NOAA Explorer

Surface wind and subsequently ocean waves have intensified, making it unsafe to launch or recover Jason. In lieu of daily ROV dives, the science team has busied itself with an array of observation and sampling methods originally scheduled during the night.

Like humans, corals have bacteria that live in them and on them. These bacteria are a natural part of the coral’s biology (just like the bacteria in our guts) and are necessary for the health of the coral. However, we are still in the early stages of understanding which bacteria are present and what they are doing for the corals.

In 2012, the Deepwater Canyons project focused primarily on surveying and sampling Baltimore Canyon, with a smaller amount of work done in Norfolk Canyon. The reverse is true of this year’s exploration: remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dive and sampling targets in Norfolk Canyon will comprise the majority of our days at sea.

From the moment the NOAA Ship Ron Brown left the pier in Charleston, South Carolina, this morning, life has been moving at a very rapid pace.

(April - May) The Deepwater Canyons 2013: Pathways to the Abyss expedition will depart from Charleston, South Carolina, on 30 April on the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown and will return to Charleston on 27 May. The cruise will be divided into two legs. Work in Leg I will emphasize biological objectives in Norfolk Canyon, with some sampling in Baltimore Canyon. Leg II will focus on archaeological targets in and around the Norfolk Canyon area, with some emphasis on biological objectives.

(September) Join scientists in the latest in a series of expeditions to explore the submarine volcanoes of the Western Pacific. See the highlights, including daily logs, images and live video.

(August/September) This is the ninth year that Russian-American Long-term Census of the Arctic scientists will be conducting long-term research to better understand the causes and consequences of environmental change in the fragile Arctic environment.

(August-October) Join scientists as they explore Mid-Atlantic deepwater, hard bottom canyons off the coasts of Viginia and Maryland.

(July) Join scientists as they return to two dive sites they visited in 2009, hoping to excavate late Pleistocene terrestrial sediments from beneath the modern seafloor.

(July) Scientists aboard the Research Vessel Brooks McCall set off on their fifth and final expedition to investigate the deep-water coral communities of the Gulf of Mexico.

(April) During a 10-day cruise on the R/V Melville, scientists probe for strange new biological life forms, communities, and ecosystems dependent on as-yet-unknown conditions.

(July/August) During July and August of 2012, Exploration Vessel Nautilus will explore the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, and Mediterranean Sea off the coasts of Turkey and Cyprus.

(August) Join scientists as they return to the four dive sites they visited in 2009, to study the biology, geology and oceanography of a series of canyons off the middle Atlantic coast of the U.S.

(July-November) A multi-institute initiative is conducting ocean exploration projects in the Black, Aegean, and Mediterranean Seas, and the eastern Atlantic Ocean over a five-month period.

(June) Some of the world’s foremost technical and scientific divers are using state of the art diving equipment to explorer Bermuda's deep water caves. Join them as they examine the unique characteristics of Bermuda's shelf edge in order to learn more about climate and sea level fluctuations since the last Ice Age.

(June) This project represents a major systematic exploration of submarine canyons on the continental margin of the eastern United States. Scientists will use data and information to improve knowledge of the type and extent of unique deep-water communities in the mid-Atlantic canyons.

(September) Join us as an interdisciplinary expedition explores the forgotten world of the Maya in the Yucatan along the tip of Quintana Roo. See how the Maya maritime trade network was able to thrive in a challenging coastal environment that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean.

(February-March) In this deep-diving expedition to the Southern Pacific, scientists characterized deep reef communities and began the task of assessing organisms for their biotechnology potential.

(October) Scientists aboard the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown set off on their fourth expedition to investigate the deep-water coral communities of the Gulf of Mexico.

(September-October) Using a multidisciplinary approach including mapping, core sampling and "green" vessel technology, scientists explore this famous - if still relatively unknown - underwater fault off Northern California's coast.