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.
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
Below are data releases associated with this project.
CTD profiles and discrete water-column measurements collected off California and Oregon during NOAA cruise SH-18-12 (USGS field activity 2018-663-FA) from October to November 2018 (ver. 3.0, July 2022)
CTD profiles and discrete water-column measurements collected off California and Oregon during NOAA cruise RL-19-05 (USGS field activity 2019-672-FA) from October to November 2019 (ver. 2.0, July 2022)
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
A characterization of deep-sea coral and sponge communities along the California and Oregon coast using a remotely operated vehicle on the EXPRESS 2018 expedition
Bomb-produced radiocarbon across the South Pacific Gyre — A new record from American Samoa with utility for fisheries science
Expanding the repertoire of electron acceptors for the anaerobic oxidation of methane in carbonates in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean
Characterization of deep-sea coral and sponge communities in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary: Point Arena South Essential Fish Habitat Conservation Area and New Amendment 28 Areas
Survey report of NOAA Ship McArthur II cruises AR-04-04, AR-05-05 and AR-06-03: habitat classification of side scan sonar imagery in support of deep-sea coral/sponge explorations at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
“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, through this colorful geonarrative.
Expanding Pacific Exploration and Research: Overview of the EXPRESS research campaign
A multi-agency team is mapping uncharted waters and exploring deep-sea ecosystems off the west coast of the United States.
Oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface, yet little is known about these vast underwater worlds. Less than 20% have been explored. A global initiative seeks to change that, by pledging to complete detailed mapping of one-hundred percent of the seafloor by the year 2030..
Below are news stories associated with this project.
- 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.
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
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.ByCoastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Multi-Sensor Core Logger Laboratory, Organic Geochemistry Laboratory, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and CharacterizationEcosystems: 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 Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources 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, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science - Data
Below are data releases associated with this project.
CTD profiles and discrete water-column measurements collected off California and Oregon during NOAA cruise SH-18-12 (USGS field activity 2018-663-FA) from October to November 2018 (ver. 3.0, July 2022)
This data release supersedes version 2.0, published in September 2021 at https://doi.org/10.5066/P99DIQZ5. Versioning details are documented in the accompanying VersionHistory_P99MJ096.txt file. Various water column variables, including salinity, dissolved inorganic nutrients, pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, radio-carbon isotopes were measured in samples collected using a Niskin-CTD profiles and discrete water-column measurements collected off California and Oregon during NOAA cruise RL-19-05 (USGS field activity 2019-672-FA) from October to November 2019 (ver. 2.0, July 2022)
This data release supersedes version 1.0, published in August 2020 at https://doi.org/10.5066/P9ZS1JX8. Versioning details are documented in the accompanying VersionHistory_P9JKYWQU.txt file. Various water column variables, including salinity, dissolved inorganic nutrients, pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, were measured in samples collected using a Niskin-bottle rosette at select - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
A characterization of deep-sea coral and sponge communities along the California and Oregon coast using a remotely operated vehicle on the EXPRESS 2018 expedition
Deep-sea coral and sponge (DSCS) communities serve as essential fish habitats (EFH) by providing shelter and nursery habitat, increasing diversity, and increasing prey availability (Freese and Wing, 2003; Bright, 2007; Baillon et al., 2012; Henderson et al., 2020). Threats to these long-lived, fragile organisms from bottom contact fishing gear, potential offshore renewable energy development, andAuthorsTom Laidig, Diana Watters, Nancy G. Prouty, Meredith Everett, Lizzie Duncan, Liz Clarke, Chris Caldow, Amanda DemopoulosBomb-produced radiocarbon across the South Pacific Gyre — A new record from American Samoa with utility for fisheries science
Coral skeletal structures can provide a robust record of nuclear bomb produced 14C with valuable insight into air-sea exchange processes and water movement with applications to fisheries science. To expand these records in the South Pacific, a coral core from Tutuila Island, American Samoa was dated with density band counting covering a 59-yr period (1953–2012). Seasonal signals in elemental ratioAuthorsAllen Andrews, Nancy G. Prouty, Olivia CheritonExpanding the repertoire of electron acceptors for the anaerobic oxidation of methane in carbonates in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean
Authigenic carbonates represent a significant microbial sink for methane, yet little is known about the microbiome responsible for the methane removal. We identify carbonate microbiomes distributed over 21 locations hosted by seven different cold seeps in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans by carrying out a gene-based survey using 16S rRNA- and mcrA gene sequencing coupled with metagenomic analyses.AuthorsSabrina Beckmann, Ibrahim F. Farag, Rui Zhao, Glenn Christman, Nancy G. Prouty, Jennifer F. BiddleCharacterization of deep-sea coral and sponge communities in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary: Point Arena South Essential Fish Habitat Conservation Area and New Amendment 28 Areas
This report summarizes samples collected during a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) cruise conducted in October 2019 on board E/V Nautilus. Areas sampled in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary included areas proposed for fisheries management zoning in the Point Arena South (PAS) Essential Fish Habitat Conservation Area (EFH). Dive planning targeted habitats and biological communities of corAuthorsKaitlin Graiff, Jan Roletto, Sage Tezak, Gary E. Williams, Guy R. CochraneSurvey report of NOAA Ship McArthur II cruises AR-04-04, AR-05-05 and AR-06-03: habitat classification of side scan sonar imagery in support of deep-sea coral/sponge explorations at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
Habitat mapping and characterization has been defined as a high-priority management issue for the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS), especially for poorly known deep-sea habitats that may be sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance. As a result, a team of scientists from OCNMS, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), and other partnering institutions initiated a series of sAuthorsSteven S. Intelmann, Guy R. Cochrane, C. Edward Bowlby, Mary Sue Brancato, Jeffrey Hyland - Web Tools
“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, through this colorful geonarrative.
Expanding Pacific Exploration and Research: Overview of the EXPRESS research campaign
A multi-agency team is mapping uncharted waters and exploring deep-sea ecosystems off the west coast of the United States.
Oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface, yet little is known about these vast underwater worlds. Less than 20% have been explored. A global initiative seeks to change that, by pledging to complete detailed mapping of one-hundred percent of the seafloor by the year 2030..
- News
Below are news stories associated with this project.
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