The essays below will help you to understand the goals and objectives of the mission and provide additional context and information about the places being explored and the science, tools, and technologies being used.
On this first cruise of the DEEP SEARCH program, scientists will use a combination of mapping with water column profiling and sampling to improve knowledge of the geology along the U.S. continental margin, the types of communities found on the seafloor, and the mid-water communities that interact with them.
Read more
During this expedition, scientists will use autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry to collect valuable ecological data by giving scientists a “birds-eye view” of some known sites and some completely unexplored habitats.
Read more
DEEP SEARCH has been in the making for over two years now—and has been a goal for far longer than that. Representatives from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the U.S. Geological Survey, and NOAA have been busy working behind the scenes to identify resources, align research interests, and successfully launch this multi-agency, multi-year study.
Read more
DEEP SEARCH scientists will use advanced hydroacoustic sensing on board NOAA Ship Pisces to determine the depths of deep-scattering layers over and around benthic habitats of interest, and will then use this information to direct net sampling to determine the species composition and quantity of organisms comprising these layers.
Read more
