Early Online Release | Oceanography
FIGURE 9. The use of nested resolution seafloor mapping to reveal the Octopus Garden. (a) Seafloor bathymetry collected using ship-based multibeam
sonar yielded 5–50 m resolution, depending on water depth. The red box indicates the location of the Octopus Garden pearl octopus (Muusoctopus
robustus) brooding site, southeast of Davidson Seamount. (b) MBARI’s seafloor mapping AUV (inset) provides 1 m resolution bathymetry that is shown here
overlain on the base map acquired from ships. The red box indicates the location of Octopus Garden Ridge. (c) Octopus Garden Ridge at 1 m-scale is overlain
here with ROV survey track lines. (d) The ROV-mounted Low Altitude Survey System (LASS; inset) is used to provide 1 cm resolution bathymetry and 2 mm
resolution seafloor photography using a combination of multibeam sonar, lidar, and color still cameras. (d) and (e) The 1 cm LASS lidar bathymetry is shown
at two map scales. (f), (g), (h), and (i) These panels show the 2 mm-scale color photomosaics at four map scales, zooming in to individual animals. Source:
David Caress and James Barry. Images © 2025 MBARI
CONCLUSIONS
The history of technology development in the quest to explore and
observe the ocean offers many enduring lessons. At least five take
aways are apparent:
• There is much to gain by working as an interdisciplinary team
to tackle daunting challenges, even when those problems may
require years or decades to overcome.
• Fostering an enduring peer relationship among scientists, engi
neers, and marine operations specialists in concert with the
public fuels discovery.
• Being open-minded to what is possible even though it may seem
improbable or counter to current thought begets innovation.