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.
In response to Section 2 of the Presidential Memorandum (PM) on Ocean Mapping of November 19, 2019, the National Strategy for mapping, exploring, and characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has been established. EXPRESS (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems) activities focus on the Pacific EEZ. In particular, the unique partnership of EXPRESS allows federal and non-federal entities to collaborate in identified priority areas. These are directly aligned to the National Strategy outlined by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Council on Environmental Quality.
EXPRESS partners include NOAA, BOEM, USGS, MBARI, and USC Sea Grant.
Priorities
- Extend bathymetry and backscatter coverage to high priority areas
- Create a seamless map with benthic habitat classifications for targeted regions
- Locate and characterize deep sea coral, sponge, and chemosynthetic communities, including associated fish populations
- Identify underwater geological hazards and evaluate their potential for generating tsunamis
- Investigate deep-sea minerals of potential industry interest
- Use the complementary capabilities of federal assets to produce integrated datasets
- Provide a foundation of publicly accessible data and information to spur further exploration, research, and management
- Engage a broad cross-section of the scientific community and the public
Fieldwork
EXPRESS partners have completed several research cruises using ships from NOAA, university, and non-profit oceanographic research institutions. More cruises are planned and under discussion. Every participating organization has contributed resources including ships, instruments, and personnel.

- > 110 ROV and 70 AUV dives
- 79 piston cores
- Actively participating organizations: NOAA (16); BOEM (2); USGS (2); MBARI



Completed Research Cruises
Date | Location | Ship | Organizations |
---|---|---|---|
October 2017 | Morro Bay, California | Rainier | NOAA MBARI BOEM USGS |
October-November 2017 | Channel Islands, California | Rainier | NOAA |
April 2018 | Morro Bay, California | Rachel Carson | MBARI NOAA BOEM USGS |
July-August 2018 | Cordell Bank NMS and Farallones NMS, California | Shimada | NOAA USGS |
August 2018 | Cascadia Margin, Oregon and California | Rainier | USGS NOAA BOEM |
September 2018 | Morro Bay, California | Rainier | BOEM USGS NOAA |
October 2018 | California and Oregon | Shimada | USGS NOAA MMS |
June 2019 | Cascadia Margin, Oregon and California; more info: “Observing Seafloor Methane Seeps at the Edge of Hydrate Stability” |
Falkor | USGS NOAA |
August 2019 | California and Oregon | Fairweather | USGS NOAA |
September 2019 | California | Bold Horizon | USGS BOEM MBARI |
September 2019 | California | Fairweather | NOAA |
October 2019 | California | Bold Horizon | USGS BOEM |
October-November 2019 | Washington, Oregon, and California; more info: “Research Cruise to Survey Deep-Sea Corals, Sponges, and Fish Habitat Along the West Coast” and “Surveying Deep-sea Corals, Sponges, and Fish Habitat Off the U.S. West Coast” |
Reuben Lasker | NOAA BOEM USGS |
September 2020 | Southern Cascadia Margin, Northern California and Southern Oregon | Western Flyer | MBARI USGS |
Partners

NOAA, BOEM, and USGS are the primary EXPRESS partners. Other partners include MBARI and USC Sea Grant.
Federal Partners
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- National Ocean Service (NOS) – Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Office of Coast Survey
- NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) – Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program
- Ocean and Atmospheric Research (OAR) – Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
- National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) – National Centers for Environmental Information
- Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO)
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM):
- Pacific Region
- Environmental Studies Program
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
- Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC)
- Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC)
Non-Federal Partners
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration (GFOE)
University of Southern California Sea Grant (USC Sea Grant)
Planning Workshop, November 29-30, 2018
Core EXPRESS participants held a planning workshop at the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California. Attendees discussed objectives, refined priorities for future work, and reviewed accomplishments to date.
Virtual Workshop to Identify National Ocean Exploration Priorities in the Pacific, July-September 2020
In partnership with NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER), the Consortium for Ocean Leadership organized the Workshop to Identify National Ocean Exploration Priorities in the Pacific. This workshop was hosted virtually. A virtual opening plenary was held on July 10, 2020. A series of virtual breakout sessions were held in July and August 2020, and a virtual closing plenary was held on September 21 and 22, 2020.
The studies associated with the EXPRESS project are listed below.
