Ecosystems: EXPRESS
Science Center Objects
The continental shelf and slope offshore California, Oregon, and Washington are home to deep-sea corals, chemosynthetic communities, and other sensitive habitats that could be impacted by the development of energy and mineral resources. The EXPRESS campaign will map and characterize these special areas to help guide ocean management decisions.
The potential direct, indirect and cumulative impacts on the human, coastal and marine environments must be evaluated in order to make environmentally sound decisions about managing energy and mining activities and developing mitigation measures. EXPRESS will explore, map, and measure regions of interest on the U.S. west coast outer continental shelf in order to improve computer models of benthic habitats.
EXPRESS priorities that contribute to ecosystem assessments include:
- Locate and characterize deep sea coral, sponge, and chemosynthetic communities, including associated fish populations
- Create a seamless map with benthic habitat classifications for targeted regions
- Extend bathymetry and backscatter coverage to high priority areas