MBARI

Come ☀️ or 🌧️, a great first month @mbarinews.bsky.social working with the Piscivore system to autonomously observe marine predators and their environment ... stay tuned for 🐟🦈🐋🦭 & more!

Seven-arm octopus • Animals of the Deep • MBARI The seven-arm octopus is a rarely seen deep-sea giant who feeds on gelatinous animals.

Fresh from the deep—a rarely seen giant in Monterey Bay. 🤩

Last month, MBARI Senior Scientist Steven Haddock and the Biodiversity & Biooptics Team spotted a seven-arm octopus (Haliphron atlanticus) holding a crimson helmet jelly (Periphylla periphylla). Learn more: www.mbari.org/animal/seven...

The best way to spread deep-sea cheer is by sending tubeworm videos to those you hold dear. 🎁

Tubeworms like these Oasisia alvinae are abundant at hydrothermal vents at depths of 3,700 meters (12,140 feet) in the Pescadero Basin, located off the east coast of Mexico’s Baja California.

YouTube video by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) To celebrate Earth Day, relax with these stunning deep-sea landscapes

And here's a fun video you might enjoy from our YouTube channel (lots of seafloor shots and even more floating bits): youtu.be/PAlo59Z1Hg0?...

For Media • MBARI Media Contact For media inquiries, please email pressroom@mbari.org. MBARI’s pressroom is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacif...

Hello! Feel free to check out our web page for media requests and other information: www.mbari.org/about/for-me...

Check out Gallery: Deep Sea December Check it out now!

🧪📍🌊 🦑🍎 ‘Tis the season of deep-sea art! Join @montereybayaquarium.org, @mbarinews.bsky.social, and @fathomverse.bsky.social with these daily deep-sea inspired art prompts. Submit your deep-sea art to our gallery for all to admire! montereybayaquarium.secondstreetapp.com/Gallery-Deep...

Octopus Garden • MBARI 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.

Other deep-sea octopuses—who don't have the benefit of warm water seeping from the seafloor—brood their eggs for even longer! Learn more: www.mbari.org/project/the-...

YouTube video by COBRA COBRA Webinar Series – From Abyss to Audience: Science Communication in Deep-sea Research

ICYMI - our COBRA webinar recording is now posted on YouTube! Olivia Pereira (postdoc at @mbarinews.bsky.social) and I teamed up to talk about #SciComm - “From Abyss to Audience: Science Communication in Deep-sea Research” www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnlx...

Serving up some zooplankton squee 🥰⁠
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Copepods like the one in this video can be found in massive numbers across the world ocean. They play an important role in ocean food webs as predators—they eat even smaller diatoms and phytoplankton—and prey for animals like jellies, fish, and filter feeders.⁠

Yes, like other cephalopods, pearl octopus die after they reproduce. Dead octopus at the Octopus Garden provide a feast for scavengers. A rich community of invertebrates lives alongside the nesting females, undoubtedly benefiting from unhatched eggs, vulnerable hatchlings, or adults that have died.

Open Data Opens New Opportunities | FathomNet

Annotated images from the #FathomNetDatabase were used to train and evaluate the new Segment Anything Model 3 (SAM 3), adding complex underwater scenes to the broad training dataset and expanding the variety of environments the model can recognize.

💻🐟 Learn more: www.fathomnet.org/news/open-da...

Peek-a-boo with an octopus and her eggs 🙈

MBARI researchers used ROVs to study pearl octopus (Muusoctopus robustus) mothers nesting near warm seafloor springs. Unlike other deep-sea octopuses, their eggs hatched in under two years. The extra warmth boosted metabolism of the moms and their broods.

YouTube video by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) How MBARI software engineers help scientists visualize data about the ocean carbon cycle

MBARI’s software engineers play a vital role in transforming troves of ocean data into meaningful insights. They design and develop the software that powers MBARI’s autonomous robots, imaging platforms, and data pipelines. Learn more about what they do: youtu.be/MpeC74TOyvY

Scientists urge caution, further assessment of ecological impacts above deep-sea mining • MBARI A new study argues that deep-sea mining poses significant risks not only to seafloor ecosystems, but also to animals in the vast midwater realm.

Their findings, published in @natureportfolio.nature.com, reaffirm earlier work by researchers including Steven Haddock of @mbarinews.bsky.social, who have urged the global community to move cautiously in the face of all the uncertainties. mbayaq.co/44cVKEa

Technology innovation is transforming ocean science. This #BlueTechMonth, global experts showcase bold ideas driving the next era of the blue economy. MBARI’s Chris Scholin joins a panel on collaboration and tech. Learn more: tmabluetech.org/bluetech-month-2025

MBARI President and CEO Antje Boetius elected to German Order Pour le Mérite for Science and Arts • MBARI Boetius is one of three new members elected to Germany’s prestigious Order Pour le Mérite.