Ecosystems: EXPRESS
Hazards: EXPRESS
Resources: EXPRESS
Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards
USGS Role in DEEP SEARCH: Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral, Canyon, and Cold-seep Habitats
Below are datasets 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. 2.0, September 2021)
Composite multibeam bathymetry surface and data sources of the southern Cascadia Margin offshore Oregon and northern California
Donated AUV bathymetry and Chirp seismic-reflection data collected during Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute cruises in 2018-2019 offshore of south-central California
High-resolution multi-channel and Chirp seismic-reflection data from USGS cruise 2018-641-FA collected in south-central California in support of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Cal DIG I offshore alternative energy project
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
Multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection and chip sub bottom data collected in the Santa Barbara Channel in July of 2018
Quaternary faults offshore of California
Multichannel minisparker and chirp seismic reflection data of USGS field activity 2016-616-FA collected in the Catalina Basin offshore southern California in February 2016
Multichannel sparker seismic reflection data of USGS field activity 2018-658-FA collected between Cape Blanco and Cape Mendocino from 2018-10-04 to 2018-10-18
Archive of boomer sub bottom data collected off shore Eureka, California during USGS field activity W-1-96-NC from 1996-06-29 to 1996-07-07
Multibeam bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data collected in 2016 in Catalina Basin, southern California and merged multibeam bathymetry datasets of the northern portion of the Southern California Continental Borderland
Multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection data of field activity 2015-617-FA; Monterey Bay, offshore central California from 2015-02-23 to 2015-03-06
Below are news stories related to this project.
The primary EXPRESS partners are NOAA, BOEM, and USGS (Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) and Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC)). Other partners include Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and USC Sea Grant.
- Overview
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.
The west coast of the United States showing locations of EXPRESS ship-based multibeam surveys, ROV dives, AUV dives, and sediment samples. Red boxes show locations of close-up views of multibeam bathymetry in Figures 2 and 3 below. In response to Section 2 of the Presidential Memorandum (PM) on Ocean Mapping of November 19, 2019, the National Strategy for mapping, exploring, and characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has been established. EXPRESS (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems) activities focus on the Pacific EEZ. In particular, the unique partnership of EXPRESS allows federal and non-federal entities to collaborate in identified priority areas. These are directly aligned to the National Strategy outlined by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Council on Environmental Quality.
EXPRESS partners include NOAA, BOEM, USGS, MBARI, and USC Sea Grant.
Priorities
- Extend bathymetry and backscatter coverage to high priority areas
- Create a seamless map with benthic habitat classifications for targeted regions
- Locate and characterize deep sea coral, sponge, and chemosynthetic communities, including associated fish populations
- Identify underwater geological hazards and evaluate their potential for generating tsunamis
- Investigate deep-sea minerals of potential industry interest
- Use the complementary capabilities of federal assets to produce integrated datasets
- Provide a foundation of publicly accessible data and information to spur further exploration, research, and management
- Engage a broad cross-section of the scientific community and the public
Figure 2. Colored, shaded-relief bathymetry of Trinidad Submarine Canyon northwest of Humboldt Bay in northern California. Area is in the vicinity of a potential offshore renewable energy development. Figure 3. Colored, shaded-relief bathymetry offshore central California. Data supported management of National Marine Sanctuaries and prospective renewable energy decisions. Black ovals are locations of AUV-based multibeam surveys. Close-up views of two AUV surveys are shown in Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4. Colored shaded-relief bathymetry including submarine channels and pockmarks offshore Morro Bay, California. Map generated from AUV-based multibeam bathymetry data collected by MBARI both prior to and as a part of EXPRESS. Fieldwork
EXPRESS partners have completed several research cruises using ships from NOAA, university, and non-profit oceanographic research institutions. More cruises are planned and under discussion. Every participating organization has contributed resources including ships, instruments, and personnel.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.EXPRESS Days-At-Sea by Agency and Purpose. This graph shows:326 days at sea across 9 vessels: - > 110 ROV and 70 AUV dives
- 79 piston cores
