Ecology Integrating passive acoustic monitoring of baleen whales with other methods of observing whales, their environment, and their prey.
Behavior Studies Project Behavior Studies Behavior patterns of deep-sea animals have long been a subject of mystery and speculation. Because of access provided by MBARI’s ROVs, detailed observations of the behavior of these animals have become possible for the first time.
Biogeochemical Gliders Project Biogeochemical Gliders Working to equip biogeochemical sensors on underwater gliders.
Biological Response to Upwelling in Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems Project Biological Response to Upwelling in Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems Developing satellite-based products to investigate what drives biological productivity in productive upwelling systems around the world—from phytoplankton to ecosystems.
Bioluminescence and Fluorescence Project Bioluminescence and Fluorescence Bioluminescence (the ability of an organism to make light), and fluorescence (special pigments that convert blue light to other colors) are common in marine animals. We are studying how and why organisms use these optical phenomena.
Blue Whale Observatory Project Blue Whale Observatory Exploring the behavioral ecology of Earth’s largest animal species—the blue whale—and the krill that sustain them.
Cascadia Subduction Zone Project Cascadia Subduction Zone Deciphering the geologic records left by earthquake stimulated turbidity currents along the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
Controlled, Agile, and Novel Observing Network (CANON) Project Controlled, Agile, and Novel Observing Network (CANON) MBARI’s Controlled, Agile, and Novel Observing Network (CANON) Initiative is an interdisciplinary effort that utilizes smart, autonomous devices designed to cooperate with each other to collect oceanographic information.
Coordinated Canyon Experiment (CCE) Project Coordinated Canyon Experiment (CCE) The Coordinated Canyon Experiment (CCE) is an extensive long-term effort to monitor turbidity currents in situ and at multiple locations simultaneously. Here you can find all the data and relevant metadata collected throughout this groundbreaking study.
Coral Reef Metabolism Project Coral Reef Metabolism Developing autonomous systems to measure coral reef metabolism.
Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Community Studies Project Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Community Studies Studies of deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems at Sur Ridge and Davidson Seamount focus on oceanographic and biological factors influencing their diversity and abundance.
FathomVerse Project FathomVerse FathomVerse is a mobile game that aims to grow a library of labeled imagery that can train artificial intelligence to identify marine life.
Food Web Dynamics Project Food Web Dynamics Explaining the complex structure and functioning of the deep-sea food web off Central California.
Genomics and Transcriptomics Project Genomics and Transcriptomics Studying the genes of an organism can amplify our ability to learn about rare deep-sea species which are difficult to collect. Sometimes obscure animals can even help answer fundamental questions in biology.
Geo-Sense Project Geo-Sense Geo-Sense is a new portable DAS system for seafloor monitoring, first tested in Monterey Canyon to detect sediment flows and earthquakes.
Global Ocean Biogeochemistry Array (GO-BGC) Project Global Ocean Biogeochemistry Array (GO-BGC) The Global Ocean Biogeochemistry (GO-BGC) Array is a project to build a global network of chemical and biological sensors that will monitor ocean health.
Gulf of California Tectonics and Hydrothermal Systems Project Gulf of California Tectonics and Hydrothermal Systems Mapping and multidisciplinary investigations in the southern Gulf of California.
Integrated View of Surface-to-Seafloor Biological Communities Project Integrated View of Surface-to-Seafloor Biological Communities Integrating time series of surface, midwater, and benthic communities to identify processes connecting them with each other and with environmental variability.
Land/Ocean Biogeochemical Observatory (LOBO) in Elkhorn Slough and Monterey Bay Project Land/Ocean Biogeochemical Observatory (LOBO) in Elkhorn Slough and Monterey Bay The Land-Ocean Biogeochemical Observatory (LOBO) consists of robust moorings that can withstand tidal currents and weather.
Large-Scale Climate Variability and Impacts on Biology Project Large-Scale Climate Variability and Impacts on Biology Utilizing global satellite products to study global physical and biological variability from interannual to decadal scales, and the processes connecting them.
