Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization

First Examination of Functional Capacity of Deep-sea Coral Microbiomes Reveals Details of Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling Plus Tropical Similarities

memory@usgs.gov — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 10:33:14 EDT

In this newly published "deep dive" into coral microbiomes, Dr. Christina Kellogg and partners reveal very similar microbial gene functions in deep-water coral microbiomes compared to those in shallow, tropical environments. They also uncover results such as varying nutritional strategies, antibiotic gene resistance, and differences between stony and soft coral microbiomes.

National Ocean Month

ssobie@usgs.gov — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 09:00:00 EDT

The ocean is a beautiful, dynamic, and sometimes dangerous place. Unsurprisingly, this is why a lot of USGS researchers spend their entire careers studying it. In celebration of National Ocean Month, we thought it would be a good time to dive in and feature ten ocean field sites you’ve got to “sea” to believe.

In depth: Surprising tsunamis caused by explosive eruption in Tonga

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 15:00:00 EDT

A volcanic eruption in Tonga on 15 January 2022 surprised scientists by triggering two types of tsunamis: “classic” tsunamis caused by the displacement of large volumes of water, and meteotsunamis caused by fast-moving pressure disturbances in the atmosphere.

Explore Deep-sea Data Along the Pacific Coast with EXPRESS Data Viewer

ppearsall@usgs.gov — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 16:13:45 EDT

As part of National Ocean Month, USGS has launched a new web application that allows users and the public to explore a trove of geohazard, ecosystem, and resource data from the deep ocean and continental margin off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington.

Deep Dive: Whence Comes the Name “Escanaba”?

ababb@usgs.gov — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 08:50:00 EDT

As the Escanaba Trough expedition wraps up, one somewhat prosaic mystery still lingers: Why do we call this seafloor spreading center Escanaba Trough?

Escanaba Trough Expedition: Updates From Sea

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Mon, 6 Jun 2022 12:55:16 EDT

Sediment, corals, and crustaceans, oh, my! Learn how scientists and crew prepare for a three-week research cruise at sea. Get submersed and take a dive with deep-sea robots! Find out how scientists collect and store deep-sea samples like sediment, echinoderms, and microbes.

Watch four videos about a USGS expedition to the Escanaba Trough, in the Pacific Ocean off of northern California.

Deep Dive: Critical Mineral Resources in Escanaba Trough

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Mon, 6 Jun 2022 12:28:20 EDT

One primary area of interest for researchers on the Escanaba Trough expedition is to expand knowledge of the mineral resources found at seafloor spreading centers such as Escanaba Trough. Among these seafloor resources are potential deposits of minerals, deemed “critical” to national security and commerce, which have supply chains vulnerable to disruption.

Escanaba Trough Expedition: Introduction Video

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Wed, 1 Jun 2022 14:03:52 EDT

Embarking on a three-week deep-sea research expedition requires a lot of preparation. For this expedition to Escanaba Trough, U.S. Geological Survey scientists and partners spend the first few days in port, building their laboratory space aboard the research vessel Thomas G. Thompson.

Deep Dive: Marine Geology in Escanaba Trough

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Fri, 20 May 2022 18:06:27 EDT

Escanaba Trough is the southern-most segment of the Gorda Ridge seafloor spreading center, the only mid-ocean ridge located within the US Exclusive Economic Zone. Several geomorphic and geochemical characteristics set Escanaba Trough apart from most of the Juan de Fuca Plate-Gorda Plate mid-ocean ridge plate boundary.

Deep Dive: Hydrothermal Systems in Escanaba Trough

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Fri, 20 May 2022 17:05:16 EDT

Hydrothermal systems occur when seawater percolates down through fractures in the oceanic crust, heating up as it nears the earth’s hot interior. These systems are often found near mid-ocean ridges such as Escanaba Trough, where tectonic plates diverge, and new seafloor is created.

USGS Leads Research Expedition to Deep-sea Escanaba Trough

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Thu, 19 May 2022 23:00:00 EDT

The USGS, in cooperation with BOEM, NOAA, and others, embarked on a three-week research expedition to Escanaba Trough off the coast of northern California in 2022. The multidisciplinary crew will collect extensive geologic, geochemical, and biological samples with the remotely operated vehicle Jason, as well as test new seafloor mapping techniques using the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry.

USGS drifter found on a Scotland beach nearly 40 years after its release in the Arctic Ocean

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Thu, 19 May 2022 16:36:57 EDT

On 22 February 2022, a resident of the Scottish isle of Islay found a yellow plastic disk—a “drifter”—that had been released off the Arctic coast of Alaska nearly 40 years before by USGS scientists studying currents.

California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Fri, 6 May 2022 19:09:18 EDT

To advance national and state renewable energy goals, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), USGS, and the State of California are considering the implications and potential impacts of wind energy development miles offshore of Morro Bay in southern California.

