GUEST EDITORS
Nicole A. Raineault and
Joanne Flanders
The E/V Nautilus, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer,
and R/V Falkor 2019 Field Season
New Frontiers in
Ocean Exploration
Oceanography
Vol. 33, No. 1, Supplement, March 2020
A brisingid perches atop large
deep-sea coral colonies on a
carbonate rock at 560 m depth
on the west side of Jarvis Island,
a US territory that is part of
the Line Islands in the Pacific
Ocean. The was captured during
E/V Nautilus expedition NA110.
Image credit: OET/WHOI MISO
ON THE COVER
A close-up of bubblegum coral and shrimp associates in
Baltimore Canyon seen during the Windows to the Deep
2019 expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Image
credit: NOAA OER
PREFERRED CITATION
Raineault, N.A., and J. Flanders, eds. 2020. New frontiers in ocean
exploration: The E/V Nautilus, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, and
R/V Falkor 2019 field season. Oceanography 33(1), supplement,
122 pp., https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2020.supplement.01.
Contents
INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1
From Pole to Pole: Connecting Explorers Across the Globe .............................................................................................................................................................4
2019 Expedition Overview Map ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
PART 1. OCEAN EXPLORATION TRUST – E/V NAUTILUS .............................................................................................................................................8
Technology ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................10
Wet Lab Renovations and Selected 2019 Specimen Highlights................................................................................................................................................18
Illuminating STEM Career Pathways and Deep-Sea Discoveries Through Nautilus Exploration and Outreach .................................22
Nautilus Field Season Overview ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................28
» E/V Nautilus 2019 Mapping: Filling the Gaps in Seafloor Coverage of the Remote Pacific and
Contributing to Global Seabed Mapping Initiatives ......................................................................................................................................................................30
» Searching for Shipwrecks in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary ...........................................................................................................................32
» Sea Caves of the Channel Islands ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................34
» SUBSEA 2019 Expedition to the Gorda Ridge ......................................................................................................................................................................................36
» Deepwater Exploration of Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Jarvis Island:
Geological and Biological Discoveries from the US Line Islands .........................................................................................................................................38
» The Search for Samoan Clipper .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................40
» Expedition to the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa:
Exploring the Deep Sea in the American Samoa Archipelago ..............................................................................................................................................42
» Expedition Amelia ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................44
» Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument:
Exploring the Howland and Baker Island Unit and Johnston Atoll Unit ........................................................................................................................46
» Exploring Northern California National Marine Sanctuaries ...................................................................................................................................................48
» Octopus Gardens and a Whale Fall in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary .................................................................................................50
» E/V Nautilus 2021–2023 Pacific Field Proposal Under the New NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute .................52
PART 2. NOAA OFFICE OF OCEAN EXPLORATION AND RESEARCH ............................................................................................................54
2019 Expeditions with NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer .........................................................................................................................................................................56
Exploring America’s Deep Ocean ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................59
Deep-Sea Data Needs Addressed by the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research ............................................................................60
Deep-Sea Discoveries in the Mysterious Midwater ..............................................................................................................................................................................62
ASPIRE Explores Atlantic Margin, Prepares for Mid-Atlantic Ridge Expedition .............................................................................................................64
Okeanos Explorer Finds Shipwreck During Shakedown Cruise ...................................................................................................................................................65
Insights from Windows to the Deep 2019: Deep-Sea Corals, Submarine Hazards, and Methane Seeps ................................................66
New Ocean Technologies Prove Themselves at Sea, Discover World War II Shipwreck .........................................................................................68
OER-ONC Collaboration to Improve Video Annotations .................................................................................................................................................................70
New Regions Explored During the Deep Connections 2019 Expedition ...........................................................................................................................71
Playing FAIR: Enabling Ocean Exploration Through Open Data Sharing ...........................................................................................................................74
