Monterey Bay is one of the most biodiverse bodies of water in the world. It has a 4,000 meter deep canyon perfect for studying deep sea environments. David Packard recognized the area as an ideal location for a state of the art research facility and in 1987 founded the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in Moss Landing. MBARI’s purpose is to engineer and use technology that will unlock the secrets of the ocean depths. MBARI has become pioneers in the engineering of underwater sensors and robotics. The institute has become particularly known for the underwater drones they use.

MBARI’s best known drones are the ROV Ventana and the ROV Doc Ricketts. The Ventana was built to meet the design wishes of Mr. Packard, including a bevy of cameras, sensors, and specimen collection devices. The Ventana can dive to depths of 1.8kilometers. The Doc Ricketts is used in dives of 4kilometers or less. Both drones are tethered to a manned research vessel, such as the Rachel Carson, which provides continuous power to the drone. The ship comes complete with a research lab and can remain at sea for longer expeditions.

MBARI also has untethered AUVs which are used for mapping the seafloor and collecting data on oceanic conditions like temperature, salinity, and currents. The Dorado AUV can reach depths of 600 meters and remain in the water for upwards of 20 hours. The Tethys AUV is a long-range drone that can travel over 1,000 kilometers. In 2011, the drone completed a 24 day mission covering 1,800 kilometers, a number and time frame MBARI engineers believe is just the beginning of the Tethys’ capabilities.

With drones equipped with highly tuned sensors and cameras, MBARI is constantly discovering new oceanic species. “Monterey Bay is the best studied patch of deep ocean on the planet,” said MBARI Deep Sea Biologist Bruce Robison. “And yet we’re still finding new things every time we go out.” Some of the creatures MBARI discovered with their drones are the bumpy jelly, big red jelly, and the Osedax deep sea bone eating worms. Bruce was also the first to observe one of the strangest oceanic creatures, the barreleye fish. This fish has a completely transparent head and a small beak-like mouth. The barreleye’s eyes, visible through the transparent sheath, are pointed straight up.

The barreleye fish is extremely elusive. Out of more than 5,000 drone dives and 27,600hours of video footage, MBARI has only observed the barreleye fish 9 times. During a mission in 2008, the drone came across a barreleye fish and was able to record data that would solve a mystery for Bruce. He never understood how the fish was able to catch prey since its eyes point up and away from its mouth. The drone footage allowed Bruce to discover that the fish can rotate its eyes to track and capture food. As far as the researchers at MBARI know, no other fish like the barreleye has been documented yet. “It’s exciting to think that there’s that much more to be discovered in the rest of the world ocean,” Bruce said. With drone technology, scientists have the tools necessary to learn more about the mysterious oceans every day.