Discovering the deep : exploring remote Pacific marine protected areas (ROV and mapping) : U.S. marine protected areas in the Central and Western Pacific, March 7, 2017 to March 29, 2017, Āpia, Sāmoa, to Āpia, Sāmoa / Amanda Maxon, Brian Kennedy, LT Nick Pawlenko, Derek Sowers, Amanda Demopoulos, Steve Auscavitch,

"March 31, 2021."

Okeanos Explorer 2017 EX1703 (Collection)

EX-17-03 shore-based science team member: Malcolm Clark, New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)

From March 7 to 29, 2017, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) and partners conducted a 23-day, telepresence-enabled expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to collect critical baseline data and information about unknown and poorly understood deepwater areas surrounding the Howland and Baker Unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM), the Republic of Kiribati’s Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), and around New Zealand’s Territory of Tokelau as a part of a three-year Campaign to Address Pacific monument Science, Technology, and Ocean NEeds (CAPSTONE). The goal of the expedition was to use remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives in combination with mapping operations to increase scientific understanding of deep-sea ecosystems of this region, as well as to provide a foundation of publicly-accessible data to support further exploration, research, and management activities. Using OER’s dual-body ROV, the expedition conducted 19 ROV dives that ranged in depth from 300 to 5,862.9 meters. Hundreds of species were observed, including first-time in situ observations of some species and previously unseen behaviors of others; several significant range extensions were also documented. During the expedition, 171 total samples were collected from both biological and geological samples with 80 biological samples collected (38 primary 128 associated and commensal taxa), some of which may be undescribed species. While five rock samples were collected for geological composition analysis and age dating. During the expedition, over 30,100 square kilometers were mapped using high-resolution sonars, including areas with previously limited seafloor mapping. All data collected during the expedition, including video, environmental, mapping, oceanographic, and meteorological data, have been made publically available through the national archives.

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