The environment on Earth is constantly changing. Many of those changes are happening faster than ever. The ocean plays a critical role in many of these changes, from the increasing frequency and severity of coastal storms to sea level rise and warming temperatures. Communities, particularly those in coastal areas, must make increasingly difficult decisions to stay safe, resilient, and economically sound.
Through ocean exploration, from mapping and characterizing previously unseen seafloor to collecting and disseminating data about ocean waters, we can establish the baseline information needed to better understand environmental change.
This baseline knowledge fills gaps in the unknown, delivering the reliable and authoritative science that is foundational to providing foresight about future conditions and informing the decisions we confront every day on this dynamic planet.