In late September 2018, MBARI engineers demonstrated a new use for MBARI’s long-range autonomous underwater vehicles (LRAUVs)—detecting and tracking oil spills. Working with the US Coast Guard and collaborators at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), MBARI engineers outfitted an LRAUV with special instruments (fluorometers) that can detect oil in water. For the recent test in Monterey Bay, the team simulated an oil spill using non-toxic, biodegradable dye.