From May 5 – 26, 2023 (Seattle, Washington, to Dutch Harbor, Alaska), NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted transit and mapping operations off the coast of Washington State, the Gulf of Alaska, and along the Aleutian Islands. The ship departed from Seattle, Washington. Expedition EX-23-02 collected data supporting the Seascape Alaska initiative and used a small, human portable AUV in partnership with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) to aid in locating an aircraft lost in the Aleutian Islands during World War II. Transit mapping data was collected from Seattle, Washington, across the Gulf of Alaska, and along the northern and southern edges of the Aleutian Islands, extending from approximately Unga Island to Gareloi Island. Primary mapping activities focused on the area connecting the Aleutian Arc and the southern end of Bowers Ridge and the area surrounding Bogoslof Island. The ship returned to port in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The exploratory mapping operations conducted on this expedition will aid in future characterization of these unexplored areas and help initial characterization in the region.

From April 4 - 28, 2022, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer sailed to support NOAA Ocean Exploration's Puerto Rico Mapping and Deep-Sea Camera expedition (EX-22-03). The ship departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The mission objectives were two-fold: seafloor mapping in U.S waters offshore of Puerto Rico and testing deep-sea camera systems developed by the Multidisciplinary Instrumentation in Support of Oceanography (MISO) Facility at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) for potential integration into future NOAA Ocean Exploration operations. The primary mapping area of the expedition was the Muertos Trough region and surrounding seamounts in U.S. Caribbean waters around Puerto Rico. In addition, a transit over the 8,000 m deep Puerto Rico Trench was used to test the limits of the new Kongsberg EM 304 MKII multibeam sonar that was installed in 2021. Upon completion of mapping in the priority areas, the expedition focused on testing the integrated deep-sea camera and conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) system to support a number of mission objectives through simultaneous imaging and sampling of the water column. The last portion of the expedition consisted of mapping the high seas and offshore waters of the U.S. East Coast while transiting to the final destination of Newport, Rhode Island.

From August 1 - August 17, 2023 (Unalaska, Alaska to Kodiak, Alaska), NOAA Ocean Exploration completed the expedition Seascape Alaska 4: Gulf of Alaska Mapping (EX2305). Mapping operations during this 17-day expedition aided in closing bathymetric gaps off the coast of the Aleutian Islands and in the Gulf of Alaska. EX2305 collected 23,591 square kilometers of seafloor bathymetry within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone deeper than 200 m. During mapping operations, NOAA Ocean Exploration simultaneously collected EM 304 multibeam sonar bathymetry observations and Simrad EK60/EK80 split-beam fisheries sonar observations of biologic material in the water column, as well as Knudsen 3260 sub-bottom profiler observations of sub-seafloor geologic structure and sediment. A focused survey region targeted seamounts in the Gulf of Alaska. During the expedition, an EK calibration was completed for the 18, 38, 70, 120, and 200 kHz frequency sonars. The exploratory mapping operations conducted during this cruise will provide initial characterization of the region, as well as data to support further exploration. All data associated with this expedition will be archived within 120 days of the end of the expedition and will be publicly available through the NOAA Archives.

From August 23rd - September 14th, 2023 (Kodiak, Alaska to Seward, Alaska), NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted Seascape Alaska 5: Gulf of Alaska Remotely Operated Vehicle Exploration and Mapping (EX2306), a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and mapping expedition to the Gulf of Alaska. Operations during this 23-day expedition included the completion of 19 successful remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives, which were conducted in water depths ranging from 253.1 m to 4261.5 m for approximately 87 hours of bottom time and resulted in the collection of 383 samples. EX2306 also collected more than 28,000 sq. km of seafloor bathymetry and associated water column data using an EM 304 multibeam sonar. All data associated with this expedition will be archived within 120 days of the end of the expedition and will be publicly available through the NOAA Archives.

From July 14 - July 25, 2023 (Kodiak, Alaska to Unalaska, Alaska), NOAA Ocean Exploration completed the Seascape Alaska 3: Aleutians Remotely Operated Vehicle Exploration and Mapping expedition (EX2304), a combined mapping and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) expedition exploring the deep waters around the Aleutian Islands. Operations during this 12-day expedition included the completion of eight ROV exploration dives, including six full dives and two dives that were abandoned during descent due to various circumstances. ROV dives were conducted in water depths ranging from 780 m to 2800 m for a total of nearly 27 hours of bottom time (not including mid-water transects), focusing on exploring benthic habitats (including seep communities), geohazards, and water column communities. EX2304 also collected over 15,000 square kilometers of seafloor bathymetry and associated water column data using an EM 304 multibeam sonar. All data associated with this expedition will be archived within 120 days of the end of the expedition and will be publicly available through the NOAA Archives.

