Follow along as participants in the cruise provide updates and reflections on their experiences, the science, the technology, and other elements of the expedition.
August 6 - September 15, 2019
Deep Connections 2019: Exploring Atlantic Canyons and Seamounts of the United States and Canada was a two-part, telepresence-enabled ocean exploration expedition. The overarching purpose of the expedition was to collect critical baseline information about unknown and poorly understood deep water areas of the U.S. and Canadian Atlantic continental margin.
Read moreSeptember 16, 2019 | By Rachel Gulbraa
Something that’s not always obvious from an outside perspective are the many roles that are essential for the ship to function in order to fulfill its mission of scientific exploration and outreach. But how did all of these people, with their unique skill sets and contributions, end up on the Okeanos Explorer?
Read moreSeptember 14, 2019 | By Meagan Putts
As Hurricane Dorian started making its way north, many of us aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer were not surprised to hear that we would have to cancel a few ROV dives in order to seek shelter at our home port in North Kingston, Rhode Island. While the physical effects of hurricanes on near-shore ecosystems, such as shallow-water coral reefs and estuaries are well documented, little research has been conducted on the direct impacts of hurricanes on the deep sea.
Read moreSeptember 13, 2019 | By Emily Narrow
Anyone familiar with the ocean exploration missions that take place on board NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer knows that video content plays a key role in our mission. With video content playing such an important role in our operations, it makes sense to have a dedicated video team.
Read moreSeptember 12, 2019 | By Mike Vecchione
While exploring a shallow (306-358 meter) soft-bottom area off Canada on August 31, 2019, ROV Deep Discoverer came across a large lobster eating its dinner. What did the lobster have for dinner? Calamari. But how could a lobster catch a squid?
Read moreSeptember 11, 2019 | By Dave Packer and Michelle Bachman
While the exploration of the deep sea can and should be undertaken for its own sake, it is important to remember that the data we collect can become essential components used by resource managers.
Read moreSeptember 10, 2019 | By Anna Lienesch
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer expeditions are most well-known for capturing never-before-seen footage of the deep sea and creating beautiful maps of the seafloor. But did you know that these videos and maps are only part of the data that is collected during Okeanos Explorer expeditions?
Read moreSeptember 9, 2019 | By Lindsay Beazley, Ellen Kenchington, and Rachael Peters
The Deep Connections 2019 expedition provided the unique opportunity for Canadian scientists and ocean managers to collect data and provide regional expertise on unexplored deep-sea habitats of our Atlantic continental margin—all without actually stepping foot aboard a vessel.
Read moreSeptember 5, 2019 | By Scott France
You usually don’t have to listen to very much of an Okeanos Explorer dive before you hear one of the scientists refer to “sclerites” when looking closely at an octocoral. What are these structures?
Read moreSeptember 3, 2019 | By Heather Coleman and Martha Nizinski
In 2018, only a year and a half after Dr. Brian P. Kinlan passed away, his colleagues in the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation, NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology, as well as the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, joined together to commemorate his life’s work by naming Kinlan Canyon in his honor. Now, only a year later, the Deep Connections 2019 expedition will dive inside Kinlan Canyon to explore deep-sea coral and sponge communities and to celebrate Brian’s life and work.
Read moreAugust 31, 2019 | By Dr. Daniel Wagner
On the afternoon of August 23rd, 2019, we hosted a series of four tours of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer while the ship was docked at the Center for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE) pier in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Read moreAugust 29, 2019 | By Marty King and Ellen Kenchington
Over the last two decades, Canada has made significant progress in mapping, studying and protecting cold-water corals in its waters. In 2002, the Northeast Channel Coral Conservation Area was established under the Fisheries Act in an effort to protect a dense concentration of large gorgonian corals from bottom contact fishing.
Read moreAugust 28, 2019 | By Emma Marotte
Two hundred kilometers (~125 miles) off Nova Scotia, Canada, lies one of the most unique and diverse marine ecosystems in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Known as the Gully, this undersea canyon was formed by the movement of melting glaciers thousands of years ago.
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