USGS Leadership Participates in Virtual NOMEC Conversation Hosted by the UN Decade on the Ocean

bboynton@usgs.gov — Thu, 7 Oct 2021 12:00:00 EDT

What do you know about NOMEC? And why is NOMEC important? NOMEC is the National Ocean Mapping, Exploring and Characterization program, a national effort focused on mapping the United States Excusive Economic Zone or EEZ.

Queen Charlotte Fault Mapping

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Wed, 6 Oct 2021 11:15:00 EDT

The Queen Charlotte Fault is an active strike-slip boundary, similar to California’s San Andreas fault.

Exploring the Unknown in the Deep North Atlantic Ocean

ababb@usgs.gov — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 10:15:00 EDT

Learning more about international waters, or the "high seas," and other unexplored deepwater areas through exploration is critical to ensuring they are collectively and sustainably managed for the good of the planet.

2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones Expedition

ababb@usgs.gov — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 07:30:00 EDT

At 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Wednesday, July 14, you are invited to join a live event introducing the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts expedition.

Earthquakes, Landslides, and Tsunamis: Mapping Geohazards in the Cascadia Subduction Zone

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 12:15:00 EDT

The geologic research and mapping in the offshore areas is foundational to understanding how to manage resources and improve public safety in subduction zone areas.

Windows to the Deep 2019 - Exploring Deep Sea Habitats of the Southeastern U.S.

jgittens@usgs.gov — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 09:15:00 EDT

From May 30 through July 12, 2019, USGS joined NOAA and partners on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to collect critical baseline information about unknown and poorly understood deep-water areas of the southeastern United States.

Seafloor Methane Seeps at the Edge of Hydrate Stability

ababb@usgs.gov — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 08:00:00 EDT

In June 2019, USGS scientists led a 22-day deep-sea research expedition aboard the R/V Falkor to examine methane seep dynamics and processes along the Cascadia Margin offshore of Washington and Oregon.

EXPRESS: Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems - Interagency Collaborative Efforts Explore Deep Ocean Areas

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 06:45:00 EDT

As state and national interest in offshore renewable energy development and substantial commercial and recreational fishing activities grows, managing offshore habitats becomes increasingly challenging. In response, USGS and BOEM have joined NOAA and several non-Federal partners to initiate EXpanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS), a multiy

Scientists Map Tectonic Structure Below the Seafloor of Puerto Rico

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 05:30:00 EDT

The USGS is working to identify and map faults in southern Puerto Rico, to estimate the location and magnitude of potential earthquakes.

ASPIRE—Exploring the Atlantic Deep Sea

jgittens@usgs.gov — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 11:15:00 EDT

The 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration (EX1906 and EX1907) was a 43-day, two-leg, telepresence-enabled expedition to collect critical baseline information about unknown and poorly understood deepwater areas of the Southeastern U.S. continental margin.

Critical Minerals in the EEZ

apdemas@usgs.gov — Fri, 5 Jun 2020 08:00:00 EDT

For centuries, people have crossed oceans in search of valuable minerals. In recent times, though, increasing attention has been paid to the oceans themselves for their mineral potential, especially rock formations on the seafloor.

Sediment Trap in Gulf of Mexico Recovered for the Last Time, Marking the Culmination of a 12-year Time Series of Climate Data Collection

jgittens@usgs.gov — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 10:00:00 EDT

By understanding modern changes in temperature, and therefore past changes in the climate of the Gulf of Mexico, scientists can better predict climate changes in Earth’s future– just by studying teeny tiny forams.

Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program Decadal Science Strategy Published

jgittens@usgs.gov — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 08:45:00 EDT

This geonarrative constitutes the Decadal Science Strategy of the USGS's Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program for 2020 to 2030.

Special Issue Highlights One of the Most Extensive Gas Hydrate Datasets Ever Collected

apdemas@usgs.gov — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 04:45:00 EST

The USGS and its research partners in India and Japan have reported on one of the most extensive data sets ever collected on the occurrence of natural gas hydrate.

Large Underwater Experiment Shows that “Turbidity Currents” are Not Just Currents, but Involve Movement of the Seafloor Itself

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Thu, 1 Nov 2018 18:30:00 EDT

Turbidity currents have historically been described as fast-moving currents that sweep down submarine canyons, carrying sand and mud into the deep sea. But a new paper in Nature Communications shows that, rather than just consisting of sediment-laden seawater flowing over the seafloor, turbidity currents also involve large-scale movements of the seafloor itself.

USGS-NOAA cruise maps Cascadia subduction zone to assess earthquake hazards

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Fri, 7 Sep 2018 09:45:00 EDT

From July 31 to August 23, a joint USGS-NOAA cruise mapped seafloor depths, texture, and gas seeps in the Cascadia subduction zone offshore of Washington, Oregon, and northern California.

How Will Underwater Mining Affect the Deep Ocean? Growing a Research Community to Find Out

ltorresan@usgs.gov — Thu, 31 May 2018 04:15:00 EDT

USGS oceanographer Amy Gartman and team seek to understand how and where mineral-rich deposits form in the ocean, and what effects mining them could have on the deep-sea environment.