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 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 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.

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 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 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 August 6 - September 2, 2022 (Horta, Faial, Azores to San Juan, Puerto Rico) NOAA Ocean Exploration completed the Voyage to the Ridge 3 expedition (EX-22-06), a combined mapping and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) expedition to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Azores Plateau, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and U.S. waters in the vicinity of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Operations during this 28-day expedition included the completion of 9 successful ROV exploration dives in the vicinity of the Azores, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge south of the Azores, and Puerto Rico. ROV dives were conducted in water depths ranging from 250 m to 6000 m for a total of 41 hours of bottom time. EX-22-06 also collected 56,769 square kilometers of seafloor bathymetry and associated water column data using an EM304 multibeam sonar. All data associated with this expedition have been archived and are publicly available through the NOAA Archives.

From October 16-November 3, 2022 (San Diego, California to Newport, Oregon), NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted mapping operations off the coast of California and Oregon in U.S. waters, aiding in closing bathymetric gaps within this region. Expedition EX-22-08 collected 32,416 square kilometers of bathymetry and associated water column data, 22,313 square kilometers of which were within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and Territorial Sea deeper than 200 m, while 10,104 square kilometers were collected in international waters. 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 detailed sub-bottom survey targeted previously-identified sponge reefs in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The exploratory mapping operations conducted during this cruise will provide initial characterization of the region, as well as data to support further exploration.

From July 9-30, 2022 (Norfolk, VA to Horta, Faial, Azores) NOAA Ocean Exploration completed the Voyage to the Ridge 2 expedition (EX-22-05), a combined mapping and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) expedition to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Azores Plateau. Operations during this 22-days at sea expedition included the completion of 10 successful ROV exploration dives in the vicinity the Azores and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge north of the Azores. ROV dives were conducted in water depths ranging from 420 m to 3350 m for a total of almost 53 hours of bottom time. EX-22-05 also collected 49,080 square kilometers of seafloor bathymetry and associated water column data using an EM304 multibeam sonar.

From June 5-20, 2023 (Dutch Harbor, Alaska to Kodiak, Alaska), NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted mapping operations off the coast of the Aleutian Islands in U.S. waters, aiding in closing bathymetric gaps within this region. Expedition EX2303 collected 37,601 square kilometers of bathymetry and associated water column within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and Territorial Sea 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 potential geological hazards along the Aleutian Trench. During the expedition, one CTD cast collected water samples for environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis. The exploratory mapping operations conducted during this cruise will provide initial characterization of the region, as well as data to support further exploration.