The Ocean Exploration Trust has announced its exploration plans for the 2023 summer season.
This year, the trust’s Exploration Vessel E/V Nautilus will be looking into deep-sea habitats in the Central and Eastern Pacific. Also, the trust will aim to incorporate several new technological advances into its exploration activities.
The 2023 summer exploration season will include the following expeditions:
- Exploring Deep Sea Habitats Near Kingman Reef & Palmyra Atoll
- Mid-Pacific Mapping Northbound
- Ocean Networks Canada Maintenance and Exploration
- Mid-Pacific Mapping Southbound
- Deep Sea Biodiversity & Ancient Seamount Exploration near Johnston Atoll
- Ala Aumoana Kai Uli in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument
- OECI Multi-Vehicle Exploration
- Ocean Exploration Through Advanced Imaging
- Hawaii Mapping
- Jarvis Island Mapping
Commenting on this season’s planned activities, Ocean Exploration Trust COO Allison Fundis stated:
“We are excited to build on our longstanding partnerships and new collaborations for the 2023 Nautilus expedition as we visit incredible sites of geological, biological, and cultural significance across the Pacific. Our collaborators and partners are essential to our program as we work to operationalize new technologies that advance the field of ocean exploration, bring the deep sea to classrooms and homes around the globe, and most importantly as we work to conduct ocean exploration expeditions in more ethical and equitable ways.”
While Daniel Wagner, the Ocean Exploration Trust Chief Scientist, added:
“Most of our global ocean remains unmapped and unexplored, leaving significant knowledge gaps and hindering efforts to effectively manage our ocean resources. Our expeditions will focus on collecting critical baseline information in unexplored areas, and thereby addressing the needs of the resource management and scientific community.”
You can find out more and watch a live stream of the E/V Nautilus expeditions here or below.
