Meet the engineering team behind one of MBARI’s new underwater imaging systems

MBARI’s new SINKER—the SINKing Ecology Robot—imaging system provides real-time observations of the tiny particles of marine snow that drive carbon storage in the deep sea. Equipped with advanced microscopes and cameras, this innovative instrument enables scientists to better understand the ecological and biological processes that allow carbon to sink into the deep ocean, filling critical gaps in our knowledge of Earth’s carbon cycle.

Collaboration is at the core of MBARI’s work. Our scientists and engineers work side by side to develop cutting-edge tools that track ocean health in real time and help us visualize the ocean like never before. MBARI’s mechanical and electrical engineers played a key role in developing SINKER, working together to design the instrument’s frame, sensor housing, and electrical architecture for deployment on the deep seafloor, a half mile underwater. Their expertise and teamwork are essential to advancing MBARI’s innovations and helping researchers reveal what, when, and how much carbon is sinking to the seafloor.

Learn more: https://www.mbari.org/news/new-mbari-...

Video credits:
Producer/editor: Marike Pinsonneault
Production team: Larissa Lemon, Raúl Nava, Kyra Schlining, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun
Music: Electronic Engineering by DHDMUSIC