Deep Ocean Mapping in Support of Exploration: Identifying and Filling Gaps in Bathymetric Coverage
in US Waters Deeper than 200 m ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................78
DEEP SEARCH Project Completes Last Year of Fieldwork with Two Successful Expeditions ..............................................................................81
EXPRESS: EXpanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems ........................................................................................................83
Telepresence 2.0: Connecting Scientists and the Public to the Undersea World ........................................................................................................84
Engagement: Access, Experience, and Knowledge ..............................................................................................................................................................................85
» Introduction .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................85
» Demonstrating NOAA’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion....................................................................................................................88
Sponsored Projects: The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research ....................................................................................................................90
» Introduction .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................90
» Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Technology ....................................................................................................................91
» Exploration of Gulf of Alaska Seamounts ................................................................................................................................................................................................93
» Exploring for a Biogeographic Boundary Along the Emperor Seamount Chain: A Multidisciplinary Approach ........................94
» Search for Life Under Ice Overcomes Challenges to Explore Arctic Vents ...................................................................................................................95
» Journey into Midnight ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................96
» Development of Innovative Techniques for Exploring Novel Submarine Springs on the Gulf of Mexico
Outer Continental Shelf .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................96
» Microbial Stowaways: Exploring Shipwreck Microbiomes in the Deep Gulf of Mexico ....................................................................................97
» Submerged Paleolandscapes of the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico ..................................................................................................................................98
» Update on Co-Exploration: A Toolbox for Subsea Data Processing and Real-Time Information Interaction
Over Acoustic Communications .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................99
» Improving Navigation for Long Endurance Underwater Robots ........................................................................................................................................99
PART 3. SCHMIDT OCEAN INSTITUTE – R/V FALKOR .................................................................................................................................................100
Exploration and Innovation at Sea: The Schmidt Ocean Institute 2019 Field Season ..........................................................................................102
WHAT’S NEXT.................................................................................................................110
Authors .......................................................................................................................................112
Acknowledgments ...........................................................................................................116
References ...............................................................................................................................121
Acronyms .................................................................................................................................122
A close-up view of the bow of a shipwreck
“accidentally” discovered during NOAA Ship
Okeanos Explorer’s shakedown and sea-trial
expedition in the Gulf of Mexico. The wreck
is likely a mid- nineteenth- century wooden
sailing vessel. Image credit: NOAA OER
Introduction
By Nicole A. Raineault, Frank Cantelas, and Carlie Wiener
This is the tenth installment of the ocean exploration
supplement to Oceanography, the official magazine of The
Oceanography Society, with annual highlights of accom-
plishments aboard three vessels that explore the world
ocean: the Ocean Exploration Trust’s (OET’s) E/V Nautilus,
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, and Schmidt Ocean Institute’s
(SOI’s) R/V Falkor.
In 2019, the programs expanded efforts in the Pacific
Ocean with Falkor working in the southern and eastern
Pacific, Nautilus in the central and western Pacific, and
Okeanos Explorer in the Gulf of Mexico and along the
Atlantic continental margin into the western North Atlantic.
The pages that follow contain expedition summaries,
including early discoveries, emerging technologies, new
information on education and outreach programs, and
exciting announcements about future endeavors.
The first section highlights OET and E/V Nautilus endeav-
ors. The operations expanded beyond Nautilus with a
mapping mission in Lake Huron that marked OET’s first
mobile system expedition, in partnership with Thunder
Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the University of
New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping
(page 32). Nautilus ventured to Samoa and explored the
vast central Pacific, including the Pacific Remote Islands
Marine National Monument (pages 38–39, 42–43, 46–47).
A summary of our technologies (pages 10–17), newly rede-
signed wet lab and specimen highlights (pages 18–21),
and education and outreach programs (pages 22–27)
showcases the ways in which OET continues to innovate.
We mapped more than previous seasons, contributing
important data to the Seabed 2030 initiative (pages 30–31).
A continued partnership with the NOAA Office of National
Marine Sanctuaries brought us to the American Samoa
sanctuary along with a return to several other sanctuaries
along the west coast of the United States (pages 48–49,
50–51). Finally, we are excited to be part of the newly
awarded NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute in
partnership with four oceanographic academic institutions
(pages 52–53).
