Contents
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................................... 1
All Hands on Deck: The 2018 National Ocean Exploration Forum...................................................................................... 4
Expedition Support from the Inner Space Center .................................................................................................................... 6
2018 Expedition Overview Map ....................................................................................................................................................10
PART 1. OCEAN EXPLORATION TRUST – E/V NAUTILUS ...................................................................................12
Ocean Exploration Trust and E/V Nautilus: The First Ten Years (2009–2018) .................................................................14
Technology ...........................................................................................................................................................................................20
Nautilus Samples Program: Documenting the History and Diversity of Our Ocean ..................................................26
A Decade of Engaging Students, Educators, and Global Audiences in Deep-Sea Expeditions .............................30
Nautilus Field Season Overview ....................................................................................................................................................36
Contributing to Global Seabed Mapping Initiatives: Nautilus Maps Remote Pacific Areas ...........................38
Further Exploration of Methane Seeps on the Cascadia Margin .............................................................................40
Northeast Pacific Seamount Expedition: Exploring Canada’s Seamounts ...........................................................42
Deep Space Meets Deep Sea on Expedition 2018: Wiring the Abyss ....................................................................44
Mapping the Lava Deltas of the 2018 Eruption of Kīlauea Volcano .......................................................................46
SUBSEA 2018 Expedition to Lō‘ihi Seamount, Hawai‘i ................................................................................................48
Enigmatic Seamounts: Exploring the Geologic Origins and Biological Communities
in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument ......................................................................................50
Corals, Sponges, and an Octopus Garden in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary ...............................52
“Walking with the Ancients” in the Southern California Continental Borderland .............................................54
PART 2. NOAA’S OFFICE OF OCEAN EXPLORATION AND RESEARCH .......................................................56
Ten Years of Ocean Exploration with NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer: Taking the Risk to
“See Through New Technological Eyes” ............................................................................................................................58
Ocean Exploration in Support of the Blue Economy .............................................................................................................70
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer..........................................................................................................................................................72
ASPIRE: Atlantic Seafloor Partnership for Integrated Research and Exploration Campaign 2016–2020 ...........74
2018 Expeditions with NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer ............................................................................................................76
Deep-Sea Exploration of the US Gulf of Mexico with NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer ..................................................78
Windows to the Deep 2018: Exploration of the Southeast US Continental Margin...................................................82
The Blake Ridge Wreck .....................................................................................................................................................................86
Mapping Deepwater Areas Southeast of Bermuda in Support of the Galway Statement
on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation ...........................................................................................................................................88
Océano Profundo 2018: Exploration of Deep-Sea Habitats of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands ................90
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer 2018 Ocean Mapping Achievements ................................................................................92
Mapping and Exploration in Support of the US Extended Continental Shelf Project ...............................................96
Mapping Deepwater Areas off the Southeast US in Support of the Extended Continental Shelf Project .........98
Technology and Ocean Exploration ......................................................................................................................................... 100
Mapping Rhode Island’s Historic Submarines Using Synthetic Aperture Sonar ...................................................... 101
Gulf of Mexico Technology Demonstration ........................................................................................................................... 102
DEEP SEARCH: Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral/Canyon/Cold Seep Habitats ................. 104
It Takes a Village! Managing Data from Okeanos Explorer ................................................................................................. 106
Engagement: Reaching Across, Beyond, and in Diverse Ways ........................................................................................ 110
Introduction and 2018 Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 110
Over a Decade of Training the Next Generation: The Explorer-in-Training Program .................................... 114
Demonstrating Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 2018 ............................................................. 115
Education Review .................................................................................................................................................................. 117