Okeanos Explorer (EX2304): Seascape Alaska 3: Aleutians Remotely Operated Vehicle Exploration and Mapping

From July 14 - July 25, 2023 (Kodiak, Alaska to Unalaska, Alaska), NOAA Ocean Exploration completed the Seascape Alaska 3: Aleutians Remotely Operated Vehicle Exploration and Mapping expedition (EX2304), a combined mapping and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) expedition exploring the deep waters around the Aleutian Islands. Operations during this 12-day expedition included the completion of eight ROV exploration dives, including six full dives and two dives that were abandoned during descent due to various circumstances.

ROV dives were conducted in water depths ranging from 780 m to 2800 m for a total of nearly 27 hours of bottom time (not including mid-water transects), focusing on exploring benthic habitats (including seep communities), geohazards, and water column communities. EX2304 also collected over 15,000 square kilometers of seafloor bathymetry and associated water column data using an EM 304 multibeam sonar. All data associated with this expedition will be archived within 120 days of the end of the expedition and will be publicly available through the NOAA Archives.