MBARI President and CEO Antje Boetius has been elected to Germany’s prestigious Order Pour le Mérite for Science and Arts, recognizing her important contributions to deep-sea and polar sciences.

Learn more: www.mbari.org/news/mbari-p...

MBARI opens opportunities for the next generation of ocean explorers • MBARI For nearly three decades, MBARI has been launching the next generation of ocean explorers whose curiosity and creativity are shaping the future of ocean discovery.

At MBARI, we believe discovery begins with opportunity—the kind that changes lives and careers. Our immersive internship and postdoctoral programs are helping launch the next generation of ocean explorers who are transforming ocean science and technology.

Learn more: www.mbari.org/news/mbari-o...

YouTube video by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) MBARI's team of mechanical technicians make innovative new tech come to life

MBARI’s mechanical technicians and engineers collaborated closely to build a titanium frame capable of holding cameras, sensors, and instruments used in the SINKER—SINKing Ecology Robot—imaging system, which collects vital carbon data. 🔧 🌊 🔬

Learn more: youtu.be/6_elP8a1o0M?...

Congratulations to the entire GO-BGC team on the 300th float deployment! 🎉

GO-BGC is an NSF-funded project to build a global network of chemical and biological sensors that will monitor ocean health.

Learn more and download data at www.go-bgc.org

#MondayMood 🛫⁠
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A striking white coloration makes this spiny skate (Bathyraja spinosissima) easy to spot. These active swimmers hover and glide well above the seafloor, while their relatives tend to stay close to the bottom. This species is especially common in rocky lava fields.

YouTube video by FathomVerse Everyone, hail the Pumpkin King! 🎃#larvacean #deeppiv #mbari #fathomverse

This video was recorded aboard the @mbarinews.bsky.social R/V Rachel Carson. Joost Daniels uses DeepPIV, an innovative imaging technology that utilizes lasers, to scan a larvacean so we can study their intricate structures.

Internships • MBARI Applications for the 2026 MBARI Summer Internship program will open in fall 2025. This 10-week internship allows college students and educators to work on a research or outreach project at MBARI.

🧪📍🌊 🦑🍎 @mbarinews.bsky.social is now accepting applications for our 30th summer internship program www.mbari.org/about/career...

YouTube video by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) How MBARI scientists are studying the ocean’s carbon flux in real time

I want to see the particles that sink carbon to the deep ocean, all the time and in real time.This summer we built an instrument that collects images of sinking particles every second, and visualizes them in 5 different ways. @mbarinews.bsky.social
youtu.be/4xXGlnCoik8

New research with data from the @bgc-argo.bsky.social floats from a team led by researchers at @mbarinews.bsky.social and @miamirosenstiel.bsky.social + colleagues. Comments from @stephhenson.bsky.social, story by @mack-baysinger.bsky.social.

A new paper, led by GO-BGC researcher @koelling.bsky.social, using @bgc-argo.bsky.social data, examines ocean ventilation in the subpolar North Atlantic. These insights enhance our understanding of how oxygen enters the deep ocean and may aid in predicting future oxygen loss due to climate change.

YouTube video by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) Meet the engineering team behind one of MBARI’s new underwater imaging systems

Meet the engineering team behind one of MBARI’s new underwater imaging systems 🤖🔧

Our scientists and engineers work side by side to develop cutting-edge tools that track ocean health in real time and help us visualize the ocean like never before.

Learn more: youtu.be/Kqo4MhthIkQ?...

New MBARI technology reveals ocean carbon storage in real time • MBARI SINKER is an innovative new instrument equipped with advanced microscopes and cameras to collect detailed data about carbon sinking in marine snow.

The ocean plays an important role in locking away carbon from the atmosphere. A new imaging system developed by @cadurkin.bsky.social and team provides real-time observations of the tiny particles of marine snow that drive carbon storage in the deep sea.

Learn more: www.mbari.org/news/new-mba...

MBARI's advanced technology plays integral role in international expedition to the Arctic • MBARI MBARI researchers returned to the Arctic with collaborators from the Korea Polar Research Institute and Geological Survey of Canada to study seafloor processes in the Canadian Beaufort Sea.

For more than two decades, MBARI has been part of an international team studying the Arctic seafloor. Last month, our researchers and technology took part in an expedition to better understand the processes shaping the seafloor in this region.

Learn more: www.mbari.org/news/mbaris-...

Spooky season royalty 👑🎃⁠✨️
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Atolla gigantea is the largest Atolla species found off the West Coast. This deep-sea crown jelly can reach a diameter of up to 15 centimeters (six inches) and is one of the most widely distributed jellyfish. The genus occurs worldwide, from the Arctic to the Antarctic.

Super pumped to be a guest speaker in the COBRA webinar series in two weeks’ time, along with Olivia Pereira from @mbarinews.bsky.social! We’ll be talking about our Science Communication strategies & experiences. Register for Zoom link here: cobra.bigelow.org/webinars/