Ten Years of Collecting Ocean Exploration Data from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer

Stories

These stories, recounted by the people who were there, highlight the science and technology, trials, discoveries, and excitement that are all part of the first 10 years of collecting ocean exploration data from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.

Ten Years of Ocean Exploration with NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer

High-resolution multibeam bathymetry collected by NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer showing the topography of the Stetson North region.

Expedition Hopes to Chart “Million Mounds” of Deep-sea Coral off Southeast Coast

Data from the multibeam sonar on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer provided a 3D image of an underwater gas plume rising 1,400 meters (4,590 feet) from the seafloor off the California Coast in 2009.

Sonar Testing on Okeanos Shakedown Reveals Big Plume of Underwater Gas

Following the joint expedition's closing ceremony, Chief Bosun Carl VerPlanck coralled participants for a final group photo. Available crew members from both NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer and the Indonesian Research Vessel Baruna Jaya IV, as well as technicians, scientists and program managers are pictured. Image courtesy of NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, INDEX-SATAL 2010.

Maiden Voyage of Okeanos Explorer Lesson in Persistence by NOAA Team

Green eggs can be seen on this alvinocarid shrimp living near a hydrothermal vent at the Von Damm site. Image courtesy of NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, MCR Expedition 2011.

Diving for Weird Life on the Bottom of the Caribbean Sea

Zooplankton, normally difficult to see with the naked eye, viewed through a microscope. Image courtesy of M. Wilson, J. Clark, NOAA NMFS AFSC.

Trawling for Plankton (and Plastic) on the Way Home from Indonesia

Methane bubbles flow in small streams out of the sediment on an area of seafloor offshore Virginia north of Washington Canyon. Quill worms, anemones, and patches of microbial mat can be seen in and along the periphery of the seepage area. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2013 ROV Shakedown and Field Trials in the U.S. Atlantic Canyons.