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 (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems) campaign will map and characterize these special areas to help guide ocean management decisions.
Expanding Pacific Exploration and Research
Learn how our multi-agency team is mapping uncharted waters and exploring deep-sea ecosystems off the west coast of the United States.
The EXPRESS Campaign
EXPRESS is a multi-year, multi-institution cooperative research campaign in deep sea areas of California, Oregon, and Washington, including the continental shelf and slope.
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
This ecosystems study is part of EXPRESS (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems). Studies associated with the EXPRESS project are listed below.
EXPRESS: Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems
Ecosystems: EXPRESS
Hazards: EXPRESS
Resources: EXPRESS
USGS Role in DEEP SEARCH: Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral, Canyon, and Cold-seep Habitats
DISCOVRE Research Expeditions
DISCOVRE: Diversity, Systematics and Connectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems
Seeking the Seeps
- Overview
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 (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems) campaign will map and characterize these special areas to help guide ocean management decisions.
Expanding Pacific Exploration and Research
Learn how our multi-agency team is mapping uncharted waters and exploring deep-sea ecosystems off the west coast of the United States.
The EXPRESS CampaignEXPRESS is a multi-year, multi-institution cooperative research campaign in deep sea areas of California, Oregon, and Washington, including the continental shelf and slope.
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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.USGS research oceanographer Nancy Prouty and a team of water chemistry specialists collected water column samples from several deep-sea locations off Washington, Oregon, and California.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. Visit Media to see details.USGS scientist Nancy Prouty (left) recovers coral samples from ROV SuBastian while British Geological Survey scientist Diana Sahy looks on. - Science
This ecosystems study is part of EXPRESS (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems). Studies associated with the EXPRESS project are listed below.
EXPRESS: Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems
EXPRESS is a multi-year, multi-institution cooperative research campaign in deep sea areas of California, Oregon, and Washington, including the continental shelf and slope. EXPRESS data and information are intended to guide wise use of living marine resources and habitats, inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions, and improve offshore hazard assessments.Ecosystems: EXPRESS
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 (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems) campaign will map and characterize these special areas to help guide ocean management...Hazards: EXPRESS
Marine geohazards including earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis lie offshore of densely populated areas of California, Oregon, and Washington. One goal of EXPRESS is to improve assessments of these hazards.Resources: EXPRESS
Along the U.S. west coast, the Pacific Ocean, ocean floor, and winds above contain potentially vast energy and mineral resources. Developing these resources safely and wisely requires detailed information for each area of interest. One goal of EXPRESS is to inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions.USGS Role in DEEP SEARCH: Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral, Canyon, and Cold-seep Habitats
USGS scientists are collaborating with multiple agencies to provide the esssential foundation for understanding these deep-sea environments.DISCOVRE Research Expeditions
The DISCOVRE program involves expeditions around the world to collect the necessary data to better understand deep-sea ecosystems.DISCOVRE: Diversity, Systematics and Connectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems
DISCOVRE (DIversity, Systematics and COnnectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems) is an integrated, multidisciplinary, international effort investigating the unique and fragile deep-sea coral environments from the microscopic level to the ecosystem level.Seeking the Seeps
From June 12 to July 3, 2019, the USGS sailed onboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor with several other partners, seeking methane seeps along the seafloor of several underwater canyons off the coast of Oregon and Washington. On this cruise, USGS scientists will seek to understand how much methane is coming out of these seeps, how it travels through the water column, and its ultimate fate in...ByEcosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Environments Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Communications and Publishing - Data
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