The essays below will help you to understand the goals and objectives of the mission and provide additional context and information about the places being explored and the science, tools, and technologies being used.
By Kelley Elliott
From April 10 to May 1, a team of scientists and technicians both at sea and on shore will conduct exploratory investigations on the diversity and distribution of deep-sea habitats and marine life in the Gulf of Mexico.
Read moreBy Kelley Elliott, James Austin, and Stephanie Farrington
The 2014 Gulf of Mexico Expedition continues NOAA’s efforts with partners to reduce the unknown by conducting baseline ecosystem characterizations to support a variety of research, management, economic, and educational activities.
Read moreBy Kelley Elliott
Okeanos conducts community-driven systematic ocean exploration, working with the broader ocean science community to identify priority areas for exploration with a high potential for discovery.
Read moreBy Jack Irion, Frank Cantelas, Chris Horrell, and Jim Delgado
In the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, our nation’s collective maritime history and culture, in the form of shipwrecks, lies embedded in the seafloor. NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research and its partners have previously explored many of these sites.
Read moreBy Dr. Steve Gittings and Dr. Bill Kiene
We usually think of the deep ocean as being so isolated and enormous that our lives are of little consequence to it. Most deep-ocean places are far from land, buffered by distance and a thick layer of water, and seldom, if ever, see human visitors.
Read moreBy James Austin
In April 2014, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will conduct an approximately three-week expedition to two areas in the Gulf of Mexico: the north-central part of the basin, along and north of a steep slope/geologic feature known as the Sigsbee Escarpment, and the central-west Florida Escarpment.
Read moreBy Lindsay McKenna
On March 19, 2014, the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will sail out of Galveston, Texas, to conduct exploratory seafloor and water column mapping in the areas south and southeast of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, located in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.
Read moreBy Derek Sowers
From February 24 - March 15, 2014, the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will conduct an expedition from its home port of Davisville, Rhode Island, to Galveston, Texas, while conducting seafloor and water column mapping of top-priority exploration focus areas in the Gulf of Mexico.
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