Oceanography | Early Online Release
seafloor (e.g., Robison et al., 2005; Brierley, 2014; Honjo et al.,
2014; K.L. Smith et al., 2017; Archibald et al., 2019). The same
processes can also transport microplastics, which has led to the
suggestion that a large, previously unknown reservoir of marine
microplastics may be contained within animal communities living
in the deep sea. (Choy et al., 2019).
Comprehensively investigating the players and processes that
transform and transport organic matter from the sea surface to
the seafloor over decades is not easy (e.g., Messié et al., 2023).
The distribution and behavior of the participants and the mate
rial they transform and produce varies tremendously in time and
space, challenging our ability to model biologically driven carbon
flux and resultant climate influence. Persistent observations of the
ocean using a variety of tools is a necessary step toward meeting
that grand challenge (e.g., Karl, 2014; Chavez et al., 2021a).
LISTENING AND DECODING WHAT ANIMALS
LEAVE IN THEIR WAKE
It is truly amazing what you can learn by listening. The history
of ocean soundscape analysis is a great example. In the mid-
4th century BCE, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle in his
landmark work History of Animals noted that sea creatures pro
duced sounds (see Thompson, 1910). Ancient mariners also mar
veled at the mysterious noises that occasionally resonated through
the hulls of their ships. Over millennia, these astute observations
gave way to curiosity-driven research and wartime pursuits that
exploited ocean sound. Following World War II, revelations about
the lives and vocalizations of charismatic megafauna piqued the
public’s interest, popularizing the idea of an ocean soundscape and
highlighting the mysteries of marine mammal communication
(e.g., Schevill and Lawrence, 1949; Payne and McVay, 1971). In an
FIGURE 6. Videos are processed
using an integration of MBARI’s
Video Annotation and Reference
System (VARS) with advanced
machine learning tools (VARS-ML)
to identify and track animals
(a) on the seafloor and (b) in the
water column. The VARS-ML ini
tiative combines the expertise of
marine scientists, engineers, and
data scientists. Source: Lonny
Lundsten and Nancy Jacobsen
Stout. Images © 2025 MBARI