World's Largest Known Deep-sea Coral Reef Habitat Found
included imagery from 23 submersible dives in addition to mapping data, were collected as part of a coordinated, multi-year ocean exploration campaign involving NOAA Ocean Exploration, NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute partners Ocean Exploration Trust and the University of New Hampshire , the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Temple University , and the U.S. Geological Survey, with contributions from Fugro , the NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council .The largest area, nicknamed "Million Mounds" by scientists
Not All Underwater Reefs are Made of Coral
a push toward developing structures specifically for use as artificial reefs.Planes, trains and automobilesFor our study, we gathered records of intentional reefings dating back to 1899 and occurring off artificial all U.S. coastal states, except for six without artificial ocean reef programs: Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Oregon, Washington and Alaska.For some of these events, especially in recent decades, there were detailed records of the sizes and quantities of sunken objects or seafloor maps from which we could derive these measurements. These reefs were easy to quantify.Other records, including
The Curious Case of the 1,200 MW Transmission Size “Limit” in New England
up to 2,000 MW, the Boston-based Mystic Generating Station units 8 and 9, which collectively are a 1,600 MW single source loss due to a common natural gas fuel source issue from an adjacent liquefied natural gas gasification facility, and the region’s two remaining nuclear plants, Seabrook in New Hampshire and Millstone in Connecticut, can all operate above 1,200 MW and up to their limits as long as system generation dispatch and resulting power flows on the New York and PJM systems allow. The 2016 planning process limit only applies prospectively to new resources – HVDC lines interconnectin
New Ocean Mapping Center Partnership
NOAA and the University of New Hampshire (UNH) are expanding a 24-year ocean and Great Lakes mapping partnership through the creation of a new Center of Excellence for Operational Ocean and Great Lakes Mapping.“NOAA and UNH have a long history of collaborating to advance the latest technologies and tools to map our ocean, coasts and Great Lakes — a cornerstone of the blue economy,” said Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA Administrator. “Our continued partnership on the Center of Excellence will help build a workforce ready to tackle the mapping challenges of the future, and further our
Exail and UNH Open Maritime Autonomy Innovation Hub
A new innovation hub at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) will engage in all aspects of marine autonomous operations to help meet the challenges of the growing blue economy. High-tech industrial group Exail will use the new center to deliver increased operational advantage to U.S. civil and government customers. This includes the U.S. production of its uncrewed surface vessel (USV), DriX, the housing of a remote operation center to conduct worldwide remote autonomous operations, establishing local operations, maintenance and training facilities, and providing expertise on maritime autonomy
Discovery: Historic Shipwreck Found in Lake Huron
claimed Captain Girard and four other Ironton crew: Mate Ed Bostwick, Sailor John Pope, and two unidentified sailors.Autonomous surface vessel (ASV) BEN pictured in the Rogers City Marina. Image Credit: Ocean Exploration Trust/NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine SanctuaryPilots from the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping operate ASV BEN from the Mobile Lab in Rogers City, Michigan. Image Credit: Ocean Exploration Trust/NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine SanctuaryQUOTABLE: Dr. Robert Ballard, President, Ocean Exploration Trust: “Our team is proud to partner
Uncrewed Saildrone to Explore Remote Alaskan Waters
and Characterization. All work conducted will contribute to the Seascape Alaska regional mapping campaign.Data will be collected by the innovative Saildrone Surveyor , the world’s largest and most advanced uncrewed surface vessel for ocean exploration. Along with Saildrone , the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping and NOAA Ocean Exploration staff will manage at-sea operations.The Surveyor is equipped with a suite of instruments to collect acoustic, oceanographic, and meteorological data to support a wide range of research applications. Piloted remotely from
DriX USV Delivered to UNH CCOM
The University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (UNH CCOM), as a member of the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute (OECI), funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration, took delivery of an iXblue DriX Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV) and its Universal Deployment System. The autonomous solution will help expand the footprint and efficiency of the OECI’s ocean exploration operations. Delivered in July to UNH CCOM, DriX and its novel Universal Deployment System have completed sea acceptance trials and extensive personnel training during the summer of 2021 as well as integratio
MTR 100: NOAA ... Working at the Interface of Exploration and Education
hazards, and recognize seafloor features that may be of scientific interest.NOAA Ocean Exploration is using new autonomous technologies to meet ambitious mapping and exploration goals. Through the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), a multi-year grant was provided to the University of New Hampshire, Saildrone, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute to test and integrate acoustic and other sensors into a new larger class of uncrewed surface vehicles powered by wind and solar power. The 22m Saildrone Surveyor is designed to collect bathymetry of the seafloor, water column data,
February 2024