The second section focuses on the NOAA Office of Ocean
Exploration and Research (OER). It begins with an overview
of Okeanos Explorer expeditions (pages 56–58) and the
ship’s unique mission (page 59) and is followed by OER’s
review of the deep-sea science and management commu-
nities’ data requirements (pages 60–61). We highlight OER’s
exploratory midwater work (pages 62–63) as well as the
Atlantic Seafloor Partnership for Integrated Research and
Exploration (page 64) that formed the framework for 2019
exploration. The ship’s shakedown cruise is described next
(page 65) and then a mission that examined newly found
deep-ocean seeps (pages 66–67). Technology demonstra-
tions carried out utilizing Okeanos Explorer are showcased
(pages 68–69), followed by collaborative work to enhance
underwater video capture and annotation tools (page 70).
We describe exploration of the US and Canadian Atlantic
continental margin with Canadian and European partners
in support of Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance and Seabed
2030 goals (pages 71–73) and then discuss open data shar-
ing practices and a “data lake” concept that could store data
at any scale (pages 74–77). A synopsis of the current state
of mapping of US waters (pages 78–80) and of US Extended
Continental Shelf Project milestones (page 79) follows.
We then summarize OER interagency projects external to
Okeanos Explorer such as DEEP SEARCH (pages 81–82) and
EXPRESS (page 83), before turning to OER advancement of
telepresence technology and the Telepresence 2.0 concept
(page 84). We also highlight OER’s extensive engagement
efforts (pages 85–87) and diversity and inclusion accom-
plishments (pages 88–89). OER’s section closes with OER-
sponsored projects that illustrate the broad spectrum of
exploration supported through grants, cooperative agree-
ments, and unsolicited projects (pages 90–99).
The Schmidt Ocean Institute continues to support
innovative technology and research to explore new
ocean realms. In the final section, SOI highlights some of
its accomplishments made through collaboration with
experts around the world (pages 100–109). Each of the
10 missions aboard Falkor brought impactful new scien-
tific tools to address critical questions in ocean science.
Advancements in technology led to new breakthroughs,
from characterizing novel benthic ecosystems to examin-
ing the role of the sea surface microlayer on the ocean’s
heat budget. These expeditions employed coordinated
technology that combines robotics, precise observations,
software, and data platforms working together to study
the ocean in new regions and on advanced temporal and
spatial scales. Each robotic system, sensor, and method
undergoes long-term development before it is applied at
sea on Falkor. This section highlights expeditions that are
essential to understanding the dynamic ocean and whose
results will lead to better ocean policies and management.
Through exhibits, ship-to-shore connections, the obser-
vations of students and artists at sea, and social media,
homes, and classrooms all over the world became part
of the SOI research team in 2019. With its philanthropic
efforts, SOI aims to demonstrate how scalable innovation
can tackle important scientific and societal challenges.
The year 2020 will bring new partnerships and opportu-
nities to grow our abilities to explore as the NOAA Ocean
Exploration Cooperative Institute joins several oceano-
graphic institutions with a common goal of exploring the
US Exclusive Economic Zone. Nautilus will explore along
the west coasts of the United States and Canada and
continue exploration and mapping of West Coast National
Marine Sanctuaries as well as Thunder Bay in Lake Huron.
Okeanos Explorer will conduct three regional expeditions,
starting with the US southeastern continental margin,
working within the US EEZ near Puerto Rico, expanding to
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near the Azores, and then into the
high seas in the North Atlantic. Both OET and NOAA will
engage multidisciplinary teams of scientists, technicians,
and engineers to conduct seafloor mapping and ROV
explorations of the geological, biological, oceanographic,
and archaeological resources of these ocean areas, the
majority of which remain largely unexplored. Falkor will
embark on its first year-long initiative to conduct seven sci-
ence expeditions along all four sides of the Australian con-
tinent, with important implications for the sustainability
and protection of underwater ecosystems—and for similar
habitats worldwide that are in peril because of rising ocean
temperatures. SOI will also continue to focus on projects
that utilize advanced and coordinated robotic systems,
artificial intelligence, and other cutting-edge technology
that can offer effective tools to accelerate ocean research,
conservation, and management at scale.
We invite you to follow along with our explorations
online, and we look forward to sharing highlights of our
discoveries with you next year.