- Actively participating organizations: NOAA (16); BOEM (2); USGS (2); MBARI
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.The NOAA ship Rainier completed several EXPRESS research cruises offshore of California and Oregon in 2017 and 2018. Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Screenshot of an interactive geonarrative, of some completed EXPRESS research cruises. The figure shows the location of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts dives conducted in September 2020, plus three images of the CT scan data from one of the collected cores. In the CT scan of the upper 80 cm of the core "DR1281 VC-870," with a zoomed in section to the right outlined in red, sections of lighter colors indicate sandy sediment and suggest horizons associated with 4 turbidites. In the lower right is a perpendicular slice through a horizon (marked in orange) showing coarse grains that are characteristic of turbidites. Previously published work identified a sand layer in a core at this same site and subbottom depth, which was determined to be associated with the January 1700 Cascadia mega-earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Explore our geonarrative: “Expanding Pacific Exploration and Research: multi-agency team mapping uncharted waters and exploring deep-sea ecosystems off the west coast of the United States” Completed Research Cruises
Date Location Ship Organizations October 2017 Morro Bay, California Rainier NOAA
MBARI
BOEM
USGSOctober-November 2017 Channel Islands, California Rainier NOAA April 2018 Morro Bay, California Rachel Carson MBARI
NOAA
BOEM
USGSJuly-August 2018 Cordell Bank NMS and Farallones NMS, California Shimada NOAA
USGSAugust 2018 Cascadia Margin, Oregon and California Rainier USGS
NOAA
BOEMSeptember 2018 Morro Bay, California Rainier BOEM
USGS
NOAAOctober 2018 California and Oregon Shimada USGS
NOAA
MMSJune 2019 Cascadia Margin, Oregon and California; more info:
“Observing Seafloor Methane Seeps at the Edge of Hydrate Stability”Falkor USGS
NOAAAugust 2019 California and Oregon Fairweather USGS
NOAASeptember 2019 California Bold Horizon USGS
BOEM
MBARISeptember 2019 California Fairweather NOAA October 2019 California Bold Horizon USGS
BOEMOctober-November 2019 Washington, Oregon, and California; more info:
“Research Cruise to Survey Deep-Sea Corals, Sponges,
and Fish Habitat Along the West Coast” and
“Surveying Deep-sea Corals, Sponges, and Fish Habitat Off the U.S. West Coast”Reuben Lasker NOAA
BOEM
USGSSeptember 2020 Southern Cascadia Margin, Northern California and Southern Oregon Western Flyer MBARI
USGSPartners
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center research oceanographer Nancy Prouty explains how deep-sea corals can help determine climate and ocean chemistry over hundreds to thousands of years ago. NOAA, BOEM, and USGS are the primary EXPRESS partners. Other partners include MBARI and USC Sea Grant.
Federal Partners
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- National Ocean Service (NOS) – Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Office of Coast Survey
- NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) – Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program
- Ocean and Atmospheric Research (OAR) – Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
- National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) – National Centers for Environmental Information
- Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO)
Core players in “Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems” (EXPRESS) held a planning workshop at the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, November 29–30. EXPRESS is an interagency effort to study deep-water areas off California, Oregon, and Washington. NOAA, USGS, and BOEM initiated the project, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has joined the effort. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM):
- Pacific Region
- Environmental Studies Program
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
- Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC)
- Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC)
Non-Federal Partners
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration (GFOE)
University of Southern California Sea Grant (USC Sea Grant)
Planning Workshop, November 29-30, 2018
Core EXPRESS participants held a planning workshop at the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California. Attendees discussed objectives, refined priorities for future work, and reviewed accomplishments to date.
USGS provides a place for the sharing of science through frequent seminars that are open to the public. Virtual Workshop to Identify National Ocean Exploration Priorities in the Pacific, July-September 2020
In partnership with NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER), the Consortium for Ocean Leadership organized the Workshop to Identify National Ocean Exploration Priorities in the Pacific. This workshop was hosted virtually. A virtual opening plenary was held on July 10, 2020. A series of virtual breakout sessions were held in July and August 2020, and a virtual closing plenary was held on September 21 and 22, 2020.
- Science
The studies associated with the EXPRESS project are listed below.
