Building on the progress in the first expedition, this 11-day expedition will continue exploring Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS) to understand seafloor features and the biodiversity that call deep sea habitats around Palau home. Specific cruise objectives will continue to be refined as we work with community and scientific partners.
The expedition was named Lebuu’s Voyage by Palauan stakeholders as part of a strategic effort to advance traditional knowledge and best practices in tandem with scientific understanding. This process is being facilitated by the Bureau of Cultural & Historical Preservation Office, OneReef, and the Palau International Coral Reef Center. Learn more about the name here.
The Sanctuary –protection secured by Euotelel a Klingil a Debel Belau– is one of the most ambitious conservation efforts on Earth. While we know the region hosts rich, diverse marine resources from the shallow ocean to the extremely deep ecosystems in the Palau Trench, there is still very little data available from PNMS’s deep ocean. This expedition will use telepresence technology and OET’s robust outreach and education program to engage broad audiences across Palau and the Pacific Island Region.
This expedition is funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute as a contribution to the US Government commitment made at the 7th Our Oceans Conference to support mapping of the Sanctuary.