A large primnoid coral with squat lobsters, crinoids,
and urchins was observed at 520 m depth on the
west side of Jarvis Island, a US territory that is part
of the Line Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The image
was captured during E/V Nautilus expedition NA110.
Image credit: OET/WHOI MISO
The year 2019 was noteworthy for the University of
Rhode Island’s Inner Space Center (ISC). Not only was it the
tenth anniversary of the facility, it was also the first time
live, interactive broadcasts were conducted from both the
Arctic and the Antarctic. To augment the missions of ISC’s
two main partner vessels, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer
and Ocean Exploration Trust’s E/V Nautilus, mobile tele-
presence units (MTUs) were installed on a record six
additional vessels throughout the year: research ves-
sels Atlantis, Neil Armstrong, Connecticut, Endeavor, and
Laurence M. Gould, and the icebreaker Oden. MTUs provide
vessels of opportunity with the technology that enables
those aboard the ships to establish a relatively high band-
width Internet connection to stream live video and audio.
The MTUs are customized for each project, installed, and
supported by ISC engineers.
As a leader in the application of telepresence technology
to connect scientists remotely to missions of exploration,
this year the ISC focused on using this same technology to
boost public engagement and broader impacts through
live, two-way broadcasts from the vessels to various audi-
ences around the world. In March 2019, aboard R/V Atlantis,
ISC staff provided live streaming and production capabilities
directly from the vessel to the BBC’s London studios through
a dedicated transmission link. The ISC facilitated collabora-
tion among Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI),
Verizon (the satellite and network service provider), the
ISC, and the BBC to coordinate, configure, and connect
the existing satellite antenna system aboard Atlantis to the
high bandwidth link. Blue Planet Live engaged audiences by
bringing them into five highlighted sites around the globe
in real time. Operating off the coast of California, the broad-
casts involving Atlantis showcased the human-occupied
From Pole to Pole:
Connecting Explorers Across the Globe
By Colleen Peters, Dwight F. Coleman, and Alex DeCiccio
vehicle Alvin as it dove beneath the sea to explore a recent
discovery by E/V Nautilus in Monterey Bay National Marine
Sanctuary called the “octopus garden” (Figure 1).
Hosting live interactions from the ISC rather than
directly from the vessel allows staff to quickly manage
transmissions from shore when challenges disrupt a clear
connection to the ship. The shoreside host can keep the
conversation flowing while standing by to reestablish
connectivity. The host can spontaneously bring in guest
expertise, and the production team can easily retrieve
relevant video to visually demonstrate answers when the
host takes questions from the audience. This capability not
only ensures the audience will always receive a planned
program, it also adds value to the broadcasts by showing
additional video content.
In July, three ISC staff members joined a team of scien-
tists and students aboard the Swedish icebreaker Oden to
explore the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. One aspect of
the expedition led by the ISC was the execution of 39 live
broadcasts from inside the Northwest Passage to class-
rooms and informal science education centers via Skype,
Zoom, and Facebook Live. Using social media platforms
with direct links to the Smithsonian (Washington, DC), The
Exploratorium (San Francisco, California), and the Alaska
SeaLife Center (Fairbanks, Alaska), the onboard team cov-
ered topics about seabirds, marine mammals, the Arctic
ecosystem, and the physical aspects of the Arctic Ocean.
FIGURE 1. Images from the 2019 E/V Nautilus expedition to the
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary “octopus garden.”
(left) ROV Hercules image shows an octopus hatchling escap-
ing a predatory shrimp and (above) octopuses (Muusoctopus
robustus) in the brooding position.
44
Feedback from viewers suggested these broadcasts cre-
ated a high level of emotional engagement.
In September, the NOAA Office of National Marine
Sanctuaries and WHOI sponsored a cruise aboard
R/V Connecticut to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine
Sanctuary where live broadcasts were conducted while
an ROV explored the wreck of the wooden-hulled paddle-
wheel steamship Portland (Figure 2). Prior to the cruise,
the ISC production team worked closely with the partners
to guide the pre-production process of crafting scripts,
gathering footage, and scheduling the broadcast days. The
ISC established connection tests with each venue, oriented
the guest(s) to the technology, and provided an overview
of expectations during the program in order to create a
smooth process for both the venues and the vessel. The ISC
connected the program directly to schools, YouTube, and
Facebook Live, with an estimated reach of 2,000 partici-
pants and 10,000 online viewers.
