The Ocean Exploration Trust has announced the start of their 2024 expedition season aboard Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus.
Beginning in late May, the Nautilus will spend eight months exploring the Eastern, Central and Western Pacific, mapping unsurveyed seafloor, and bringing new views of never-before-seen seafloor to the world.
“Anyone can join us in characterizing deep-sea habitats through detailed ROV observation and integrating emerging technologies to help accelerate the pace of learning about the ocean by watching in real-time at NautilusLive.org.”
The goals of these expeditions are based on community input from scientists and resource managers as well as from local communities and stakeholders in the regions where the expeditions will take place. The 2024 E/V Nautilus expeditions are sponsored primarily by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute (OECI), with additional support from Ocean Networks Canada, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Office of Naval Research.
According to Allison Fundis, Chief Operating Officer of the Ocean Exploration Trust:
“The vast majority of the Earth’s seafloor and the quintillion gallons of ocean above it have never been scientifically explored, leaving large knowledge gaps that hinder our ability to manage the resources within our planet’s largest ecosystem effectively. While our 2024 Nautilus expeditions will contribute to the monumental effort of filling these gaps, using them as a way to inspire curiosity about the ocean and build a more inclusive ocean exploration community is also paramount to our mission.”
