Atlantic Canyons Undersea Mapping 2012 Expeditions

Scientists and managers identified this five canyon area as the 2nd highest geographic priority. The map displays bathymetry collected during the first ACUMEN cruise. Hassler will complete the area in June with high resolution coverage of the canyon heads.

Jeremy Potter
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

Between February and August 2012, a team of NOAA and external partners will conduct a mapping ‘blitz’ focused on deepwater canyons off the northeastern seaboard.

During this this series of five Atlantic Canyons Undersea Mapping Expeditions, scientists on three NOAA ships will gather baseline information, mapping priority frontier areas along the continental shelf and slope along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States, from Virginia to Rhode Island.

Mission Plan and Summaries
Click images or links below for summaries from the five expeditions that are part of the Atlantic Canyons Undersea Mapping effort.

Mission Plan Between February and August 2012, a team of NOAA and external partners will conduct a mapping ‘blitz’ focused on deepwater canyons off the northeastern seaboard.

ACUMEN Summary What began as informal dialogue among NOAA and external colleagues early this year quickly evolved into a major field campaign focused on surveying the deepwater canyons along the break of the continental shelf between Virginia and New England.

Expedition 4: Deep-sea Coral Survey Aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow
The 2012 Atlantic Canyons Undersea Mapping Expeditions (ACUMEN) field efforts finished with a deep-sea coral survey cruise aboard NOAA Fisheries Survey Vessel Henry B. Bigelow.

Expedition 3: Coastal Ocean Mapping Aboard the NOAA Ship Ferdinand R. Hassler
Hassler’s participation in the ACUMEN project was the result of a mutually-beneficial collaboration between NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey (OCS), Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER), and Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

Expedition 2: Ocean Floor Mapping from the Perspective of an Intern and an Interview with a Marine Ecologist
It is often said that we know more about the surface of the moon than we know about the surface of the seafloor. After serving as an intern aboard the Okeanos Explorer during the second expedition of the Atlantic Canyons Undersea Mapping effort, it is hard to argue with this comparison.

Expedition 1: Veatch Canyon Shakedown Cruise 2012 EX1201 was the first expedition of the 2012 field season for the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer. The primary objective of the shakedown cruise was to operationally test the vessel, its systems, and all mission equipment.

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