Exploring the Offshore Marianas

Located in the Solomon Islands, the Iron Bottom Sound was the scene of five major naval battles during World War II, resulting in the loss of over 20,000 lives, 111 naval vessels, and 1,450 planes. These underwater maritime heritage sites now rest on the seafloor in a confined area offshore Honiara. To date, only 30 of the military ships lost in this area have been located, with at least 21 still missing.

"This is seabird habitat, but unfortunately, we don't know a lot about what seabirds are here," Karen Barid says. "It's important to understand how seabirds use the ocean - where the hot spots are, and what are the most important areas that we need to protect." 

Karen Baird is Co-Chair of the Seabird Trust, a non-profit that seeks to better understand seabirds and the ecosystems they inhabit throughout northern New Zealand, the Three Kings Islands, and the Kermadec Islands. Her husband, Chris Gaskin, is also a founding member of the trust. During this transit from Guam to the Solomon Islands (NA172), Karen and Chris have spent each day, from sunrise to sunset, on the monkey deck, photographing and logging every bird they see. 

"This transit is a brilliant opportunity to record what seabirds we can see at sea. It's important to understand what seabirds are around, particularly in Oceania, where there is very little known about the populations. Oceania consists of 21 Pacific Island countries and territories with thousands of islands, ranging from high mountains covered in forests to barren atolls."

On June 17, OET connected with Science Friday for an exciting ship-to-shore interaction. Watch the video and learn about how things work on E/V Nautilus: https://youtu.be/sgfxakS6sUU?si=I7HHEhCMJLp23iih
 

The E/V Nautilus is underway conducting mapping operations through US waters around the Mariana Islands, in the Federated States of Micronesia, international waters, and the Solomon Islands. Stay tuned for Argo float launches and topside seabird surveys!

Join us for a LIVE Q&A about Science Communication with our at-sea ocean explorers onboard E/V Nautilus! Watch live aright here and submit your questions for the team. Tune in Monday, June 23 at 7pm ET/4pm PT (June 24 at 9 am in Guam).
 

Get to know more about where we've been for the beginning of our 2025 season! The Mariana Trench Marine National Monument protects 95,216 square miles (246,610 km2) of submerged lands and waters around the Mariana Archipelago. It includes three units: Islands Unit (the waters and submerged lands up to low tide mark around the three northernmost Mariana Islands - Farallon de Pajaros, Maug, and Asuncion, Volcanic Unit (the submerged lands within 1 nautical mile of 21 designated volcanic sites, west of the Mariana Archipelago), and Trench Unit (submerged lands of the trench habitat).