Ocean Exploration

2001 Annual Report

EXPL RE
“For thousands of years, humans have gazed out across the ocean and

pondered what lay beyond the horizon. What we recognize today is that

what lies below that horizon is just as important as what lies beyond it.”

Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (Ret.)

Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere

 and NOAA Administrator
A sketch from artist M.J. Brush’s notebook depicting some of the sea life images captured by Alvin during the first leg of the Deep East Expedition.

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Ocean Exploration

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Accomplishments Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2001 Expeditions and Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

2001 Expeditions and Projects Globe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2

Education and Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

2001 Funds Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Appendix I: Congressional Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Appendix II: Media Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

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Above: Field of sea cucumbers along the steep slope of

Astoria Canyon observed during the Lewis and Clark

Legacy Expedition.

Left: A manta ray observed at Flower Gardens Bank

National Marine Sanctuary.
Ocean Exploration 2001

Introduction

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The Ocean Exploration Mission

The NOAA OE Program’s mission is to search

and investigate the oceans for the purpose of

discovery and the advancement of knowledge of

the ocean’s physical, chemical and biological

environments, processes, characteristics, and

resources. OE accomplishes this through interdisciplinary expeditions to unknown, or poorly

known, regions and through innovative experiments. The Program advocates discovery-based

science and collaboration between multiple

partners and disciplines. Education and outreach are cornerstones of NOAA’s new OE

Program.

True to the vision described in, "Discovering

Earth’s Final Frontier: A U.S. Strategy for Ocean

Exploration," NOAA OE funded pathfinding

ocean exploration projects in 2001. These

projects and expeditions brought some of

America’s brightest ocean scientists and most

enthusiastic ocean outreach specialists and

educators together to pursue exploration in the

Pacific, Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. This

work brought NOAA to the frontier of ocean

regions and shared that work with millions of

explorers across the Nation.

This report details NOAA OE accomplishments

in its inaugural year and describes each major

expedition and project undertaken in 2001.

Underwater fauna viewed on ROPOS Dive R602 in the

deeper portion of Astoria Canyon.

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n June 2000, a U.S. panel of ocean

scientists, explorers, and educators

convened to create a National Strategy

for Ocean Exploration. Their final report, “Discovering Earth’s Final Frontier: A U.S. Strategy

for Ocean Exploration,” is a plan to undertake

new activities in ocean exploration. The National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA) has embarked on this new strategy

through its Office of Ocean Exploration (OE), and

has created new partnerships with public, private, and academic ocean exploration programs

throughout the community of ocean science.
Ocean Exploration

Accomplishments Summary

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n its inaugural year, Ocean Exploration has given NOAA and the Nation a new understanding of

ocean regions, systems, resources, and life.

Ocean Frontiers

- Biological diversity in previously unexplored regions was documented

- For the first time, scientists and explorers observed and filmed the formation of methane hydrates,

 a potential future energy source

- Ancient, inundated coastlines off the west coast of the United States were discovered, including

 the discovery of 14,000 year old intertidal mussel beds found near Heceta Bank

New Species Collections

Several of the species collected during 2001 OE expeditions have never been described,

including a number of invertebrates. OE Explorers also documented the extended known

geographic range of many ocean species and deep sea communities.

Miles mapped

During the 2001 field season, over 3,200 square nautical miles were mapped using highresolution tools. These new maps give scientists and natural resources managers the tools

they need to make better decisions.

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Outreach

The Oceanexplorer.noaa.gov Web site receives an average of 1,400 “hits” per day and

contains over 1,600 pages of information about our voyages and the oceans explored. Over

70 classrooms participated in the Deep East Expedition using lesson plans and educational

products created for especially for the Deep East cruise.

America’s Maritime Heritage

- OE provided assistance to the U.S. Navy and the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary to raise the

 steam engine from the USS Monitor

- In the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 11 known shipwrecks were located and 70 total

 targets were surveyed .

- The US Navy submarine, the S5, was located and has been added to nautical charts and the

 historic shipwreck database

Real time Data Delivery

For the first time, 700 Megabytes/day of real time underwater sound files are being delivered to scientists,

resource managers and students, via the Internet, from hydrophones installed on Pioneer Seamount, off the

California coast.
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Ocean Exploration

2001 Expeditions and Projects
The Lewis and Clark Legacy Expedition

In the spirit of discovery defined by the original Lewis and Clark Expedition, ocean scientists explored the little known submarine abyss of Astoria Canyon. Just 10 miles offshore from the mouth of

the Columbia River, the most westward reach of the famous 19th century explorers, these depths

were virtually unexplored. The region’s active tectonic setting suggested the potential for fluid or

methane seeps in the canyon. Its sheer depth has stood as a "sentry," guarding the canyon from

human intruders, and intrigued the researchers who hoped to discover untouched biological havens and even previously unknown

species.

