This cruise report details activities associated with the second leg of the Windows to the Deep 2018: Exploration of the Southeast U.S. Continental Margin expedition (EX-18-06). Windows to the Deep 2018 was the first in a series of cruises that contributed to NOAA’s Atlantic Seafloor Partnership for Integrated Research and Exploration (ASPIRE) campaign, a major multi-year, multi-national collaborative field program focused on raising collective knowledge and understanding of the North Atlantic. During the expedition, 17 ROV dives were conducted, ranging in depth from 325 to 3,424 meters, to improve knowledge of unexplored areas within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to inform management needs for sensitive habitats, maritime heritage sites, and potential resources. EX-18-06 also mapped 14,875 square kilometers of seafloor to extend bathymetric mapping coverage in the U.S. EEZ in support of Seabed 2030 and the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research goal to explore the U.S. EEZ. Additionally, 175 biological samples (new records, potential new species, dominant fauna, or to support trans-Atlantic connectivity studies) and 15 geological samples (to understand the geologic history and characterize habitat substrate) were collected. Data from this expedition will help to improve our understanding of the deep-ocean habitats of the U.S. continental margin and of the connections between communities throughout the Atlantic Basin. |
