May through August 2022, NOAA and partners will conduct Voyage to the Ridge 2022, a series of three, telepresence-enabled ocean exploration expeditions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer that will include mapping operations and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives to collect baseline information about unexplored and poorly understood deepwater areas of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Azores Plateau, and Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone.
The first Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition, from May 14 - June 7, will include mapping operations to collect acoustic data of seafloor and sub-seafloor geomorphology and water column habitats of the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The collection of high-resolution mapping data is a key element of every NOAA Ocean Exploration expedition on Okeanos Explorer and mapping data will be instrumental to planning subsequent ROV dives, which will begin on June 16.
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is the only federal vessel dedicated to exploring our largely unknown ocean for the purpose of discovery and the advancement of knowledge about the deep ocean.
Read moreIn 2022, NOAA Ocean Exploration will spend more than 200 days at sea on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer while exploring in both the Atlantic and Pacific ocean basins.
Read moreFrom scientists and students to members of the general public, learn how to get involved with expeditions led by NOAA Ocean Exploration on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer.
Read moreFollow expeditions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer while underway or retrace past expeditions. For each expedition, you'll find content ranging from stories to images and videos.
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