Deep East

In an exciting expedition during September and October of

2001, scientists explored three regions of the Atlantic Ocean

stretching from Maine to Georgia, including the submarine

canyons of Georges Bank and Bear Seamount off the New

England coast; Hudson Submarine Canyon, an ancient

extension of the Hudson River Valley that extends more than

400 nautical miles seaward from the New York-New Jersey

Harbor; and Blake Ridge off the Georgia coast. Even though

these areas are very close to home, until now very little was

known about the living and nonliving resources found there.

Using the manned submersible Alvin, scientists ventured to

the bottom of the Atlantic, collected video, took measurements of the biological, geological, and chemical features of

these areas, and brought back biological and geological

samples for further analyses. During the expedition Scientists focused on the examination of deep-water corals,

methane hydrates, and discovered previously unknown

deep sea resources and ocean processes.

A deep sea anemone seen from the Alvin on

Blake Ridge during the Deep East Expedition.

Three-dimensional image of the upper portion of Astoria Canyon.

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The modern-day explorers plumbed the

depths of Astoria Canyon with many

technological tools that were unimagined in

the time of Lewis and Clark. Sonar, hydrophones, high-resolution video, and a

remotely operated vehicle called ROPOS

are just a few of them. Once finished in the

canyon, the exploration party headed to

nearby Heceta Bank, a heavily fished

underwater plateau. There, they assessed

and compared its habitat with the nearly

pristine environment of Astoria Canyon.
Sound in the Sea

In late August, scientists sailed from San Francisco to Pioneer Seamount, off the coast of central

California, and installed underwater hydrophones (known as an array). The hydrophones allow

researchers to remotely monitor and record

ocean sound to further their understanding

of the sources and effects of ocean noise. The

ocean sound data is now being transmitted

live over the Internet. Passive underwater

acoustic monitoring allows the detection of a

variety of deep-ocean processes at long

distances. Some of the sound sources to be

studied include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, marine mammal and fish

vocalizations, weather, and manmade noises.

The experience gained from this effort may

enable scientists to expand the hydrophone

arrays to other underwater cables that can be

retrofitted. Ultimately, this could lead to a

monitoring network capable of acoustic

exploration throughout much of the global

ocean. Diagram of the hydrophone array installed on Pioneer Seamount.

Preserving the USS Monitor

The USS Monitor, launched early in the American Civil

War, has been called the U.S. Navy’s first modern warship. In 1975, her sunken and rusting hull became

America’s first national marine sanctuary. This expedition consisted of a five month effort by Navy divers to

recover the Monitor’s innovative steam engine and a

section of her hull. The Navy employed a wide range of

technologies in this effort, which was one of the largest

archaeological recovery projects ever conducted. Monitor

2001 consisted of five expeditions to the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, conducted in three phases. Each

phase involved personnel from NOAA, the U.S. Navy,

The Mariners’ Museum and other organizations.

A U.S. Navy Diver prepares to descend on the U.S.S.

Monitor.

Thunder Bay

The Thunder Bay ECHO Expedition, undertaken with the Institute

for Exploration and the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

and Underwater Preserve, used sidescan sonar to survey "Shipwreck Alley" in the deep waters of the Thunder Bay National

Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve in Lake Huron.

Explorers located and acoustically imaged the deep-water shipwrecks in the sanctuary. The project was conducted from June 8-22,

2001, off the northeast coast of Michigan’s lower peninsula. From

wooden sailing ships to early steamers to modern vessels, Thunder

Bay has taken many ships to their watery graves. The collection of

shipwrecks in Thunder Bay is a historical archive of commerce in

the Great Lakes, as well as of the shipbuilding styles characteristic

of the last century.

Sidescan image of the New Orleans located

during the Thunder Bay expedition.

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Islands in the Stream

Islands in the Stream was a voyage to explore protected and

non-protected coral reef and hard bottom communities --

the "islands" -- of Belize, Mexico and the United States, as

well as the currents -- the Gulf "Stream" -- that connect these

different habitats. The OE Expedition, one component of the

Islands in the Stream Mission, concentrated on improving

our understanding of coral reef and hard bottom communities off the Southeastern U.S. Operations included submersible and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) work, collection of

oceanographic data, and surface, mid-water, and bottom

sampling.

