Windows to the Deep 2019: Exploration of the Deep-sea Habitats of the Southeast United States
Past Expedition
Overview
From May 30 through July 12, 2019, NOAA and partners conducted a two-part, telepresence-enabled ocean exploration expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to collect critical baseline information about unknown and poorly understood deepwater areas of the southeastern United States.
Features
Features provide a deeper dive into expedition-related topics.
In a new study, scientists examining a deep-sea jellyfish collected by a team aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer have changed what we know about the animal’s habitat and relatives.
September 22, 2025
Windows to the Deep 2019: Exploration of the Deep-sea Habitats of the Southeastern United States was a 38-day, two-leg, telepresence-enabled expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to collect data on priority exploration areas identified by the ocean management and scientific communities.
August 21, 2019
On the final remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dive of Windows to the Deep 2019, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer’s 100th ocean exploration mission, the ROV Deep Discoverer (D2) explored the seafloor around recently discovered methane plumes near the well-studied Norfolk Seeps, the location where the U.S. Atlantic seeps story first began in 2012. This was a fitting location to conclude the Windows in the Deep 2019 expedition as the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) celebrates its 10th year of ocean exploration.
July 12, 2019
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On June 16, Commander (CDR) Nicole Manning became the sixth Commanding Officer of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. A NOAA Corps Officer, CDR Manning will be in command of the ship for the next two years. She was able to take a short break from her duties to answer some questions and share a little bit about her experiences and her role.
July 11, 2019
Twice during the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition, on days when we hoped to find a seep or a shipwreck, we instead encountered spectacular deep-sea coral and sponge habitat off the coast of Florida. Operations during this expedition have taken NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer both inside and outside the Stetson-Miami Terrace Deepwater Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC), and the team has discovered mounds of reef-building corals no one ever dreamed of. What a way to ring in Habitat Month 2019!
July 9, 2019
During Dive 14 of the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition, NOAA’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep Discoverer, also known as D2, explored cold seeps arrayed along a ridge located about 62 kilometers (39 miles) offshore Bodie Island, North Carolina. These methane seeps had never before been visited by autonomous, remotely operated, or human-occupied vehicles, and scientists were excited to watch as D2 made new discoveries during its progress up the ridge.
July 7, 2019
Herbert Leavitt, a NOAA Hollings Undergraduate Scholar with the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, shares his experiences getting involved in the exciting work of deep-sea exploration on multiple levels. Through the scholarship program, his internship this summer is research oriented, while still exposing him to the many facets of the organization’s mission, including communication and outreach.
July 6, 2019
During Dive 13, at 920 meters (3,018 feet) depth, we came upon a Chaceon crab perched above a white patch on the seafloor. A closer look revealed the patch to be a cluster of hundreds of eggs, proposed to have been deposited on the rock by a pallid sculpin. As we watched, the crab plucking eggs from the pile with its major chelipeds (clawed legs) and eating them. Furthermore, we observed dozens of amphipods (distant crustacean relatives of the crab) clinging to and crawling over the crab’s mouthparts.
July 5, 2019
To celebrate our country’s star-spangled Independence day, check out these FIVE species of star-shaped echinoderms (mostly sea stars) to commemorate discovery and the 4th of July!
July 4, 2019
During the first leg of the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition, we conducted 24-hour mapping operations in deepwater areas offshore of the southeastern United States. After 17 days at sea, we ended the mission with new multibeam bathymetry maps of areas of the Blake Plateau. Mapping operations involved the use of the ship’s deepwater mapping systems to collect baseline seafloor and water column data.
July 2, 2019
Between 1942 and 1943, Germany sent a fleet of U-boats to the shores of the United States to target merchant shipping vessels resupplying Europe. During this time, numerous oil tankers and freighters were sunk, many in deep water, that today have still yet to be located. One of these was SS Bloody Marsh, sunk on July 2, 1943 by U-66.
June 29, 2019
In honor of #CephalopodWeek (and #OctopusFriday!), below is a collection of some of our most-memorable sightings of these highly intelligent, mobile, and charismatic invertebrates, made over the course of exploring from the Okeanos. Enjoy!
June 28, 2019
Towards the end of the Dive 07, after searching for a potential shipwreck target approximately 80 miles off the coast of South Carolina and instead finding a series of rocky outcrops, the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition team had a rare encounter – a group of sharks in what looked to be a feeding frenzy appeared in the dim reaches of remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer's lights. Upon closer approach, the lights revealed a dead swordfish, approximately 2.5 meters (8 feet) in length, lying on the seafloor with at least 11 sharks circling and feeding “vigorously” on the swordfish's skin and muscle tissue.
