NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer: 2023 Expeditions Overview

NOAA Ocean Exploration field operations area for 2023 on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Lines indicate approximate planned tracklines for each expedition. White points represent ports. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration.
NOAA Ocean Exploration field operations area for 2023 on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Lines indicate approximate planned tracklines for each expedition. White points represent ports. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration. Download largest version (jpg, 2.2 MB).

In 2023, NOAA Ocean Exploration will spend over 160 days at sea on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer while exploring the waters off the U.S. west coast and Alaska. From the end of March through April, NOAA Ocean Exploration will conduct shakedown mapping and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) diving operations along the U.S. west coast before transiting to Alaska and spending the majority of the field season in Alaskan waters and throughout the Aleutian Islands. In October, the ship will return to California to conduct mapping and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) operations to finish the year before transitioning into the offseason repair period.

NOAA Ocean Exploration’s activities in the Pacific in 2023 will support two major initiatives, the EXpanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS) campaign and Seascape Alaska.

In Fall 2022, NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted an exploratory expedition in unexplored regions off the coasts of California and Oregon in support of the EXpanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS) campaign. In this image, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer transits through a rainbow on the last day of the expedition and the last day of the 2022 field season out in the Pacific Ocean. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, EXPRESS: West Coast Mapping 2022.
In Fall 2022, NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted an exploratory expedition in unexplored regions off the coasts of California and Oregon in support of the EXpanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS) campaign. In this image, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer transits through a rainbow on the last day of the expedition and the last day of the 2022 field season out in the Pacific Ocean. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, EXPRESS: West Coast Mapping 2022. Download largest version (jpg, 469 KB).

EXPRESS Campaign: Planned Expeditions

EXPRESS is a multiyear, multipartner cooperative research campaign designed to collect deep-sea data to guide wise use of living marine resources and habitats, inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions, and improve offshore hazard assessments. Expeditions in 2023 to support this campaign include:

During NOAA Ocean Exploration operations in Alaskan waters in 2023, we will use our two-bodied remotely operated vehicle system, comprised of Deep Discoverer and Seirios, pictured here on the deck of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Image courtesy of Art Howard, GFOE, Windows to the Deep 2018.
During NOAA Ocean Exploration operations in Alaskan waters in 2023, we will use our two-bodied remotely operated vehicle system, comprised of Deep Discoverer and Seirios, pictured here on the deck of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Image courtesy of Art Howard, GFOE, Windows to the Deep 2018. Download largest version (jpg, 17.8 MB).

Seascape Alaska Campaign: Planned Expeditions

Seascape Alaska is a regional campaign supporting the National Strategy for Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone. It is a collaboration of federal, tribal, state, and nongovernmental partners, representing a wide range of interests and dependencies on mapping data across coastal and ocean waters throughout the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), working to fully map the U.S. waters off Alaska.

Despite contributing the largest area to the U.S. EEZ, Alaska waters remain one of the least explored areas in the United States. Current mapping data in the waters around Alaska address only 31% of the seafloor, much of which is sparse and pre-dates modern mapping technologies. Additionally, much of the deepwater habitats of the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands, and the Aleutian trench remain predominantly unexplored.

Through mapping and exploration of Alaska’s deep waters, we can establish baseline information needed to sustainably manage and protect these areas. Filling data gaps and increasing our understanding of this region has far-reaching benefits, including safer navigation and community access, hazard mitigation, preservation of marine habitats and heritage, a deeper comprehension of natural resources, and fisheries management.

NOAA and partners will conduct six telepresence-enabled expeditions offshore Alaska in 2023. Planned expedition dates, numbers and names, operational modes, and ports of call are as follows:

Participate in the Expeditions

While we’re at sea, join us virtually via telepresence! Video during ROV dives will be streamed live to shore, meaning anyone with an internet connection can watch live through the NOAA Ocean Exploration website and enjoy new discoveries with us in real time.

We are currently seeking scientists and managers interested in remotely participating in our 2023 expeditions. For details about how to get involved in the expeditions above, please visit the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer Get Involved web page. If you are interested in playing a more direct role (e.g., by providing input into expedition planning or participating as a scientist or student), contact our expedition manager for the upcoming expeditions, Sam Candio, at samuel.candio@noaa.gov.

Data Access

NOAA Ocean Exploration ensures public access to scientific data and information collected during expeditions on Okeanos Explorer. Data collections typically include oceanographic and geophysical parameters, video, images, documents, and more, provided in a range of data formats. Data are available in NOAA’s public data archives and accessible via the NOAA Ocean Exploration Data Atlas.

Published February 1, 2023