Visualizing marine life with new technologies

MBARI is at the forefront of ocean technology, advancing innovative solutions to understand the ocean, its inhabitants, and its ecosystems. MBARI scientists and engineers work together to develop, build, and deploy tools that are transforming the way we see the ocean and its inhabitants. From revealing complex geological processes on the seafloor to detailing the delicate structures of deep-sea animals, MBARI technology is visualizing the ocean in diverse new ways. Our technology gives us a more complete picture of marine life and ecosystems that helps us assess ocean health and track the impacts of human actions.

High-resolution cameras deployed on ocean-going robots allow researchers to directly observe marine life, while acoustic technologies use sound waves to map habitats and biological communities from the surface to the seafloor. Advancements in these technologies have transformed how scientists study and understand dynamic ocean environments.

Studying delicate deep-sea drifters

MBARI’s underwater robots have captured nearly 30,000 hours of deep-sea footage. This visual archive is a vital resource for studying the ocean, providing valuable observations of deep-sea animals. Many of the fascinating animals that live in the ocean’s depths are extremely delicate. Successfully collecting these animals for further study in the lab is exceedingly challenging. An estimated 30 to 60 percent of marine life has yet to be described by scientists, often because of the difficult process of collecting specimens for study.

Advanced imaging technology developed by MBARI’s Bioinspiration Lab can visualize deep-sea animals in their natural environment. Non-invasive scans with lights and lasers gather data that can be used to create a three-dimensional model of an organism.

Mounted on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the Deep Particle Imaging Velocimetry (DeepPIV) instrument projects a sheet of laser light that illuminates particles in the water, like dust in a sunbeam. The laser scan creates 3D in situ visualizations of the structures of soft-bodied deep-sea organisms. By recording the movement of particles surrounding an organism, researchers can also quantify the tiny currents around marine animals created as they eat or move. MBARI researchers have previously used this technology to visualize the “snot palaces” of giant larvaceans, tadpole-like animals crucial in cycling carbon from the surface to the seafloor.

The three-dimensional lightfield (plenoptic) EyeRIS camera system can image particle and tissue movement. Funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and developed by engineers in the Bioinspiration Lab, this instrument allows researchers to quantitatively study the form and function of organisms, small-scale fluid dynamics, and particle fields, all in three dimensions.

A multidisciplinary team of roboticists, engineers, and biologists from the University of Rhode Island, in collaboration with MBARI, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Harvard University, PA Consulting, and Baruch College, has successfully demonstrated how new technologies, including those developed by the Bioinspiration Lab, can rapidly obtain high-resolution 3D images and preserved tissue to accelerate the discovery of new life in the deep sea.

Revolutionary advancements in underwater imaging, robotics, and genomic sequencing are transforming ocean exploration. By leveraging these new tools, within minutes of an encounter with a deep-sea animal, scientists can capture detailed measurements and motion of the animal, obtain its entire genome, and generate a comprehensive list of genes being expressed to assess its physiological status. The research team calls the result of these rich digital data a “cybertype” of a single animal rather than a physical holotype specimen that is traditionally found in museum collections.

This work was funded by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (grant #7583), the National Science Foundation (NSF OIA-1826734), and the National Geographic Society (grant no. SP 12-14).

Observing elusive ocean predators

Marine predators such as tunas, sharks, seabirds, and marine mammals play a pivotal role in ocean ecosystems. Despite their importance, these animals remain challenging to study. They spend much of their time far from shore and dispersed across remote stretches of the global ocean. Many are highly mobile, associate with dynamic ocean habitats that change hourly, and can be wary of boats and submersibles.

Piscivore is a new camera system developed by MBARI’s engineers that gives us a glimpse into the secret lives of these ocean predators.

Mounted on MBARI’s long-range autonomous underwater vehicle (LRAUV), Piscivore observes marine life as it travels across the fertile waters of Monterey Bay.

Piscivore has two cameras—one faces ahead of the vehicle, and the other watches what approaches from behind. Many predators move out of the way of animals and objects approaching them. Piscivore compensates for the skittishness of pelagic predators by dragging a piece of textured metal in its wake. As the metal attractor swirls in the currents, it catches sunlight and flashes like a silvery fish, piquing the curiosity of predators. The cameras record continuously to see who approaches.

MBARI researchers pilot the LRAUV remotely from our facilities on shore using cellular and satellite data connections on the vehicle. They can target hotspots of ocean productivity where food is plentiful and predators will be most abundant, then send Piscivore in for a closer look.

