The Shape of Life . Life on the Move

Going Deeper: Jellyfish in the Ocean's Midwaters

Finding new life forms is exciting. It's fun. It's part of the payoff of doing this kind of research. -- Bruce Robison

Video: Robison discovers a new species of jellyfish

Most of the marine animals we're familiar with live in the upper 650 feet of the ocean's surface. Between 650 and 6500 feet lies the mesopelagic zone, one of the least-known environments on Earth. Here, the waters are dark, the water pressure extreme, and many of the animals utterly bizarre. A human in SCUBA gear cannot survive at these depths, but specially designed robots called remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) can.

Biologist Bruce Robison of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute uses an ROV to travel to the mesopelagic realm in search of new species. In this dark inner space, he finds, studies and photographs all manner of cnidarians. With state-of-the-art underwater cameras, he follows and records these animals, revealing species and behaviors never before witnessed by human eyes.

Monterey, CA
	Dr. Bruce Robison Biography and Career Q & A