Daniel Wagner, a scientist with the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, gingerly removes a deep coral from the collection basket on the Deep Discoverer remotely operated vehicle. Image courtesy of Art Howard/NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2015 Hohonu Moana. Download larger version (768 KB).
In July 2015, a team of NOAA and partners initiated the ‘Campaign to Address Pacific monument Science, Technology, and Ocean NEeds (CAPSTONE)’. CAPSTONE is a major multi-year foundational science effort focused on deepwater areas of U.S. marine protected areas in the central and western Pacific. The investment provides timely, actionable information to support decision making based on reliable and authoritative science. It also serves as an opportunity for the nation to highlight the uniqueness and importance of these national symbols of ocean conservation.
As with all Okeanos Explorer expeditions, telepresence technology will allow anyone to follow CAPSTONE expeditions online in real time.
The central and western Pacific marine national monuments and national marine sanctuaries encompass over 742,000 square miles of emergent land, coral reef, ocean, and maritime heritage resources. They contain some of the last relatively pristine marine ecosystems on the planet and harbor numerous protected species, as well as undiscovered shipwrecks and cultural landscapes sacred to the indigenous peoples of the Pacific.
Their designation is unprecedented in terms of geographic scope, ecological value, and national symbolism for ocean conservation. However, their remoteness creates substantial challenges. Most deep-water areas remain poorly known and are of high interest to federal and state agencies with research and management responsibilities.
View from Deep Discoverer of a deep coral and sponge community along the Northampton Seamount Ridge, seen during the 2015 expedition. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2015 Hohonu Moana. Download larger version (1.1 MB).
The Campaign will provide a foundation of publicly accessible baseline data and information from U.S. marine protected areas in the central and western Pacific. The effort will also provide critical information relevant to emerging regional issues like deep-sea mining and the potential U.S. Extended Continental Shelf.
Science themes include:
Google Earth image of the U.S. marine national monuments and national marine sanctuaries in the central and western Pacific. These are the primary geographic areas of CAPSTONE operations between 2015 and 2017. Download larger version (291 KB).
*All 2016 and 2017 plans are dependent upon Fiscal Year 2016 and 2017 budget appropriations.
For more information about 2016 and 2017 CAPSTONE plans or to discuss potential regional partnerships please contact Chris Kelley at ckelley@hawaii.edu and Jeremy Potter at jeremy.potter@noaa.gov.
For details on how to get involved with Okeanos Explorer activities, please visit this page.