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.Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards
Societal Issue: Uncertainty related to rupture extent, slip distribution, and recurrence of past subduction megathrust earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest (northern CA, OR, WA, and southern BC) leads to ambiguity in earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments and hinders our ability to prepare for future events.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. - Data
Below are datasets associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 15CTD 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. 2.0, September 2021)
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-bottle rosette at selected depths from sites offshore of California and Oregon from October to November 2018 during NOAA cruise SH-18-12 on the R/V Bell M. Shimada (USGS field activity 2018-663-FComposite multibeam bathymetry surface and data sources of the southern Cascadia Margin offshore Oregon and northern California
Bathymetry data from various sources, including newly released 2018 and 2019 multibeam data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), were combined to create a composite 30-m resolution multibeam bathymetry surface of the southern Cascadia Margin offshore of Oregon and northern California. The bathymetry data are available as a 3Donated AUV bathymetry and Chirp seismic-reflection data collected during Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute cruises in 2018-2019 offshore of south-central California
This data release consists of donated AUV bathymetry and Chirp seismic-reflection data collected using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in 2018 and 2019. The collection of these data was funded entirely by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), and the data have been donated to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The data were collected in collaboration with the USGS and the BuHigh-resolution multi-channel and Chirp seismic-reflection data from USGS cruise 2018-641-FA collected in south-central California in support of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Cal DIG I offshore alternative energy project
This dataset is one of several collected as part of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)-funded California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing (Cal DIG I) project. The purpose of the study is to assess shallow geohazards, benthic habitats, and thereby the potential for alternative energy infrastructure (namely floating wind turbines) offshore south-central California due to its proCTD 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
Various water column variables, including salinity, dissolved inorganic nutrients, pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, rwere measured in samples collected using a Niskin-bottle rosette at selected depths from sites offshore of California and Oregon from October to November 2019 during NOAA cruise RL-19-05 on the R/V Reuben Lasker (USGS field activity 2019-672-FA). CTD (Conductivity TMultichannel minisparker seismic-reflection and chip sub bottom data collected in the Santa Barbara Channel in July of 2018
High-resolution multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection and chirp sub-bottom data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in July of 2018 between Point Conception and Coal Oil Point in the Santa Barbara Channel, California. Data were collected aboard the USGS R/V Parke Snavely during field activity 2018-645-FA. Data were acquired to support the USGS geologic hazards projects to aide hazarQuaternary faults offshore of California
A comprehensive map of Quaternary faults has been generated for offshore of California. The Quaternary fault map includes mapped geometries and attribute information for offshore fault systems located in California State and Federal waters. The polyline shapefile and matching KML file have been compiled from previously published mapping where relatively dense, high-resolution marine geophysical daMultichannel minisparker and chirp seismic reflection data of USGS field activity 2016-616-FA collected in the Catalina Basin offshore southern California in February 2016
This data release contains 25 multichannel minisparker seismic reflection (MCS) profiles and 41 chirp sub-bottom profiles that were collected in February of 2016 from the Catalina Basin offshore southern California by the U.S. Geological Survey Pacific and Coastal Marine Science Center in cooperation with the University of Washington. Data were collected aboard the University of Washington's R/V TMultichannel sparker seismic reflection data of USGS field activity 2018-658-FA collected between Cape Blanco and Cape Mendocino from 2018-10-04 to 2018-10-18
This data release contains processed high-resolution multichannel sparker seismic-reflection (MCS) data that were collected aboard Humboldt State University's R/V Coral Sea in October of 2018 on U.S. Geological Survey cruise 2018-658-FA on the shelf and slope between Cape Blanco, Oregon, and Cape Mendocino, California. MCS data were collected to characterize quaternary deformation and sediment dynArchive of boomer sub bottom data collected off shore Eureka, California during USGS field activity W-1-96-NC from 1996-06-29 to 1996-07-07
This data release contains boomer subbottom data collected in June and July of 1996 on the shelf and slope offshore Eureka, California. Subbottom acoustic penetration spans up to several tens of meters, and is variable by location. This data release contains digital SEG-Y data. The data were collected aboard the R/V Wecoma using a Huntec Hydrosonde Deep-Tow system.Multibeam bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data collected in 2016 in Catalina Basin, southern California and merged multibeam bathymetry datasets of the northern portion of the Southern California Continental Borderland
In February 2016 the University of Washington in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS, PCMSC) collected multibeam bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data in and near the Catalina Basin, southern California aboard the University of Washington's Research Vessel Thomas G. Thompson. Data was collected using a Kongsberg EM300 multibeam echosoundeMultichannel minisparker seismic-reflection data of field activity 2015-617-FA; Monterey Bay, offshore central California from 2015-02-23 to 2015-03-06
This data release contains approximately 190 line-kilometers of processed, high-resolution multichannel seismic-reflection (MCS) profiles that were collected aboard the R/V Snavely in 2015 on U.S. Geological Survey cruise 2015-617-FA in Monterey Bay, offshore central California. The majority of MCS profiles collected are oriented north-south across the Monterey Canyon head to address marine geohaz - Multimedia
- News
Below are news stories related to this project.
Filter Total Items: 16 - Partners
The primary EXPRESS partners are NOAA, BOEM, and USGS (Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) and Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC)). Other partners include Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and USC Sea Grant.