Bering Sea | Climate and Oceanography
National ocean exploration and characterization priorities in Alaska case study: Mapping and exploration in the Aleutian Islands with uncrewed surface vehicle Saildrone Surveyor Presenter: Caitlin Adams , caitlin.adams@noaa.gov, NOAA Ocean Exploration
Rachel Medley , rachel.medley@noaa.gov, NOAA Ocean Exploration Aurora Elmore , aurora.elmore@noaa.gov, NOAA Ocean Exploration Mark Mueller , mark.mueller@boem.gov, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Colleen Peters , colleen.peters@saildrone.com, Saildrone Paul Knorr , paul.knorr@boem.gov, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Larry Mayer , larry@ccom.unh.edu, University of New Hampshire Amy Gartman , agartman@usgs.gov, United States Geological Survey Adam Soule , adamsoule@uri.edu, University of Rhode Island
In Summer 2022, a partnership between government, industry, and academia completed an unprecedented uncrewed seafloor mapping survey near the Aleutian Islands using the prototype Saildrone Surveyor, a 22-meter uncrewed surface vehicle capable of mapping waters in depths from 5-7,000m. The Aleutians Uncrewed Ocean Exploration expedition partnership was facilitated and led by the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, with funding from NOAA and BOEM and guidance from the U.S. Geological Survey. The goal of the expedition was to collect ocean mapping and environmental data in unexplored waters around the Aleutian Islands identified as high priority for the federal Interagency Working Group on Ocean Exploration and Characterization. Over 51 days, Saildrone Surveyor mapped more than 16,000 km2 of seafloor along the Aleutian Arc. Mapping efforts were concentrated on previously unmapped areas immediately adjacent to the Aleutian Islands, ranging in depths from 100-1,200m, including the Islands of Four Mountains, Amlia Basin, and Amutka Pass. Additional data were collected south of the Aleutian chain in considerably deeper waters (500-3,500m). All data collected will be processed by the University of New Hampshire and NOAA Ocean Exploration, and will be made publicly available via NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. NOAA Ocean Exploration will build on this project when it brings NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to the region next summer, and BOEM and USGS are also planning follow-on work. The entire effort was considered a flagship project under the National Strategy for Ocean Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (NOMEC Strategy) and contributed to the Seascape Alaska regional mapping campaign. Under the NOMEC Strategy, the United States has committed to mapping the deep waters (>40m) of the U.S. EEZ by 2030. As of January 2022, only 31% of Alaskan waters had been mapped at high (100-m) resolution, with even less explored or characterized. Uncrewed technologies like Saildrone’s Surveyor are invaluable tools in expanding the footprint of U.S. activities, complementing other platforms and sensors to achieve these ambitious goals. The Aleutian Islands were the only region in the entire U.S. EEZ to be prioritized by all thematic groups in the recent Strategic Priorities for Ocean Exploration and Characterization of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone report.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2023 42
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