Researchers deploy Piscivore for roughly two weeks at a time. After its mission is complete, MBARI’s marine operations crew retrieves the vehicle and downloads the camera data on shore. Each deployment logs approximately 145 hours of high-definition video. Machine learning algorithms developed by MBARI’s Video Lab staff leverage the power of artificial intelligence to quickly review and catalog Piscivore’s observations.

Piscivore has filmed encounters with a wide diversity of ocean predators, diving seabirds, forage fishes, and gelatinous plankton, showing great promise as a platform for observing marine life. In 2024, nine Piscivore deployments logged a total of 73 days surveying the Monterey Bay area. This platform has recorded observations of 19 species of fish, seven species of marine mammals, and seven species of seabirds.

But Piscivore is much more than a camera—it is an innovative sensor system for studying the open ocean.

The ocean is incredibly dynamic, making it difficult to study the mobile species associated with marine habitats. Like forests, grasslands, or other habitats on land, marine habitats are defined by physical properties that support a unique community of species.

MBARI’s LRAUV carries a suite of environmental sensors inside its housing. During Piscivore deployments, the host vehicle collects information about the physical surroundings. The LRAUV logs data about ocean salinity, temperature, chlorophyll, oxygen, and chemistry. These data provide valuable context about the environments that ocean predators frequent.

Tunas, sharks, seabirds, and marine mammals face an uncertain future due to threats like overfishing and climate change. We urgently need to understand these key animals so we can better protect them. Piscivore can gather vital information about these marine predators and their prey. These data can help resource managers and policymakers make informed decisions about ocean animals, environments, and resources.

Taking marine research to new heights

MBARI leverages various innovative technologies to study the ocean from the surface to the deep seafloor. Now, we are elevating our work to new heights, quite literally.

Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) are advanced drones that provide valuable perspectives on marine life and phenomena from the air. MBARI’s growing fleet of aerial vehicles is gathering high-resolution, near-real-time data about the ocean that complements the information collected by our oceangoing robots.

Weather permitting, twice every month, the UAV team conducts an aerial survey of specific research sites around Monterey Bay. The scientists and engineers mobilize to launch a vehicle from the beach. A pilot plans the mission and initiates takeoff, and once the drone is in the air, it runs an autonomous survey. The onboard camera collects ocean surface images as the UAV zig-zags its programmed route offshore.

During a typical survey, the vehicle might traverse 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) and image an area of 750,000 square meters (about a quarter of a square mile). UAVs are relatively quiet, providing unobtrusive observations of marine communities. The team coordinates the surveys with NOAA researchers to ensure the drone’s flight plan does not disturb marine life. Once its mission is complete, the drone automatically lands in a pre-programmed location on shore. Back in the lab, engineers download the data from the vehicle for analysis.

MBARI’s UAVs carry high-resolution cameras that photograph objects in remarkable detail. As the vehicle flies 60 meters (approximately 200 feet) above the ocean’s surface, it takes an image every two seconds. During a single 20-minute survey, the aerial vehicle takes approximately 400 photos. MBARI engineers combine these images to create a photomosaic of the surveyed area that can be processed using machine learning models. Our researchers leverage artificial intelligence to analyze the visual data more effectively. Machine learning models group images with similar objects, then our human experts look at the outliers.

Aerial vehicles can support a variety of science applications. Researchers can identify targets of interest in images acquired by UAV cameras and deploy in-water platforms for more detailed sampling. For example, aerial drones can provide a two-dimensional map of ocean color fronts from the air faster than an underwater or surface vehicle. Once they find a location of interest, our engineers can then program an LRAUV or Wave Glider to take a closer look. Coordinated sampling with multiple technologies enables a more thorough investigation of the physical, chemical, and biological processes that occur in the ocean. Together, they can produce a three-dimensional look at a research site.

Whether flying through the air, riding waves at the ocean’s surface, or gliding underwater, advanced imaging technology provides a well-rounded understanding of ocean health.

Research Publication:

Burns, J.A., K. P. Becker, D. Casagrande, J. Daniels, P. Roberts, E. Orenstein, D. M. Vogt, Z. E. Teoh, R. Wood, A.H. Yin, B. Genot, D.F. Gruber, K. Katija, R.J. Wood, B.T. Phillips. 2024. An in situ digital synthesis strategy for the discovery and description of ocean life. Science Advances. 10: eadj4960. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adj4960