E Mamana ou Gataifale expeditions in American Samoa

The Corps of Exploration is delighted to share with you our work here in American Samoa. Together with partners from the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa (NMSAS), NOAA Ocean Exploration, and the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, we’re spending two expeditions testing new technology to explore the deep sea biodiversity of this region and connect the new results with the management and science needs of the local community. 

After a successful E Mamana Ou Gataifale I (NA164) expedition that integrated partner technologies Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)'s Mesobot, the University of Rhode Island’s Deep Autonomous Profiler, and the University of New Hampshire’s DriX, we were welcomed back into the port of Pago Pago. In partnership with the American Samoa Department of Education, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and OECI, OET, NOAA Ocean Exploration and NMSAS hosted a professional development training for over fifty educators to dive deep into opportunities to bring the deep sea into the classroom. Additionally the team hosted ship tours for teachers and community members from across American Samoa to meet our professional explorers and get up close with the many exploration technologies aboard E/V Nautilus. 

Now, we’ve set sail on the E Mamana Ou Gataifale II (NA165) expedition to continue learned about the deep ocean of American Samoa supporting local knowledge needs. This expedition is ongoing in its collaboration with the NMSAS and NOAA Ocean Exploration and utilized ROVs and WHOI’s AUV Sentry. Join us as we spend three weeks exploring history, geology, and biodiversity of the region.