Next Generation Tools

The distribution and abundance of invertebrate

organisms residing on or in the seabed, as well

as the commercially-important

species they support, are

closely related to physical

properties of the substrate.

The Next Generation Tools

expedition used a state-of-theart Klein 5000 side scan sonar

system and biological sampling to explore relationships

between small-scale geological

features and benthic communities in Alaskan waters. The

primary objectives of the

expedition were to evaluate

advanced remote-sensing

technology for future broad-scale seafloor

The Link Project

Exploration 2002, an international symposium for ocean and space technology innovation, will be

The Link Project's next step to explore new opportunities for partnerships to advance ocean and

space exploration. The upcoming symposium will help to

continue a working relationship of technology collaboration

between NOAA and NASA and their existing partnerships with

industry and the private sector. This major symposium will

present recent and future advances in technology that may

benefit ocean and space exploration and research. Explorers

who have been to the frontiers will share their stories of discovery and their visions for tomorrow. A future that includes deepsea and interplanetary exploration, and the existence of previously undiscovered life, will be explored. Educational sessions

and opportunities for professionals and students of all ages will

also surround the symposium.

The Clelia submersible awaiting deployment on the

Savannah Scarp.

Approximately 150 different species were collected

during the Next Generation Tools Expedition.

Sensor pods are being minaturized to benefit

NOAA ocean exploration.

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Interferometric side scan

sonar technology was selected

for this study because it is

towed close to the seafloor

and is thus uniquely able to

detect subtle variations in

seabed composition and

morphology. The Klein system

was used because its

multibeam technology not

only produces extremely high

resolution imagery, but the

swath bathymetry feature

enables efficient collection of

precise seabed measurements as well.

mapping expeditions and the feasibility of using

ships of opportunity for this purpose.
East Coast Marine Archaeology

In July 2001, the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and the NOAA Ship WHITING teamed up to

locate and image what may be a historically important Spanish shipwreck and the U.S. Navy submarine S-5, off Delaware Bay.

The S-5 was an American S-class submarine that foundered in

1920 during a routine test dive. The captain managed to float

the 231-foot submarine upright in the water, with its stern

afloat and its bow in the sandy seafloor. Miraculously, his plan

worked; a passing ship caught sight of the S-5’s stern and the

crew was rescued, with no lives lost.

One of the Ocean Exploration goals is to improve knowledge of

America’s maritime heritage. This project located ships and

submarines and will update their positions on nautical charts

and augment our historical database. In addition, there is high

public interest in chronicles about such wrecks as these.

Using Lasers to Explore Deep Ocean Life

Starting in November 2001, a team of scientists and ocean explorers will test the use of underwater electro-optic imaging

technology (Laser Line Scanner, or LLS) as a nondestructive way

to characterize fish and invertebrate populations and their

habitats in deepwater. During this expedition, taking place in

the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, a laser sensor will

provide high resolution (mm-cm scale), high contrast images on

a broader spatial scale than those possible using video observation platforms. This will be the first rigorous field-test of LLS

and its ability to characterize deepwater seafloor habitats.

Gorda Ridge

Together with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the National Science Foundation, OE monitored post seismic activity in the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast in April. This event-driven cruise

required fast mobilization of a platform and scientists to

search for megaplumes in the water column after what was

considered a significant seismic event was picked up by

the SOSUS array. No significant thermal anomalies from

hydrothermal plumes were in the area. Several dredges

were collected to recover rocks from the seafloor, but they

were all clearly old. The entire segment was resurveyed

with multibeam sonar to compare with bathymetry collected before the earthquake swarm. In summary, no

evidence for eruption of lava onto the seafloor has been

found. It now looks like magma was injected into the

seafloor, but none of it hit the surface. The work tells us

more about how this gigantic system works and how these

plumes impact the transport of heat, chemistry and microbes throughout the ocean.

Old lava flows observed during the search for the

Gorda Ridge Plume.

Laser being tested in tank prior to deployment in

Monterey Bay.

The Navy S-5 Submarine

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The RMS Titanic

The RMS Titanic has been the subject of public attention

in the years since the discovery of her resting place in

1985. With the passage of the Titanic Memorial Act of

1986, NOAA was given the responsibility of developing

guidelines for activities conducted at the site. These

guidelines were published in April 2001, after years of

consultation with the international community and

thorough review of documentation from previous

expeditions, published literature, and a public hearing.

