Jaffe Laboratory for Underwater Imaging

Check out this amazing video about the BUMP. It details how the BUMP helps us understand coral physiology so we can protect them and their habitats.

Here is a link to the full article for those interested in reading about it.

Here is a new article published by Or Ben-Zvi. It features the BUMP and details how the imaging system depicts the health and physiology of benthic aquatic organisms in a way that was never possible before. Amazing job, Or!

These websites highlight Or’s achievement:

• SIO
• BBC Wildlife
• Oceanographic Magazine
• Deeper Blue

Please check them out!

Our lab member, Susan Baron, has just given a talk about her Master’s thesis on ocean imagery.  She presents beautiful, awe-inspiring images and discusses how harnessing the power of awe can help uplift people and promote more proactive ocean conservation.  Take a moment to watch how Susan constructs an ecological frame that goes far beyond pretty aquatic pictures.

In these unsure times, awe and inspiration can go a long way.

Fall is underway, and we have a new publication coming. This link will take you to the article about our new publication. It’s about how Joe Walker used the SUITs, data augmentation, and domain adaptation techniques to tackle the challenges of underwater object detection.

(Sampling locations, dates, and methodology. (a) Data were collected from two regions (red boxes) in the Tropical Pacific Ocean. (b) Study sites from the Tuamotu Archipelago region, which include the islands Takapoto (TAK), Rangiroa (RAN), and Huahine (HUA). The sampling date for each study site is reported as MM/YYYY. (c) Study sites from the Palmyra Atoll, which include sites in the southern (PS), southwest (PSW), and northwest (PNW) parts of the island. (d) For each study site, a survey plot (100 or 200 m²) is defined and imaged by divers in a grid pattern. (e) Photograph of the SUIT.)

A new interactive exhibit is coming to Birch Aquarium featuring one of the robots from our underwater swarm. Guests will have an interactive experience with the robot and leave the exhibit more informed about modern ocean instruments researchers use. When the exhibit opens, you will see a post about it here!

Here is a website link with a description of the project and presentation slides.

This is a video of a recent seminar presented by Jules, where he introduces his group and contemporary research projects that include building
swarms of underwater robots and a new project to measure the descent rate of marine snow in situ.  He also talks about recent results that use moderate to high (cm’s to mm’s) resolution systems to learn about larval distribution of Nassau Groupers in the Caymans and a, currently underway, project to measure photosynthetic efficiency of corals, in situ.

Scripps alum Pichaya Lertvilai captured this image of coral polyps which ranked among the top 20 entries in the Nikon 2023 Photomicrography Competition. This fluorescent image of an Acropora sp. was part of an underwater imaging study on photosynthetic efficiency in coral. Congratulations, Pichaya!

The DEVIN (Diving Ecological Vehicle In-Situ Navigator)—is a low-cost, open-source robot that can be deployed in the ocean to observe microscopic plankton. Our summer intern group developed this vehicle and named it after our lab engineer.  While The DEVIN cannot operate a laser cutter or make bad puns, it is well-equipped to take images of plankton.  Here are some photos of The DEVIN in action!

A few weeks ago, Or Ben Zi went to Maui to test the underwater image quality of the BUMP.   The video shows her making adjustments to the BUMP while maintaining buoyancy.  Quite impressive!

Unfortunately, Maui is suffering from a major wildfire outbreak at this time.  The Jaffe Lab extends our deepest condolences to those harmed or lost during the fire.  If you would like to support the people who have been affected by this disaster, please visit the Hawaii Community Foundation website where you can donate to the community relief fund.

Here are pictures from a recent excursion on the R/V Robert Gordon Sproul with a new cohort of bright-eyed interns.  This was a fun and fulfilling adventure for them as quite a few of them have never been on a boat before.