EXPRESS Expedition Team Hosts NOAA, USGS, and BOEM Leadership

By Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center October 21, 2019

Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS) Expedition Team Hosts National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USGS, and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Leadership on October 21, 2019, in San Francisco

Four women stand side-by-side, smiling for the camera. — Left to right: Jane Reid (Deputy Regional Director for USGS Southwest Region), Amanda Demopoulos (USGS WARC), Catherine Puckett (USGS Western States Communication Chief), and Nadine Golden (Deputy Director, USGS PCMSC). Photo credit: Paul Laustsen, USGS

A crowd of about 20 people stand facing a ship docked along a pier. — The crew of NOAA ship Reuben Lasker introduce the guests to the research vessel.

On October 21, leadership from NOAA, USGS, and BOEM met with the scientists and crew of the EXPRESS expedition to learn about the multi-agency cooperative research campaign. The event included behind-the-scenes tours of the Exploratorium Museum and NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker, a discussion with scientists — including USGS’s Amanda Demopoulos (WARC), Nancy Prouty (PCMSC), and Jill Bourque (WARC) — about the science and management implications of the overall project and the specific expedition, and an informal lunch with the expedition team.

Demopoulos led a tour group with agency leads including Jane Reid (Deputy Regional Director for the USGS Southwest Region), Rear Admiral Mike Silah (Director of NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations), Alan Leonardi (Director of NOAA’s Office of Exploration and Research), and William Douros (Western Regional Director for NOAA’s National Ocean Service, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries).

USGS staff in attendance included Nadine Golden, Deputy Director of PCMSC; Catherine Puckett, Western States Communication Chief; Paul Laustsen, Public Affairs Official of the Western States; and PCMSC researcher Danny Brothers.

USGS scientists Amanda Demopoulos and Jill Bourque from WARC, and Nancy Prouty and Miranda Baker of PCMSC, have joined an interdisciplinary team of scientists from NOAA and the non-profit Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration (GFOE) aboard NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker as they explore deep-sea corals, sponges, and fish habitat off the U.S. West Coast. Ultimately, the data and information collected by EXPRESS expeditions will be used to inform important issues related to marine spatial planning, ecosystem assessments, geohazards, and offshore oil, gas, and renewable energy infrastructure and development.