Biological Oceanography Group Overview Team Projects Publications Latest News Technologies Data The team studies the biology and chemistry of the ocean in relation to global change, and develops new systems and methods to make this type of research scalable. We utilize research vessels, moorings and autonomous vehicles to observe temporal variations in our local ecosystem in Monterey Bay and to determine what drives them. We have found that the ecosystems in Monterey Bay and the contiguous waters of the California Current System respond to large scale processes associated with climate variability and global change. As a result, many of our advances in methods and systems, developed in our natural laboratory in Monterey Bay, have broad applications.The primary scientific questions we seek to answer are:What are the mean and fluctuating components of life in the sea on time scales ranging from seasons, years to decades?What are the physical, chemical and biological processes responsible for the mean and fluctuating components?What are the biological consequences of climate variability and global change?The primary technological objectives are:Utilize developments in autonomous systems to decrease our reliance on expensive ships and enhance the collection of ecosystem information over time and space.Develop methods for observing the full gamut of life in the sea, that have the potential to be automated and can greatly increase the number of observations locally and globally. Team Directory Francisco P. Chavez Senior Scientist/Biological Oceanographer Primary Investigator Jacoby Baker Research Technician Marguerite Blum Research Technician Jules Friederich Research Assistant Lis Henderson Postdoctoral Fellow Brent Jones Electrical Engineer Monique Messié Senior Research Specialist Kathleen Pitz Senior Research Technician Kobun Truelove Research Specialist Projects All Projects 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. 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. Monterey Bay Time Series (MBTS) Project Monterey Bay Time Series (MBTS) Environmental Genomics Project Environmental Genomics Publications All Publications Messié, M., D.A. Sancho-Gallegos, J. Fiechter, J.A. Santora, and F.P. Chavez. 2022. Satellite-based Lagrangian Model reveals how upwelling and oceanic circulation shape krill hotspots in the California Current System. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9: 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.835813 LaScala-Grunewald, D., N.H.N. Low, J.P. Barry, J.A. Brown, C. King, F.P. Chavez, and H.A. Ruhl. 2022. Building on a human-centred, iterative, and agile co-design strategy to facilitate the availability of deep ocean data. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 2022 (fsac145): 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsac145 Takeshita, Y., B.D. Jones, K.S. Johnson, F.P. Chavez, D.L. Rudnick, M. Blum, K. Conner, S. Jensen, J.S. Long, T. Maughan, K.L. Mertz, J.T. Sherman, and J.K. Warren. 2021. Accurate pH and O2 measurements from Spray underwater gliders. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 38: 181–195. https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-20-0095.1 Santora, J.A., I.D. Schroeder, S.J. Bograd, F.P. Chavez, M.A. Cimino, J. Fiechter, E.L. Hazen, M.T. Kavanaugh, M. Messié, R.R. Miller, K.M. Sakuma, W.J. Sydeman, B.K. Wells, and J.C. Field. 2021. Pelagic biodiversity, ecosystem function, and services: An integrated observing and modeling approach. Oceanography, 34: 16–37. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.212 Chavez, F.P., R.J. Miller, F.E. Muller-Karger, K. Iken, G. Canonico, K. Egan, J. Price, and W. Turner. 2021. MBON—Marine Biodiversity Observation Network: An observing system for life in the sea. Oceanography, 34: 12–15. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.211 Latest News All News News Special issue of Oceanography highlights the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network News 12.07.21 News Environmental DNA is an effective tool for calculating marine biodiversity News 07.29.21 News Taking the lab into the ocean: A coordinated fleet of robots successfully tracks and monitors microbial communities News 01.13.21 Technologies All Technologies Instrument CTD Rosette Technology CTD Rosette The CTD measures conductivity (which helps determine salinity), temperature, and depth. Data All Data Data Ocean Acidification 1 (OA1) Mooring Data from the OA1 mooring, located just offshore of Hopkins Marine Station and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Data Monterey Bay Time Series Data Graphs of core properties from shipboard CTD bottle (BCTD) and profiling (PCTD) samples taken in Monterey Bay, from 1989-Present
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.
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.
Messié, M., D.A. Sancho-Gallegos, J. Fiechter, J.A. Santora, and F.P. Chavez. 2022. Satellite-based Lagrangian Model reveals how upwelling and oceanic circulation shape krill hotspots in the California Current System. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9: 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.835813
LaScala-Grunewald, D., N.H.N. Low, J.P. Barry, J.A. Brown, C. King, F.P. Chavez, and H.A. Ruhl. 2022. Building on a human-centred, iterative, and agile co-design strategy to facilitate the availability of deep ocean data. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 2022 (fsac145): 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsac145
Takeshita, Y., B.D. Jones, K.S. Johnson, F.P. Chavez, D.L. Rudnick, M. Blum, K. Conner, S. Jensen, J.S. Long, T. Maughan, K.L. Mertz, J.T. Sherman, and J.K. Warren. 2021. Accurate pH and O2 measurements from Spray underwater gliders. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 38: 181–195. https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-20-0095.1
Santora, J.A., I.D. Schroeder, S.J. Bograd, F.P. Chavez, M.A. Cimino, J. Fiechter, E.L. Hazen, M.T. Kavanaugh, M. Messié, R.R. Miller, K.M. Sakuma, W.J. Sydeman, B.K. Wells, and J.C. Field. 2021. Pelagic biodiversity, ecosystem function, and services: An integrated observing and modeling approach. Oceanography, 34: 16–37. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.212
Chavez, F.P., R.J. Miller, F.E. Muller-Karger, K. Iken, G. Canonico, K. Egan, J. Price, and W. Turner. 2021. MBON—Marine Biodiversity Observation Network: An observing system for life in the sea. Oceanography, 34: 12–15. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.211
News Special issue of Oceanography highlights the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network News 12.07.21
News Taking the lab into the ocean: A coordinated fleet of robots successfully tracks and monitors microbial communities News 01.13.21
Instrument CTD Rosette Technology CTD Rosette The CTD measures conductivity (which helps determine salinity), temperature, and depth.
Data Ocean Acidification 1 (OA1) Mooring Data from the OA1 mooring, located just offshore of Hopkins Marine Station and the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Data Monterey Bay Time Series Data Graphs of core properties from shipboard CTD bottle (BCTD) and profiling (PCTD) samples taken in Monterey Bay, from 1989-Present