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.
Hazards
EXPRESS will improve assessments of marine geohazards including earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis.
Ecosystems
EXPRESS will map and characterize sensitive deep-sea habitats to help guide ocean management decisions.
Resources
EXPRESS's resource assessment contributions will inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions.
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.
Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards
Ecosystems: EXPRESS
Hazards: EXPRESS
Resources: EXPRESS
USGS Role in DEEP SEARCH: Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral, Canyon, and Cold-seep Habitats
- 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.
Hazards
EXPRESS will improve assessments of marine geohazards including earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis.
Ecosystems
EXPRESS will map and characterize sensitive deep-sea habitats to help guide ocean management decisions.
Resources
EXPRESS's resource assessment contributions will inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.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.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.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.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.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.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Figure 5. Colored shaded-relief bathymetry including pockmarks offshore Morro Bay, California. Map generated from AUV-based multibeam bathymetry data collected by MBARI. 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.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.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)
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.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.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.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.
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.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. - Multimedia
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- Partners