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Deep-sea jellies, siphonophores, and more: MBARI's Southern California expedition 🌊🪼💫

From graceful jellies and sleek siphonophores to dazzling comb jellies and dancing worms, MBARI researchers are revealing the hidden diversity of delicate drifters in the deep. Our Biodiversity and Biooptics Team, led by Senior Scientist Steven Haddock, recently concluded a 10-day expedition from Monterey Bay to the Channel Islands aboard MBARI’s flagship research vessel David Packard to study the biogeography and physiology of gelatinous plankton. 

Using MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts, they observed and collected gelatinous plankton deep underwater in the ocean’s midnight zone. A specialized low-light camera developed by MBARI scientists and engineers allowed the team to record the remarkable bioluminescence displays of these deep-sea jellies in their natural habitat. They logged observations of several undescribed ctenophores, a new species of Erenna siphonophore with elaborate lures, and a siphonophore they had previously only seen in the waters of the Gulf of California, advancing efforts to catalog life in the deep ocean.

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