NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer: Beyond the Blue: Illuminating the Pacific (EX2402-EX2406)

In 2024, NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted a total of six Beyond the Blue expeditions on Okeanos Explorer. As this year marked the return of Okeanos Explorer to the central Pacific region following work on the ship in the region in 2015-2017, efforts in 2024 focused on mapping deep waters of Hawaiʻi and Johnston Atoll. The mapping focus allowed us to build a foundation for future work through the collection of data needed for further exploration and provide a baseline of data needed to manage regional marine protected areas, including Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, now known as Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. We also built upon and established the collaboration, partnerships, and support necessary for successful exploration work in the region in future years, particularly in light of Beyond the Blue campaign efforts.

In total, during the the six expeditions on Okeanos Explorer in 2024, NOAA Ocean Exploration used multibeam sonar to map approximately 251,901 square kilometers (97,260 square miles) of seafloor deeper than 200 meters within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This includes 136,685 square kilometers (52,774 square miles) of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, 43,840 square kilometers (16,927 square miles) of Johnston Atoll within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, and 71,376 square kilometers (27,558 square miles) of the Hawaiian EEZ outside of marine national monuments. The three expeditions within Papahānaumokuākea increased the monument’s modern mapping coverage by approximately 9%. The two expeditions to Johnston Atoll mapped approximately 10% of the Johnston unit of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.