Two cameras in the Cascadia Basin recorded 1.37 million images from mid-2021 to July 2023, at depths of 2,252 and 2,516 metres. A study published in July 2026 uses them to examine the light produced by deep-sea organisms.[1]
Only 1–2% of images contained bioluminescence. To separate weak flashes from noise, researchers trained a neural network using the instrument’s geometry: clusters behind obstructions supplied noise labels, while clusters near cables were labelled probable light, because contact can stimulate emissions. Position-revealing features were excluded from training.[1]
The team then modelled light passing through seawater, the glass housing and the camera’s colour filters. That analysis supports a dominant blue component at 470–500 nanometres and a smaller yellow-green component near 565 nanometres. Species associations remain tentative.[1]
Light-producing animals and actual flashes
An earlier survey shows how widespread the ability to glow can be. In 2017, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute researchers analysed 350,536 animal observations from California waters, assigning light-producing capability using biological records. Excluding animals with undefined status, 76% were known or likely to be bioluminescent. The survey mainly resolved animals larger than one centimetre. Its percentage describes the capability of identified animals; it does not mean three-quarters were glowing when filmed.[2]
The Cascadia cameras add records of actual emissions. Their flashes also track water currents, supporting mechanical stimulation around the instruments as a major trigger.[1][2]
Sources & further reading
- Polychromatic Population of Bioluminescent Organisms in the Deep Pacific Ocean Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans · 18 Jul 2026 · Accessed 20 Oct 2026
- Quantification of bioluminescence from the surface to the deep sea demonstrates its predominance as an ecological trait Scientific Reports · 4 Apr 2017 · Accessed 20 Oct 2026