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Despite the ominous name, the vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) is neither a vampire nor a squid, but the sole surviving member of an ancient group of cephalopods. Instead of chasing down prey, Vampyroteuthis feeds on “marine snow”—a flurry of dead plankton, poop, mucus, and other organic material sinking from the waters above. They have two long, thin, sticky filaments that collect bits of “snow.” Once their filaments are loaded with food, Vampyroteuthis pulls them through their arms. Suckers under their web produce mucus to concentrate the particles, and soft, finger-like cirri guide the meal to the vampire squid’s mouth. Vampire squid thrive in the oxygen minimum zone, where oxygen levels are only a fraction of those near the surface. Their passive feeding strategy conserves energy, making it ideal for life in low-oxygen environments. MBARI’s work is revealing the complex web of connections between the surface and the deep sea. We have learned how deep-sea scavengers like the vampire squid help transport carbon to the abyssal seafloor, playing an important role in maintaining ocean health and buffering our planet from climate change. Learn more about this and other fascinating animals of the deep: https://www.mbari.org/animal/vampire-squid Script writer, editor, narrator: Marike Pinsonneault Science advisor: Bruce Robsion Motion graphics: Madeline Go Production team: Larissa Lemon, Raúl Nava, Marike Pinsonneault, Kyra Schlining, Susan von Thun Music: Rhythmic nature by SOLIDSOUNDMUSIC Vampire squid bioluminescence footage courtesy of NHK

Collaboration is at the core of MBARI’s work. Our scientists, engineers, and technicians 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. MBARI’s mechanical technicians and engineers worked together closely to build a titanium frame capable of holding cameras, sensors, and instruments used in the SINKER—the SINKing Ecology Robot—project to collect vital carbon data. Their expertise in machining and working with titanium makes innovations like SINKER possible, helping researchers better understand what, when, and how much carbon is sinking to the seafloor. SINKER is an imaging system that provides real-time observations of the tiny particles of marine snow that drive carbon storage in the deep sea. Equipped with advanced microscopes and cameras, this innovative instrument enables scientists to better understand the ecological and biological processes that allow carbon to sink into the deep ocean, filling critical gaps in our knowledge of Earth’s carbon cycle. Stay tuned for more videos about the team behind SINKER and the components of this new technology! Learn more: https://www.mbari.org/news/new-mbari-technology-reveals-ocean-carbon-storage-in-real-time Video credits: Producer/editor: Marike Pinsonneault Production team: Larissa Lemon, Raúl Nava, Kyra Schlining, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun Music: Science Medical Documentary - P5 by DapperChapMusic

The ocean is Earth’s most significant carbon sink, quietly transporting vast amounts of carbon from the surface to the deep sea. Yet, a big part of the ocean’s carbon calculus still remains a mystery: How much carbon do sinking bits of organic material lock away in the deep sea? MBARI scientists and engineers have developed SINKER, the SINKing Ecology Robot, an innovative deep-sea instrument that observes how carbon-rich particles, known as marine snow, sink through the ocean in real time. Equipped with advanced cameras and sensors, SINKER captures continuous images of these tiny, drifting particles, helping researchers understand what, when, and how much carbon is sinking to the seafloor. Led by Scientist Colleen Durkin and the Carbon Flux Ecology Team, this project is helping reveal the hidden connections between marine life and Earth’s carbon cycle. Learn more: https://www.mbari.org/news/new-mbari-technology-reveals-ocean-carbon-storage-in-real-time Collaboration is at the core of MBARI’s work. Learn how our scientists, engineers, and machinists work side by side to develop cutting-edge tools by watching the SINKERS playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8y7x0SoYxpecYAtljBxlU-Xr-1lKeFXY Video credits: Producer/editor: Marike Pinsonneault Science advisors: Colleen Durkin, Christine Huffard Production team: Larissa Lemon, Raúl Nava, Kyra Schlining, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun Music: Science Technology Research - Calming Ambient Documentary Background by Mv_production

At the heart of MBARI’s flagship research vessel, the David Packard, a team of skilled pilots command the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts. Equipped with advanced cameras, scientific instruments, and other technologies, this robotic submersible is a vital tool for studying marine life, ecosystems, and processes 4,000 meters (2.5 miles) beneath the ocean’s surface. MBARI’s ROV pilots—led by Chief ROV Pilot Marko Talkovic—work together to ensure every system onboard the vehicle and in the control room runs safely and efficiently. Their expertise is crucial for supporting MBARI’s science expeditions at sea. Teamwork is an essential part of MBARI’s mission. Together, MBARI scientists, engineers, and marine operations crew develop and deploy a wide range of advanced technologies to explore the ocean’s depths. Learn more: https://www.mbari.org/our-work/ships/r-v-david-packard/ Video producer/editor: Marike Pinsonneault Production team: Kyra Schlining, Susan von Thun, Larissa Lemon Music: Imagineering-orchestra-upbeat (Pond5)

With marine life and ecosystems facing a rising tide of threats, the ocean exploration community needs nimble, cost-effective tools for measuring and monitoring ocean health. To address this need, MBARI's CoMPAS Lab outfitted the MOLA AUV, a portable autonomous robot with an innovative sensor suite and advanced algorithms, to study marine environments. Meet the MOLA AUV, a multimodality, observing, low-cost, agile, autonomous underwater vehicle with advanced sensors to survey marine ecosystems. MBARI engineers hope the broader marine science community will benefit from MOLA AUV’s open-source design specifications and software algorithms. MBARI envisions a fleet of nimble robots like MOLA gathering data to help guide decision-making about the ocean and its resources. In its first field test in the Maldives, the MOLA AUV successfully mapped coral reefs and collected crucial ocean data—all while being small enough to fit in a checked bag! With open-source technology, MBARI hopes to make ocean science more accessible than ever. Learn more: https://www.mbari.org/news/mbaris-newest-underwater-robot-seeks-to-make-ocean-exploration-more-accessible Writer and video producer: Marike Pinsonneault Narrator: Marike Pinsonneault Science advisors: Giancarlo Troni, Eric Martin, Kevin Barnard, Vicente Andres Sufan Osorio Production team: Lila Luthy, Raúl Nava, Kyra Schlining, Susan von Thun Music: Science Technology Research