Throughout the year, the ISC tested a live interaction
program that was based ashore rather than aboard NOAA
Ship Okeanos Explorer. In collaboration with NOAA’s Office
of Ocean Exploration and Research engagement team,
and using ROV Deep Discoverer footage, the ISC connected
with classrooms, museum summer camps, and the Ocean
Discovery Institute in San Diego via Skype (Figure 3).
Working with the Ocean Exploration Trust and the
E/V Nautilus team, the ISC assists with providing most pre-
2018 ROV Hercules video through a request system that
often takes a long time to fill. New to the 2019 field season,
a YouTube Channel (Nautilus Live Dive Recordings) was cre-
ated to host the one-hour full dive recordings as captured
through the live satellite link by ISC servers. The videos were
then contributed to Lamont-Doherty’s Ocean Video Lab, an
underwater video portal (http://www.oceanvideolab.org/)
designed both to make underwater video more accessible
and to develop a mechanism to automate video anno-
tations. Through the portal, citizen scientists can log in
FIGURE 2. NOAA Education Specialist Hannah MacDonald hosting
a live classroom connection from ISC Mission Control with National
Geographic’s Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants during the NOAA
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary project.
FIGURE 3. ISC Intern Ben Woods answers questions from
students during a live classroom connection hosted by
NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research Regional
Program Manager Catalina Martinez.
FIGURE 4. ISC Media & Production Specialist Alex DeCiccio
directs the Arctic broadcasts from Production Control with
assistance from Daniele Myers.
and add simple annotations (e.g., identifying a deep-sea
coral), while registered scientific users can add manual
annotations (e.g., the coral species name). Navigation data
and shipboard annotations can also be ingested into the
system, which can be downloaded by any user.
In late October 2019, the final MTU project sup-
ported Antarctic Broadcasts: Broader Impacts Through
Telepresence (ABBIT) during an expedition aboard
R/V Laurence M. Gould to Palmer Station on the Antarctic
Peninsula that was funded by the National Science
Foundation. This proof-of-concept project utilized the
ship’s telecommunications system to conduct live inter-
actions from the Southern Ocean (Figure 4). The ISC team
brought a variety of video encoding equipment aboard
the vessel to run a series of tests on the limited bandwidth
available in order to determine which devices, settings,
bandwidth protocols, frame rates, and video quality pro-
vided the most robust experience so that future vessels
operating in remote regions could connect with the high-
est quality end product. This project not only demonstrated
the capabilities of the ship and the ISC to host broadcasts
from an isolated area of the planet but also demonstrated
the increasing need for both the science community and
the general public to better understand our ocean and the
federally funded work that occurs at remote field facilities.
7
8
9
11
10
5
6
10
Page 42
The Deep Sea in the
American Samoa
Archipelago
11
Page 32
Searching for Shipwrecks
in Thunder Bay National
Marine Sanctuary
Page 103
Costa Rican Deep-Sea
Connections
Page 104
Microbial Mysteries:
Searching for Microbial
Community Structure
Page 105
Seeking Space Rocks
Page 105
Methane Hydrates at
the Edge of Stability
Page 106
Deep Coral Diversity at
Emperor Seamounts
Page 34
Sea Caves of the
Channel Islands
5
Page 44
Expedition Amelia
9
Page 46
Pacific Remote Islands
Marine National Monument
8
Page 30
E/V Nautilus 2019
Mapping
6
Page 36
SUBSEA 2019 Expedition
to the Gorda Ridge
Page 38
Discoveries from the
US Line Islands
7
Page 50
Monterey Bay National
Marine Sanctuary Octopus
Gardens and Whale Fall
6
1
2
Page 48
Northern California National
Marine Sanctuaries
3
4
Page 40
The Search for
Samoan Clipper
10
9
1
2
3
4
5
8 7
2019 Expedition
Overview Map
R/V FALKOR
E/V NAUTILUS EXPEDITIONS