NOAA visited the site for the first time this year, participating in two expeditions aboard the Russian research

ship, Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, and at the invitations

of both Deep Ocean Expeditions, and film director

James Cameron. NOAA gained additional insight into

the conditions at the site, and provided advice to the

visiting expeditions.

The bow of the world’s most famous underwater shipwreck

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Ocean Exploration

2001 Expeditions and Projects Globe

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Ocean Exploration

Partners

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The Lewis and Clark

Legacy Expedition

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Oregon State University, Washington

State University, Los Angeles County Museum, Mark

Hatfield Marine Science Center, The Oregonian, Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University

of Washington, Northwind Inc., Canadian Department of

Fisheries, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Pacific

Marine Conservation Council, Southwest Fisheries Science

Center

Deep East National Undersea Research Program, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of Connecticut Avery Point,

Rutgers University, University of Maine, University of North

Carolina Wilmington, College of William and Mary, Louisiana State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Wildlife Conservation Society, College of Charleston, NOS

Coastal Services Center

Project Partners

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, The Institute for

Exploration, National Geographic, State of Michigan

Sound in the Sea Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, University of

Washington, Applied Physics Laboratory, Vandenberg Air

Force Base, San Francisco State University, Monterey Bay

National Marine Sanctuary, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, United States Geological Survey

Preserving the USS

Monitor

Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, U.S. Navy, Newport

News Shipbuilding Inc., U.S. Coast Guard, Phoenix International Inc., U.S. Army Transportation Command, The

Mariner’s Museum, University of North Carolina

Wilmington, East Carolina University, The Cambrian Foundation
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The Link Project National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National

Marine Sanctuary Program, Harbor Branch Oceanographic

Institution

East Coast Marine

Archaeology

NOAA Ship Whiting

Exploring Deepwater

Habitat Using Lasers

National Undersea Research Program, Southwest Fisheries

Science Center, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary,

SAIC, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Moss Landing

Marine Laboratories, University of New Hampshire Joint

Hydrographic Center

Gorda Ridge Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, National Science

Foundation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, U.S. Coast

Guard, University of Hawaii, University of Miami, Oregon

State University, University of Washington

Next Generation Tools Alaska Fisheries Science Center, University of New Hamphire

Joint Hydrographic Center, Klein Associates Inc., B and N

Fisheries Company, U.S. Navy, Groundfish Forum, Triton Elics

International, University of Alaska Fairbanks,

Project Partners

Islands in the Stream National Marine Sanctuary Program, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, South Carolina Department of Natural

Resources, Ft. Lauderdale Museum, Raleigh Museum,

Governor’s Office for the State of Florida, Florida State University, United States Geological Survey, Dynamac/National

Aeronautics and Space Administration, Southeast Fisheries

Science Center, University of North Carolina Wilmington,

Savannah State University, College of Charleston, Oatland

Island Education Center, Georgia Department of Natural

Resources, South Carolina Aquarium, Phoenix International,

NOS Coastal Services Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

North Carolina Department of Natural Resources, University

of New Orleans, WSAV TV Savannah, National Estuarine

Research Reserve, The Monitor Museum

RMS Titanic Earthship Productions, James Cameron, P.P. Shirshov Institute

of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Deep Ocean

Expeditions LTD
Ocean Exploration

E ducation and Outreach

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s cornerstones of the Ocean Exploration Program, education and outreach activities in year

one demonstrated NOAA’s ability to develop new products for scientists, educators and

students of all ages. Our commitment to raising America’s science literacy and engaging the broadest

possible audience brought ocean exploration to an expanding ocean constituency. Outreach venues

ranged from the White House Conference Center to classrooms across the Nation with the number of

people reached climbing into the millions.

Outreach Events

A number of portside and Washington-based

events during the year raised the visibility of

Ocean Exploration to a number of audiences.

Each was carefully planned, and facilitated

through partnerships to leverage maximum

participation and effective use of outreach

funds. These following cities were the sites of

major outreach events:

- Alpena, Michigan

- Newport, Oregon

- Charleston, South Carolina

- Galveston, Texas

- Washington, D.C.

oceanexplorer.noaa.gov

The Web site has been a tremendous outreach

tool in year one. Early forecast estimates of the

number of people who might be reached using

the Web have been quadrupled during peak Web

activity periods. The site now includes more

than 175 essays and exploration logs from 95

contributors representing 20 NOAA and 25 nonNOAA institutions. This represents approximately 1,600 standard pages of content.

