Oceanography | Early Online Release
FIGURE 10. High-resolution mapping and imaging of the
Octopus Garden (Figure 9) provided the basis for conduct
ing targeted studies of the animals utilizing that habitat
(Barry et al., 2023). In one instance, a time lapse camera was
deployed from a ship on an ROV and then deposited precisely
among benthic fauna where it operated autonomously (a).
Still images from that vantage point were taken every 20 min
utes from March 3, 2022, to August 29, 2022, revealing ani
mals arriving, nesting, or dying post-breeding (b). The time
lapse imagery provided a unique perspective on the dynam
ics of the community from scientific as well as educational
and outreach purposes (Secrets of the Octopus Garden).
Images © 2022 MBARI
• “Failures” are inevitable if one attempts to do something that
has not been done before; failures are stepping stones toward
transformative engineering development and scientific advance
ments.
• Never underestimate the potential of serendipity, and be open-
minded to changing course when an opportunity or new tech
nology presents itself.
The foregoing consideration of how ocean technology has
evolved in recent years and how it has impacted ocean science is
a powerful endorsement of those lessons and a tribute to all who
have walked that path.
Much of the technological revolution that has been brought to
bear on ocean exploration and observation was primarily driven
by a variety of achievements in industrial settings that often had
nothing to do with marine science. Advancements in micro
electronics, biopharma, aerospace, manufacturing, material and
computer science, and other disciplines, as well as social media,
have dramatically transformed our ability to access the sea, reveal
its mysteries, and share the findings with a global audience. This
cycle is accelerating. Every time we return to the ocean with new
technologies in hand, we learn something new (e.g., Chisholm
et al., 1988) and grow to appreciate the connection between
societal well-being and the health of the sea.
Throughout history, we have approached ocean exploration
and observation through a decidedly human sensory perspective.
There is still much to learn. Ocean-dwelling animals perceive their
environments in many ways we humans have not yet learned to
interpret or fully comprehend; examples include their responses to
electromagnetic fields and their use of chemosensory capabilities.
Looking forward, it is likely that just as the use of biogeochemical,
optical, acoustic, and omic sensing has revealed surprising insights
about the interplay between marine chemistry, physics, biology,
and geology, so too will new sensor systems give us a better appre
ciation of the lives of ocean animals. As Bruce Robison (MBARI,
pers. comm., 2025) aptly put it: