2021 EM304 SAT + Mapping Shakedown

Vessel: NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer; Expedition Dates: April 16, 2021 to May 10, 2021

Ports: Key West, FL to Port Canaveral, FL

Project Principals: Shannon Hoy, NOAA/OAR/OER (Expedition Coordinator); Sam Candio, NOAA/OAR/OER (Mapping Lead)

Between April 14 and May 10, 2021 EX-21-01 performed the sea acceptance testing of the newly installed Kongsberg EM 304 MKII transmit array, conducted mission readiness of the mapping systems through annual testing and calibration, and mapped unexplored areas of the Blake Plateau. In addition to the EM 304 multibeam sonar objectives, EK60/80 split-beam echosounder objectives included acceptance of the newly installed EK80 38 kHz transducer and calibration of each frequency (18, 38, 70, 120, 200 kHz). Other mission readiness objectives included ensuring functionality of all ancillary equipment, including sound speed profiling equipment, updating and refining procedural documents, and defining new procedures for supporting shore-based processing using the Cloud. EX-21-01 collected 22,187 square kilometers of bathymetry and associated water column data, with 18,773 square kilometers being within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and Territorial Sea deeper than 200 m.