MBARI is embarking on an exciting chapter of our work with a new state-of-the-art research vessel, the David Packard. Named for MBARI’s founder, the late Silicon Valley innovator and ocean philanthropist David Packard, the ship will enhance MBARI’s capacity to pursue bold marine research initiatives and transform ocean science and engineering. The ship will serve as the command center for MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts, a robotic submersible that can dive up to 4,000 meters (2.5 miles) underwater. MBARI researchers rely on this technology to study marine life, ecosystems, and processes deep beneath the ocean’s surface to increase our understanding of the midnight zone and abyssal seafloor. R/V David Packard can also support the launch and recovery of MBARI’s fleet of autonomous technologies, including underwater vehicles that can map the seafloor, conduct visual surveys of the midwater, and monitor ocean health. Our new flagship vessel will greatly expand MBARI’s capacity for ocean exploration, allowing us to deploy diverse technology to understand our changing ocean and facilitate new collaborations to advance much-needed efforts to monitor ocean health. Stay tuned as the MBARI team dives into a new chapter of ocean exploration with R/V David Packard, as we continue on our mission to advance marine science and engineering to understand our changing ocean. Learn more: https://www.mbari.org/news/mbari-expands-capacity-for-ocean-research-with-new-state-of-the-art-ship Video producer/editor: Marike Pinsonneault Production team: Lila Luthy, Raúl Nava, Kyra Schlining, Susan von Thun

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to captain a state-of-the-art research vessel? Dive in and learn about operations aboard MBARI’s new flagship research vessel, the David Packard. The bridge is the command center of the ship. The bridge officers and able seafarers, led by Captain Andrew McKee, support day-to-day operations aboard the vessel and coordinate with the ship’s engineers, deck crew, and science party to execute complex oceanographic missions. The captain works closely with all of the teams on board to facilitate science and engineering work during expeditions. Whether on land or at sea, teamwork is an important part of MBARI’s mission. The crew of R/V David Packard—and MBARI’s entire marine operations team—play a critical role in our ability to access and study the ocean and its inhabitants. Our ships are crucial to our work, allowing us to deploy underwater robots and a diverse suite of technologies to understand our changing ocean. Stay tuned as we continue to showcase the team that makes R/V David Packard a success! Learn more: https://www.mbari.org/our-work/ships/r-v-david-packard/ Video producer/editor: Marike Pinsonneault Production team: Lila Luthy, Kyra Schlining, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun Music: Inspirational Innovation (Pond 5)

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. In a previous MBARI study, researchers observed enormous craters on the seafloor in this area, attributed to the thawing of ancient permafrost submerged underwater. While exploring the flanks of these craters on a subsequent expedition, MBARI researchers and an international team of collaborators observed exposed layers of submarine permafrost ice. 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://www.mbari.org/news/new-mbari-research-reveals-the-dynamic-processes-that-sculpt-the-arctic-seafloor Research Publication: Paull, C.K., J.K. Hong, D.W. Caress, R. Gwiazda, J.-H. Kim, E. Lundsten, J.B. Paduan, Y.K. Jin, M.J. Duchesne, T.S. Rhee, V. Brake, J. Obelcz, and M.A.L. Walton. 2024. Massive ice outcrops and thermokarst along the Arctic shelf edge: by-products of ongoing groundwater freezing and thawing in the sub-surfaces. JGR Earth Surface, 129: e2024JF007719 https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JF007719 Writer and video producer: Marike Pinsonneault Narrator: Eve Lundsten Science advisors: Charlie Paull, Roberto Gwiazda, and Eve Lundsten Production team: Raúl Nava, Kyra Schlining, Susan von Thun Music: Singing Strings - Background, Classical, Serious

Autonomous robots are essential to the future of marine science, engineering, and exploration. Understanding the ocean’s complex physical and biological processes requires robust observing systems, like MBARI’s long-range AUV (LRAUV). The LRAUV was designed to fill the need for a mobile underwater robot to observe upper ocean processes. It has been tested over 36,000 hours offshore across a fleet of eight vehicles and has a unique ultra-low energy transit mode, allowing the vehicle to be operated without a support ship. MBARI engineers have outfitted the LRAUV with various tools, allowing scientists to track and control the platform remotely and collect real-time ocean data through microbial sampling, bioluminescence, active bio-acoustic imaging, water sampling, plankton imaging, and multibeam mapping. The ocean is critical to life on Earth, but faces a fragile future and a rising tide of threats. Monitoring ocean health is increasingly urgent, but logistically challenging. Scientists need nimble research tools to scale our observations of the ocean and its inhabitants. We envision a future where robotic platforms, like the MBARI LRAUV, can monitor ocean health 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Learn more about the LRAUV: https://www.mbari.org/team/lrauv/ Writer, narrator, video editor: Marike Pinsonneault Production team: Heidi Cullen, Larissa Lemon, Kyra Schlining, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun Learn more about MBARI’s work: https://www.mbari.org/ Subscribe to MBARI’s newsletter here: mbari.co/newsletter Follow MBARI on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbari_news/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mbari_news Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MBARInews X: https://x.com/MBARI_News Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/mbari-blog LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/monterey-bay-aquarium-research-institute-mbari-