Expeditions & Projects

In June, July, and August, NOAA Ocean Exploration will conduct two exploratory ocean mapping expeditions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer focused on waters generally deeper than 200 meters (656 feet) in and around Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The ship will return to Papahānaumokuākea in October and November for a third mapping expedition.

NOAA Ocean Exploration works with partners to explore previously unknown areas of our ocean, making discoveries of scientific, economic, and cultural value and supporting innovations in exploration tools and capabilities. In 2024, projects will take place in the North and South Pacific oceans and in deepwater areas around Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Beyond the Blue: Illuminating the Pacific is a multifaceted science campaign designed to raise collective knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of waters in the Pacific Islands region through coordinated mapping and exploration expeditions, data management and sharing, strategic partnerships, and outreach and engagement. In 2024, NOAA Ocean Exploration began work with partners to conduct multiple expeditions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, lead outreach and education activities and events, and build additional partnerships in the Pacific Islands region in support of Beyond the Blue.

NOAA Ocean Exploration works with partners to explore previously unknown areas of our ocean, making discoveries of scientific, economic, and cultural value and supporting innovations in exploration tools and capabilities. In 2023, projects will span the globe, from exploring hydrothermal vents along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to diving deep in the waters off Alaska, using new technologies to hunt for methane seeps off the U.S. West Coast, and searching for World War II cultural resources in the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific.

From May through September 2023, NOAA and partners conducted a series of telepresence-enabled ocean exploration expeditions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to improve knowledge about unexplored and poorly understood deepwater areas offshore Alaska, with a particular focus on the Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska, and Aleutian Trench.

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.