From April 13-27, 2023 (Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington), NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted the 2023 Shakedown + EXPRESS West Coast Exploration expedition (EX2301), an ROV and Mapping expedition to a shakedown the remotely operated vehicle (ROV), video, telepresence, seafloor mapping, and sampling operations aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, as well as explore deep waters off the west coast of the United States. Operations during this 15-day expedition included the completion of 9 successful remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives, which were conducted in water depths ranging from 650 m to 3960 m for approximately 45:34 hours of bottom time and resulted in the collection of 92 samples.

From October 21 – November 10, 2023 (San Francisco, California to San Francisco, California) NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted EXPRESS: Exploration of Central California Coast (EX2308), an AUV and mapping expedition, along the central Californian coast. Operations during this 21-day expedition included the completion of 5 successful autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) dives with the University of Southern Mississippi’s (an OECI affiliate) AUVs Eagle Ray and Mola Mola, conducted in water depths ranging from ~400 m to 1954 m for approximately 66 hours and 55 minutes of dive time. EX2308 also collected 22,259 sq. km of seafloor bathymetry and associated water column data using the EM304 multibeam sonar, all within the US EEZ. All data associated with this expedition will be archived within 120 days of the end of the expedition and will be publically available through NOAA Archives.

From November 30 - December 8, 2023 (San Francisco, California to San Francisco, California) NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted EXPRESS: West Coast Exploration (EX2309), an AUV and mapping expedition, along the central Californian coast. Operations during this 9-day expedition included mapping operations and drop camera operations in the Channel Islands National Marine Sancutary and along the Central California coast. Unfortunately due to weather and logitics onboard the ship, only one AUV dive was conducted. This dive was located in CINMS and coresponds to a calibration that was needed to complete the dataset for EX2308 in collaboration with the University of Southern Mississippi's (an OECI affiliate) AUVs Eagle Ray. Five drop camera deployments were conducted in partnership with Ocean Discovery League as part of the development of their new lightweight, low cost camera system, Maka Nui. EX2309 also collected 6,375 square kilometers of seafloor bathymetry and associated water column data using the EM304 multibeam sonar, all within the US EEZ. Data associated with this expedition will be publically available through NOAA Archives.

From September 23 – October 14, 2023 (Seward, Alaska to San Francisco, California), NOAA Ocean Exploration completed Seascape Alaska 6: Gulf of Alaska Transit Mapping (EX2307). Operations during this 22-day expedition aided in closing bathymetric gaps in the Gulf of Alaska, British Columbia, Canada, and off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. EX2307 collected 47,899 square kilometers of seafloor bathymetry, of which 40,108 square kilometers were within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone deeper than 200 m. During mapping operations, NOAA Ocean Exploration simultaneously collected EM 304 multibeam sonar bathymetry observations and Simrad EK60/EK80 split-beam fisheries sonar observations of biologic material in the water column, as well as Knudsen 3260 sub-bottom profiler observations of sub-seafloor geologic structure and sediment. Focused survey regions included closing bathymetric gaps in the Gulf of Alaska, Canada, and California. An additional focused survey in the Cascadia margin off the coast of Washington improved data quality in a region of interest for geological hazards. The exploratory mapping operations conducted during this expedition will provide initial characterization of the region, as well as data to support further exploration.

This Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) shakedown expedition aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer began in Norfolk, Virginia on June 13, 2021 and concluded on June 28, 2021 in Newport, Rhode Island. This was the first time the ROVs Deep Discoverer and Seirios were mobilized and used for ROV dives since the extensive 2021 winter dry dock repair period. While underway, 24?hour operations focused on preparing remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems for the remainder of 2021 expeditions. Extensive testing, calibration, and troubleshooting was completed for new ROV motors, motor controllers, cameras, lighting, hydraulic systems, and a navigational sonar during 11 ROV dives. The first five dives progressively got to deeper depths ranging from 670 m to 4370 m with the primary objective of new equipment integration and personnel training. The following five dives were conducted on Caryn Seamount, and the mid-Atlantic canyons Toms, Hudson (twice), and Uchupi. The last dive of the expedition was on a recently discovered sonar anomaly that turned out to be a World War II era submarine, the Humaita (ex-USS Muskallunge). Five biological and three geological samples were collected for later analyses from Caryn Seamount and the mid-Atlantic canyons. Mapping operations during the expedition included continued calibrating and troubleshooting of the ship's new EM304 multibeam sonar and transducer array. Additional mapping operations included improving multibeam bathymetry in previously mapped areas, sub-bottom sonar surveys conducted on the Currituck landslide feature off of North Carolina, EK60 water column sonar survey of the diurnal migration above Hudson Canyon, and searching for underwater cultural heritage sites by observing sonar depth and backscatter anomalies.