Contributors to the site include scientists, teachers, students, technicians, divers, photographers,

artists, poets, archaeologists, historians, politicians, outreach specialists, ship captains and

crew, engineers, marine protected area managers,

and many more.

Since the site was launched June 1, 2001, site

usage trends have climbed significantly. Total

monthly requests (total files downloaded each

month) on the site have grown from 420,000 in

June to over 1,500,000 in September. Average

daily sessions (people coming to the site each

day) have grown from 511 in June to over 1,500 in

September. Users are also spending more time

on the site; average session length has increased

from 4 minutes in June to 6 minutes in September.

oceanexplorer.noaa.gov

Senator Ernest Hollings and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Samuel

Bodman at Ocean Exploration Day in Charleston, South Carolina.

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New Products for Ocean Education

“The Ocean has never been closer to the classroom.”

This quote, and others heard during year one for OE,

articulate the success NOAA has had in engaging

explorers of all ages and all geographic areas. Lesson

plans, teacher training workshops, web-based teaching

materials have all made year one successful in directly

reaching over 5,000 students. New products included

teaching materials for deaf students developed as part

of the Deep East Expedition Education package that

includes lesson plans for grades 5-12. One of the key

objectives articulated in the U.S. Panel report is

“reaching out in new ways to stakeholders to improve

the literacy of learners of all ages with respect to

ocean issues. Our voyages during this first year have

demonstrated the great potential ocean exploration

has for generating exciting educational opportunites.

The Deep East Expedition teaching materials included Web-based student inquiry lesson plans,

downloadable teacher training materials, teachers-on-board during the entire Deep East Cruise, and

internet chats between teachers, scientists and students across the Nation. This suite of education

products provides the model for similar educational offerings for future expeditions.

Media Outreach

During its first year, OE has made an impressive apprearance in news media, where stories in television, radio, internet news services and the press all featured the news of science, ocean exploration

and port call activities. Ocean Exploration continues to prove itself a captivating news story, capable

of engaging media of all types. NOAA’s OE program will continue its outreach activities to enroll the

media in new ways during upcoming expeditions.

In its first year, OE brought ocean science to classrooms

across the Nation.

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Sample of Ocean Exploration News Clips

Science - Oceangoing Lewis and Clark Expedition, January 15

CNN.com - Scientists tune in to Sounds of the Sea, September 7

Nature - To Boldly Go, August 16

The Washington Post - An Undersea Canyon Reveals its Riches, July 16

The Discovery Channel - Mysterious Undersea Canyon Explored, July 19

The Associated Press - Scientists Uncover Secrets of Underwater Canyon, July 14

The Associated Press - NOAA: Ocean Study Merits More Attention, October 2

Carolina Morning News - NOAA Submersible Sinks to New Depths, September 27

The Oregonian - Into the Abyss: Scientists Explore the Deep Astoria Canyon, July 11
New products for educators and students includes the

Deep East Educators Guide

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Educational Outreach

In 2001, The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration took the first steps in organizing and

producing a national, systematic educational product for educators and students. The

Deep East Educators Guide was created by NOAA OE and 36 professional teachers from

schools in the three regions focused on during the Deep East Expedition. These teachers, understanding the benefit of using ocean exploration as a tool for building student’s

skills in math and science, established a successful template that can be easily used in

other regions. The Deep East Educators Guide includes products for grades 5 through

12 and has been used in over 70 schools in 2001.

NOAA OE educationa l outreach program

includes products for disabled students

An important aspect of OE’s educational plan is to reach

into segments of the student population that have been

under represented by current educational programs. The

Deep East Educators Guide includes a program for hearing

impaired students, and opens the door for increased

participation in ocean science and exploration for the deaf

community. This endeavor has been particularly gratifying, and the Ocean Exploration program has been able to

witness its positive impact in the deaf community. Students are showing more interest and aptitude for science

based on interest created by ocean exploration.
Ocean Exploration

2001 Funds Allocation

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Ocean Exploration 2001

2001 Appropriation - $4M

Science Plan

80%

Education and 

Outreach

11%

Salaries and 

Benefits

3%

Rent and 

Office 

Expenses

1%

Data 

Management

5%

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NOAA

52%

Non-NOAA

48%
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Appendix I

Congressional Support
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Appendix II

2001 Media Samples
U.S. Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

For more information, contact:

The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration

1315 East West Highway, 10th Floor

Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

Tel: 301-713-9444

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov