Coral reefs are some of the most intricate and colorful living things on the ocean floor, but without artificial lighting, underwater photos come out murky with a bland, blue cast. Not only does this look unappealing, but it also makes it more difficult for biologists to study the reefs.

Oceanographer and engineer Derya Akkaynak developed Sea-thru, an algorithm that allows scientists to take photos underwater and then remove the visual distortions caused by the poor lighting.

Continue on to see some of the shocking before and after photos from using this algorithm.

For the algorithm to work, Akkaynak takes several photos of the subject from varying distances and angles. Using a color chart, the algorithm is then able to pinpoint accurate colors for each pixel in the image.

This new method will allow scientists to better understand the impact of climate change on coral reefs and other marine systems.