MBARI

MBARI researchers are using seismology to track sedimentary flows in the Monterey Canyon. 🌊 A six-month experiment called Seismosands is exploring the use of seismology to detect and better understand submarine sedimentary flows in Monterey Canyon. MBARI is working with other institutions on this project, including Durham University, the National Oceanographic Centre Southampton, Newcastle University, GEOMAR, the University of Goettingen, the UC Berkeley Seismology Lab, and the Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca. The experiment began last month with high-resolution seafloor mapping surveys of Monterey Canyon, conducted using multibeam echosounders deployed from autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and the R/V Paragon. Similar surveys will be conducted once a month to quantify changes in the canyon's shape following sedimentary flows. Last week, the team successfully deployed two instrumented moorings and eleven Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBS) from the R/V Rachel Carson. They will return between February and April 2025 to recover the instruments. We'll keep you up-to-date with more exciting Seismosands news, so stay tuned!

MBARI researchers have discovered a remarkable new species of sea slug that lives in the deep sea. 🤩 Bathydevius caudactylus swims through the ocean’s midnight zone and lights up with brilliant bioluminescence. With a voluminous hooded structure at one end, a flat tail fringed with numerous finger-like projections at the other, and colorful internal organs in between, the team initially struggled to place this animal in a group. Because the animal also had a foot like a snail, they nicknamed this the “mystery mollusc.” The team first observed the mystery mollusc in February 2000 during a dive with the institute’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Tiburon offshore of Monterey Bay at 2,614 meters (8,576 feet) deep. They leveraged MBARI’s advanced and innovative underwater technology to gather extensive natural history information about the mystery mollusc. After reviewing more than 150 sightings from MBARI’s ROVs over the past 20 years, they published a detailed description of this animal. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gaxFzC3q

FathomVerse won silver at the International Serious Play Awards! 🎮🎉 The Serious Play Conference brings together professionals who are exploring the use of game-based learning, sharing their experiences, and working together to shape the future of training and education. It’s an honor to be recognized alongside such innovative and impactful games. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/egaMdz9N &ranj MBARI NOAA Ocean Exploration Schmidt Ocean Institute Schmidt Marine Technology Partners #FathomVerse

Have a passion for payroll AND the ocean? We've got a new Payroll Specialist role open - see our website to apply! #oceanresearch #accounting #payroll https://lnkd.in/gWwJpGWq

Making waves for ocean science and conservation 🌊 MBARI and the Monterey Bay Aquarium share a passion for the ocean and a rich history of collaboration. MBARI is the Aquarium’s research and technology partner, and the Aquarium is MBARI’s education and conservation partner. Together, our two institutions are introducing audiences around the world to the denizens of the deep. Behind the scenes, we’re also providing the information and tools that individuals, communities, and policymakers need to manage and protect marine life and habitats. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gmvX9MRA

The Carbon Flux Ecology group at MBARI is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to join our team. 🌊 Our group's work is guided by a pressing need to better observe carbon export via sinking particles in the ocean and to resolve ecological mechanisms that control this process. The postdoctoral fellow will contribute to a multi-institutional, interdisciplinary project funded by the Schmidt Sciences Ocean Biogeochemistry Virtual Institute (OBVI). This project will study the role of mesopelagic animals and their gut microbiomes in transforming organic matter as it transits through the mesopelagic. The ideal candidate will be able to pursue and explore their own research goals within this framework. While the primary focus of this postdoctoral fellowship will be on the OBVI research program, the fellow will also have the opportunity to participate in other research activities performed by the Carbon Flux Ecology group that primarily occur in Monterey Bay, depending on the specific interests of the candidate. Learn more and apply on our website: https://lnkd.in/gRm3yb4w

Embarking on our next chapter 🌊 MBARI is pleased to announce renowned deep-sea polar biologist Antje Boetius as its incoming president and CEO. She’ll take the helm at MBARI next spring. Boetius joins MBARI from the Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany, where she has served as the director of the Alfred Wegener Institute for the past seven years. She brings a deep understanding of the scientific and technological challenges associated with expanding our presence in the ocean and for conducting observations and experiments in the most remote and extreme locations. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gpjxMJUk

Sharing our latest imaging tech with our peers to advance ocean exploration 🤝 MBARI is at the forefront of ocean technology, advancing innovative solutions to visualize and understand the ocean, its inhabitants, and its ecosystems. We develop tools to assess ocean health and track how human actions affect marine life and environments. This week, MBARI hosted the Fifth Marine Imaging Workshop, sharing our latest technology developments and our team’s engineering expertise with researchers from around the world. Collaboration is essential for maximizing the potential of science and technology to help us understand the ocean. Sharing our research, data, and technology helps the ocean exploration community grow its capacity to measure and monitor ocean health. Together with our peers, we are working to advance imaging technology to collect visual data about ocean health. The information the marine science and technology community gathers can ultimately guide responsible stewardship of the ocean and its resources. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/djUf2HQp

🌊 2024 IEEE/OES Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Symposium at Northeastern University, Boston, USA! 🐙 I had the privilege of presenting my latest research on “Full Magnetometer and Gyroscope Bias Estimation using Angular Rates: Theory and Experimental Evaluation of a Factor Graph-Based Approach”. It was an incredible opportunity to showcase our progress in improving sensor calibration for autonomous underwater vehicles. I was also thrilled to contribute to two additional papers from the MBARI CoMPAS Lab: - “Deep Reinforcement Learning Trajectory Control of Nonholonomic fAutonomous Surface Vehicles in Challenging Wave Conditions: Theory and Preliminary Evaluation” - “Toward 6-DOF Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Energy-Aware Position Control based on Deep Reinforcement Learning: Preliminary Results” It was an amazing event filled with cutting-edge advancements in AUV technology, and I’m inspired by the conversations and ideas that were exchanged. A huge thank you to the organizers and all the presenters who made this symposium such a success! #AUV #UnderwaterRobotics #ReinforcementLearning #AutonomousVehicles #DeepLearning #IEEE #Research #Robotics

New MBARI research reveals the dynamic processes that sculpt the Arctic seafloor. MBARI researchers—working alongside a team of international collaborators from the Korea Polar Research Institute, the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, the Geological Survey of Canada, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory—have discovered large underwater ice formations at the edge of the Canadian Beaufort Sea, located in a remote region of the Arctic. The recently discovered layers of ice are not the same as the ancient permafrost formed during the last ice age, but rather were created under present-day conditions. This ice is produced when deeper layers of ancient submarine permafrost melt, creating brackish groundwater that rises and refreezes as it approaches the colder seafloor. This discovery reveals an unanticipated mechanism for the ongoing formation of submarine permafrost ice. The complex morphology of the seafloor in this region of the Arctic tells a story that involves both the melting of ancient permafrost that was submerged beneath the sea long ago and the disfiguration of the modern seafloor that occurs when released water refreezes. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gTT5SHs8