This expedition is a seafloor mapping transit to bring the E/V Nautilus from British Columbia back to the Central Pacific where the ship will operate for the remainder of the 2023 field season. This 12-day transit route will fill gaps in seabed mapping within and beyond the U.S. EEZ and thereby support priorities of Seabed 2030 and the US National Strategy for Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization. Starting in Sidney (British Columbia) and ending in Honolulu, we will utilize the deep-water mapping capabilities of E/V Nautilus to map previously uncharted seafloor. Additionally, the expedition will include a mapping calibration exercise in collaboration with NOAA Ocean Exploration near the Hawaiian Islands to allow data comparisons among different oceanographic vessels.
This expedition is primarily funded by Ocean Networks Canada with additional support from NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.
