Southeast US and Bahamas, Leg 1 Mapping

Vessel: NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer; Expedition Dates: October 05, 2019 to October 26, 2019

Ports: North Kingstown, RI to Miami, FL

Project Principals: Derek Sowers, NOAA/OAR/OER (Expedition Coordinator and Mapping Lead)

EX-19-06 collected 20,289 square kilometers (5,915 square nautical miles) and 7,594 linear kilometers of bathymetry and associated water column data. 18,110 square kilometers of this area was mapped within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in depths deeper than 200m. The ship started the cruise from North Kingstown, RI on October 5, 2019 and ended in Miami, Florida on October 26, 2019. EX-19-06 operations involved a transit southward along the edge of the continental shelf followed by focused ocean mapping operations mostly in deep (>200 m) U.S. federal waters off the southeast U.S. Coast on the Blake Plateau. Some limited surveying was also completed along the U.S./Bahamas maritime boundary region. The cruise conducted 24 hour/day exploratory mapping operations to provide initial characterization of the region, as well as to provide data to support more in-depth exploration with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) planned for the follow-on EX-19-07 expedition.