$Mapping Watchstander, Neah Baechler, prepares to put the expendable bathythermograph (XBT) equipment away after deploying an XBT. XBTs are launched every ~2-6 hours to acquire temperature data of the water column down to 760 meters (2,493 feet). These data are used to estimate water column refraction required for multibeam sonar data.$
Mapping Watchstander, Neah Baechler, prepares to put the expendable bathythermograph (XBT) equipment away after deploying an XBT. XBTs are launched every ~2-6 hours to acquire temperature data of the water column down to 760 meters (2,493 feet). These data are used to estimate water column refraction required for multibeam sonar data. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 Laulima O Ka Moana. Download larger version (jpg, 7.3 MB).
Expedition Mapping Lead, Mashkoor Malik, works on planning the mapping lines the ship will run today since the weather is too poor to dive. Behind him, Survey Technician Charlie Wilkins edits recently acquired multibeam data. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 Laulima O Ka Moana. Download larger version (jpg, 8.9 MB).

Seamount Mapping

July 16, 2017

Today's remotely operated vehicle dive was cancelled due to high sea state, wind conditions, and shifting currents around Johnston Atoll. Instead, the team spent the day conducting mapping operations to add multibeam coverage to seamounts mapped by NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in 2015. New data were collected over ridge features extending northeast from Keli Ridge, resulting in a nearly complete map of the feature. Data were also acquired over top of a seamount to the east and resulted in a complete map of this unnamed seamount – providing new data and insights on the many seamounts and ridges in the Johnston Atoll Unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.