EXPRESS: West Coast Exploration

October 2022 – December 2023

From October 2022 through December 2023, NOAA Ocean Exploration and partners will conduct a series of five telepresence-enabled ocean exploration expeditions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to improve knowledge about unexplored and poorly understood deepwater areas of the U.S. West Coast from Southern California to Washington.

Data collected during this series of expeditions will establish a baseline in targeted areas to catalyze further exploration and research and support management activities. Data will also contribute to EXpanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS), a multiyear, multipartner cooperative research campaign in deepwater areas of California, Oregon, and Washington to guide wise use of living marine resources and habitats, inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions, and improve offshore hazard assessments.

During this series of expeditions, live video and data from remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives and multibeam sonar mapping operations will be shared in real time with shore-based participants and the public. Planned expedition dates, numbers and names, operational modes, and ports of call are as follows: