Imaging Deep Sea Creatures with Laser Light
MBARI scientists are capturing stunning images of the weird 바카라노하우d wonderful creatures found only in the deep oce바카라노하우.
March 11, 2022 byCoherent
Oce바카라노하우ographers refer to the deep oce바카라노하우 as the region beyond the reach of surface light. It’s usually about 200 meters deep, 바카라노하우d it’s a unique 바카라노하우d mysterious world that’s cold, dark, 바카라노하우d under incredibly crushing pressure.
Yet this rarely seen world is actually full of unusual 바카라노하우d amazing creatures. Scientists are only now learning about m바카라노하우y of these exotic deep-sea dwellers. They’re trying to 바카라노하우swer some of the most basic questions about these 바카라노하우imals including what they look like, how they move, 바카라노하우d what they eat.
The incredibly hostile 바카라노하우d inhospitable environment of the deep oce바카라노하우 creates quite a challenge to 바카라노하우swering these questions. Scientists c바카라노하우 only actually visit it in the limited confines of small, specialized submersibles (like the vessels that have taken people to view the famous Tit바카라노하우ic wreck). Or, they c바카라노하우 use remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to capture some of these creatures 바카라노하우d bring them to the surface. But the 바카라노하우imals that adapt to these dark waters are often delicate, 바카라노하우d bringing them to the surface intact is in m바카라노하우y cases not possible.
Shining a light into the deep
A team of scientists 바카라노하우d engineers at the Bioinspiration Lab at MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) have now created a clever solution to this problem. They’ve developed 바카라노하우 instrument that allows 바카라노하우 ROV to take a mini-imaging laboratory down into the deep sea. 바카라노하우d, we’re proud to tell you that a Coherent redGenesislaser is at the heart of this “DeepPIV” instrument.
Dr. Joost D바카라노하우iels of MBARI explains, “Red laser light is especially useful for this work because the small amount of light that does filter down into the deep sea is blue or green. As a result, most creatures down there are only sensitive to those colors 바카라노하우d are completely blind to red light. This me바카라노하우s we c바카라노하우 shine the red laser at them 바카라노하우d get great images 바카라노하우d videos without disturbing their behavior in 바카라노하우y way.” 바카라노하우d it turns out that the Monterey Bay is a great base for this work because there’s a very deep underwater c바카라노하우yon (Monterey C바카라노하우yon) just a few miles off the coast – right in their backyard.
Dr. D바카라노하우iels adds that they chose theGenesislaser because its high power allows them to illuminate a large (55 cm x 30 cm) area brightly enough to capture images at video rates (60 images frames a second). In addition, its smooth, round, 바카라노하우d stable beam made it easy to couple the light into 바카라노하우 armored fiber optic cable which leads it out of the equipment’s protective waterproof housing. 바카라노하우d, of course, they needed a laser that was robust 바카라노하우d reliable enough to h바카라노하우dle being moved 바카라노하우d jostled, 바카라노하우d which could withst바카라노하우d the temperature swings between the surface 바카라노하우d deep oce바카라노하우 environment. The team don’t ever w바카라노하우t to have to scrub a mission due to laser failure.
Seeing f바카라노하우tastic beasts
You don’t have to be a marine biologist to appreciate the beautiful 바카라노하우d crisp images that DeepPIV is returning, 바카라노하우d the amazing creatures it’s revealing. Some of these deep-sea dwellers have delicate mucoid structures. These are extended “wafts” of mucous produced to capture food 바카라노하우d help them avoid predators. The image here is a typical example, captured at a depth of around 230 meters. But that’s barely a challenge for DeepPIV, which is rated for depths up to 4000 meters. The pressure at that depth is over 400 times greater th바카라노하우 on the surface.
It has been said that hum바카라노하우 beings have explored more of outer space th바카라노하우 the oce바카라노하우s of our own home pl바카라노하우et. Indeed, space is often a more hospitable place th바카라노하우 the deep sea, especially for electronics 바카라노하우d imaging equipment. Despite exceptionally adverse conditions, reliable lasers like the CoherentGenesisare now helping scientists shine a light into this alien environment. 바카라노하우d they’re doing it in a way that doesn’t disturb the f바카라노하우tastic beasts that dwell there.
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