Exploring the ocean for national benefit

NOAA Ocean Exploration is the only federal program dedicated to exploring the unknown ocean, unlocking its potential through scientific discovery, technological advancements, partnerships, data delivery, and education.

Learn About Science & Exploration

Learn About Ocean Exploration

Dive into ocean exploration by exploring materials such as stories, ocean facts, and images and videos, organized by topic for learners of all ages and levels.

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Highlights

Expeditions & Projects
A yellow autonomous underwater vehicle sits secured on the open deck of a ship before deployment at sea.

Exploring Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary at Scale

Between July 13 and 28, researchers returned to Lake Michigan for a second year of fieldwork to explore and archaeologically document nationally significant shipwrecks in the deep waters (130-450 feet) of Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Their goal was to test new technology and techniques for exploring deepwater shipwrecks — and learn more about our past.
Two researchers in hard hats on a ship’s deck transfer water samples from bottles on a remotely operated vehicle to plastic bags.
Expeditions & Projects
SOUP: A Recipe for Managing Data from the Abyss to Archive
A pale squat lobster with red eyes clings to a branching coral structure in the deep ocean.
Expeditions & Projects
Predicting Deep-Sea Coral Diversity Across the Pacific Islands

News Updates

Education
NOAA Ocean Exploration Hosts Inaugural Blue Technology Education Workshop
General
New Pathways to Discovery: NOAA Ocean Exploration Publishes Data on Global Databases
Publication
Researchers Identify Dense Coral and Sponge Communities in Deep Alaskan Waters
Opportunity
Call for Input: NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer 2027 Proposed Pacific Island Operating Areas
Education
Professional Development Workshop Brings Deep-Sea Science to Palau’s Middle and High School Classrooms
Event
From Seawater to Sequences: Exploring NOAA’s New Deep‑Sea Environmental DNA Dataset

In the Field: 2026

NOAA Ocean Exploration works with partners to explore previously unknown areas of our ocean, making discoveries of scientific, economic, and cultural value and supporting innovations in exploration tools and capabilities. In 2026, we will lead and support expeditions and fieldwork in the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Lake Michigan.

Read About These Expeditions and Projects
Featured 2025 Statistics
339,864 Square Kilometers of Seafloor Mapped
120+ Days at Sea on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer
3.2 Million Website Views
600+ Educators Trained
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in port in Honolulu, Hawai‘i,

Status: NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer — In Port

NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer arrived in Suva, Fiji, on September 17, marking the end of the 2026 American Samoa ROV + Mapping Exploration expedition. Our next expedition, 2026 American Samoa Mapping, begins on September 24. It will include mapping operations, focusing on waters around American Samoa before transiting to Hawai‘i, filling critical gaps in seafloor mapping data along the way.

Two crew members on a ship deploy a CTD rosette system into the ocean using a crane.

Featured Favorite

The CTD-rosette system shown here during the 2022 Caribbean Mapping expedition served us well for many years, but the system on board in 2026 features a new frame and a new water sampler, which holds 24 10-liter Niskin bottles, doubling the capacity of the previous system. Another addition to the CTD-rosette system is a photosynthetically active radiation sensor that measures the intensity of sunlight available for plant life at different depths.

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