Join NOAA and partners virtually as we send our remotely operated vehicles to explore the unknown, dark, cold and deep waters of the Blake Plateau, right off the U.S. Southeast coast. See what the scientists see, when they see it — sometimes for the first time, no trick!
During this Windows to the Deep 2021 expedition, the team on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will expand our knowledge about the creatures and features of this largely unexplored deepwater backyard of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Previous discoveries in the region include an extensive landscape of coral mounds — likely the world’s largest deep-sea coral province — in an area thought to be flat and featureless.
Described by scientists on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer as a highway of coral, this image shows a section of the coral mounds discovered during the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition off the Southeast US coast. (NOAA Ocean Exploration)
Though scary to some, the deep sea is vital to life on Earth. The ocean provides us with the air we breathe, food to eat, and it regulates weather and climate patterns. Windows to the Deep will collect information that will help us better understand, manage and protect critical ocean ecosystems and species.
What
NOAA’s Windows to the Deep 2021: Southeast U.S. ROV and Mapping expedition
When
October 27 through November 14, 2021
Watch
Remotely operated vehicle dives livestreamed every day from about 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET (ocean and weather conditions permitting).
The expedition will build on previous work in the region, including Windows to the Deep 2018, Windows to the Deep 2019, and the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-Sea Exploration.
