A paper in the journal Nature Communications reports on the results of Benthic Underwater Microscope (BUM). The device, designed by Scripps Institution of Oceanography was deployed in the Gulf of Eilat and produced imagery of corals apparently “embracing” and turf wars between coral polyps. The microscope was also able to capture recently bleached living coral being colonised by algae when it was used at Maui, Hawaii.

The BUM comprises a long working distance microscope objective lens, a shape-changing Electrically Tunable Lens and focused LEDs providing reflectance illumination. These are packaged into two housings, one containing the optical components and the other a computer based diver control panel.

It can “autonomously film millimetre-scale phenomena at high resolution, capturing video for up to 8 hours at a time.”