Lost Shipping Container Studies Project Lost Shipping Container Studies An estimated 10,000 shipping containers fall from ships each year, ultimately sinking to the seafloor where their ecological effects are largely unknown.
Low Altitude Survey System Project Low Altitude Survey System Bringing mapping systems closer to the seafloor to achieve precision-controlled centimeter-scale bathymetry and millimeter-scale imagery.
Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) Project Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) MBON is a global collaborative initiative that contributes to the effective management of marine biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Midwater Time Series Project Midwater Time Series Providing specific data to investigate the natural and climate-change-caused variability of oceanic communities at depths below the mixed layer.
Morro Bay Wind Farm Pockmarks Project Morro Bay Wind Farm Pockmarks Understanding the origins and activity of the pockmarks and submarine channels offshore of Morro Bay is paramount to developing a proposed floating wind farm.
Ocean Noise Project Ocean Noise Anthropogenic noise can have far reaching effects on the health of marine life. This project examines anthropogenic noise in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Octopus Garden Project Octopus Garden MBARI research and technology have revealed that thermal springs at the base of Davidson Seamount are an important nursery for the deep-sea pearl octopus (Muusoctopus robustus).
Open Acoustic Data Project Open Acoustic Data Enabling global open access to MBARI’s passive acoustic monitoring data and associated analysis tools, through a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Physiology Project Physiology One of the enduring mysteries of life in the deep-sea is how organisms can function under high-pressures and at near freezing temperatures. We are beginning to find clues about the trade-offs for life in the deep.
Piscivore Project Piscivore MBARI’s Piscivore camera system uses underwater robots to observe ocean predators and their dynamic surroundings.
Public Exhibits Project Public Exhibits Enriching public education about the ocean soundscape through resident and mobile exhibit deployment.
Respiration Studies Project Respiration Studies Investigating the ecological effects of Central California’s expanding oxygen minimum zone (OMZ).
SeismoSands Project SeismoSands An integrated study of sedimentary flows in Monterey Canyon using seafloor instruments and multibeam echosounder surveys to track their initiation, behavior, and seafloor impact.
Soundscape Listening Room Project Soundscape Listening Room Access a live stream and a library of sounds recorded using a hydrophone (underwater microphone) off the Central California coast.
Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) Project Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) SOCCOM is an NSF-sponsored program focused on unlocking the mysteries of the Southern Ocean and determining its influence on climate.
Station M Long-term Time Series Project Station M Long-term Time Series The Station M study is one of the most detailed investigations of any abyssal area in the world ocean. Over this 25-year study, we have continuously monitored the amount of sinking particulate matter through the benthic boundary layer.
Submarine groundwater discharge in the Antarctic Peninsula Project Submarine groundwater discharge in the Antarctic Peninsula Investigating submarine groundwater discharge along the Antarctic Peninsula to quantify its fluxes, origins, and effects on seafloor morphology and ecosystems.
Submarine Volcanism in the Sicilian Channel Project Submarine Volcanism in the Sicilian Channel Mapping submarine volcanism in the Sicilian Channel to understand its evolution, tectonic controls, and ongoing magmatic-hydrothermal activity in a rifted continental margin.
Terrain Relative Navigation Project Terrain Relative Navigation Improving vehicle navigation in real-time by localizing relative to an existing map.
The Zanclean Megaflood: The Largest Flood in the History of Earth? Project The Zanclean Megaflood: The Largest Flood in the History of Earth?
Understanding the Effects of a Changing Ocean Project Understanding the Effects of a Changing Ocean Focusing on how marine animals will respond to shifting ocean conditions caused by climate change and other human activities.
Vertical Migration Studies Project Vertical Migration Studies Vertically migrating animals comprise a large and active component of the ocean’s biological pump, and when compared with passively sinking detritus, the vertical migrators contribute significantly to the overall flux of particulate organic carbon.
Zooplankton Biodiversity and Species Relationships Project Zooplankton Biodiversity and Species Relationships The deep-sea is a diverse habitat, but it is turning out to be even more diverse that we imagined.