MBARI’s work spans life big and small. From the genetic codes for life to the largest animal ever known to exist on Earth, our scientists and engineers have built tools to study aquatic life in innovative ways. 

Blue whales are massive—and majestic—mammals. Despite their large size, we still have many unanswered questions about their biology and ecology. New research has leveraged the trove of audio recorded by an underwater microphone on MBARI’s cabled observatory to better understand the behavior of these behemoths.

An innovative robotic “lab in a can” autonomously collects environmental DNA (eDNA) to monitor vulnerable salmon and trout in a California creek. This powerful tool allows us to take the lab to the most remote locations on our planet, tracking ecosystems as they change and move. 

From the twists and turns of creeks cradled by towering redwoods to the bends and braids of Monterey Bay’s expansive submarine canyon, everything is connected. Our team pulls the threads of data together to weave a more complete picture of the health of aquatic ecosystems here on California’s Central Coast. 

For the love of the deep,

Scott Creek is home to both coho salmon and steelhead trout, which are endangered and threatened under the Endangered Species Act. These native species support the entire ecosystem by bringing ocean-rich nutrients back to the stream when they spawn. Our researchers partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to compare manual counts of these native species with eDNA samples collected by MBARI's Environmental Sample Processor (ESP). Over the course of one year, ESPs deployed at Scott Creek recorded one of the longest continuous sets of autonomously collected eDNA data known to date—and foreshadowed the incredible potential of eDNA as a valuable tool for monitoring native species. Dive in.

At more than 30 meters (100 feet) long and weighing almost 181 metric tons (200 tons), the blue whale is the largest animal to ever inhabit our planet. Despite its gargantuan size, many aspects of its natural history still remain unknown. ⁠This magnificent mammal spends most of its time below the ocean’s surface, out of sight from scientists. But even when we cannot observe blue whales by sight, we can hear their powerful vocalizations that travel hundreds of kilometers. Using sound recordings from the heart of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, MBARI researchers and their collaborators have discovered new dimensions of blue whales’ lives. Researchers have revealed how blue whales cooperate to forage and how they tune into the productivity of their ecosystem to decide when to embark on their annual long-distance migration for breeding.⁠ Learn more. (Image: William Oestreich, NMFS Permit #16111)

MBARI Principal Engineer Kakani Katija grew up wanting to be an explorer and dreamed of becoming an astronaut. She studied aerospace engineering and then interned at NASA, but her dreams changed when she became fascinated with a place even less well explored than space: Earth's ocean. The ocean represents the largest habitable ecosystem on the planet, yet less than five percent has been explored, and it is estimated that nearly half of all marine species have yet to be described. Katija is working on new autonomous robotic systems that could help solve this problem. Read more.