The Exploratorium's 'Research Buoy' brings the ocean world to light

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- From land, we only see what's on the surface of the deep blue ocean. Each year, the Exploratorium brings underwater life to light through its "Research Buoy."

"There's all this life in the ocean and it settles on the bottom of the buoy and we can see what it is," shared Mary Miller, the Emeritus Environmental Science Partnership Director at the Exploratorium.

"When we pull it out, we take the opportunity to collect all kinds of organisms, and then we share with the visitors who come here," stated Dana Carrison-Stone, the Exploratorium's Living Systems Facilities Manager. "We set up microscopes with cameras and monitors and just talk to people and answer any questions that they have about the organisms that we're finding."

The CO2 Research Buoy is part of a partnership between the Exploratorium and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

"They measure the amount of CO2 that goes into the ocean from the atmosphere, and we are one of their study sites," explained Miller. "Every year, we have to pull it out of the water and service the instruments, it's just a lot of fun."

When carbon dioxide from the atmosphere goes into the ocean, it changes the water's chemistry. The buoy tracks this process and how it impacts sea creatures.

"The more CO2 in the air, the more CO2 that gets absorbed into the ocean, and that makes the ocean more acidic," described Carrison-Stone. "That lower pH will slowly erode or dissolve any organism that builds a shell."

Through positive change on land, we hold the power to foster better marine environments.

"Take your foot off the gas, that means...don't put carbon dioxide in the air. Next, is putting the brakes on, which means building up ways to capture carbon that could be replanting forests," said Miller. "Learning how to be resilient, learning how to deal with sea level rise, being more resilient to heat waves trying to find ways to adapt."

Miller added, "And all of those things are within all of our ability to do."

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