June 28, 2019
As you follow along on the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition and watch the dives live, are you curious how NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is involved in making these operations possible? Ever wondered how we are able to feed 49 people for three weeks at sea? Want an exclusive peek inside the ship’s control room? Then join us for a tour of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer!
June 26, 2019
During Dive 05 of the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition, we encountered a charismatic swimming jelly called a helmet jelly that was twisting and tumbling as it moved across remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer’s field of view. With a characteristic groove encircling its swimming bell, the helmet jelly is classified as a coronate scyphomedusa, with a scientific name of Periphylla periphylla.
June 25, 2019
Windows to the Deep 2019 is the first live-streamed expedition during which the remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer (D2) will use its new suction sampler. A suction sampler is an underwater vacuum for collecting biological samples that are too small, too delicate, or too quick to pick up using the jaws of D2’s hydraulic manipulator. Some of these deep-sea animals could include pelagic animals, fish, and other mobile fauna, like squat lobsters.
June 24, 2019
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June 23, 2019
This week, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, with a dedicated team both aboard and on shore, sets sail on its 100th ocean exploration mission. It is fitting that this milestone expedition to explore the deep and mostly unexplored ocean off the southeastern United States begins at the hub of our nation’s space exploration program – Cape Canaveral, Florida.
June 22, 2019
Black corals, or antipatharians, seen during the second dive of the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition. These fascinating corals belong to the genus Leiopathes, and the species of this genus have proved to be extremely long living.
June 22, 2019
June 20 marked the first day of the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition and NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer’s 100th ocean exploration mission! Over the years, there have been many highlights that millions of people around the world have joined us for, but few know how we determine where we go and what we do when we get there. Planning for a mission of this nature starts months in advance, with much of the initial framework developed years prior.
June 20, 2019
From May 30 through July 12, 2019, NOAA and partners will conduct a two-part, telepresence-enabled ocean exploration expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to collect critical baseline information about unknown and poorly understood deepwater areas of the southeastern United States.
May 30, 2019
Submarine canyons are found throughout the world, representing complex seafloor features that link the upper continental shelf to the abyssal plain. They punctuate the margin by incising the shelf, creating scenic seascapes reminiscent of their terrestrial counterparts.
May 30, 2019
From June 20 through July 12, NOAA and partners will conduct the second leg of the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition, a telepresence-enabled ocean exploration expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to collect critical baseline information about unknown and poorly understood deepwater areas off the southeastern U.S. coast. During this expedition, our at-sea and shore-based science teams will work together to map the seafloor and observe many targeted sites for the first time.
May 30, 2019
The first leg of the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition, taking place from May 30 to June 14, will include 24-hour per day mapping operations on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer focused on high-priority areas identified by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, NOAA, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the science community.
May 30, 2019
There is perhaps no greater potential for archaeological discoveries in U.S. waters than along the Eastern Seaboard. This region has been host to human activity since before the Last Glacial Maximum, when the shoreline approximated what is now the continental shelf, the bottomlands themselves once homes, hunting grounds, and sacred places. The prospect of identifying indigenous sites in this area has long filled archaeologists and living native descendants with hope.
May 30, 2019
In 2016, NOAA launched a new four-year initiative to study deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems across the Southeast United States, a region that includes the U.S. federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic Bight, and Caribbean Sea. This multidisciplinary effort, known as the Southeast Deep Coral Initiative (SEDCI), is led by a NOAA team from multiple line offices that work in close collaboration with partners from federal and academic institutions. Funding for SEDCI activities is provided primarily by NOAA through the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program.
May 30, 2019
During the Windows to the Deep 2019: Exploration of the Deep-sea Habitats of the Southeastern United States expedition, the mission team will try to explore at least one cold seep site near the North Carolina coast. Cold seeps occur where highly saline and hydrocarbon-rich fluids, such as methane and sulfides, escape from the seafloor at close to ambient temperatures.
May 30, 2019
Multimedia
The images and videos from this expedition add context and help bring the expedition to life. Click on a preview image below to view the full image/watch a video and get more information.
Dive Summary Map
The map below shows the location of dives during the expedition. Click on a dive number to access the update from that day.
Education
Ocean Science for Educators provides the best of what the NOAA Ocean Exploration website has to offer to support educators in the classroom. Each theme page includes lessons, fact sheets, ocean facts, exploration notes, multimedia, and related past expeditions and projects. Below are the top education themes related to this expedition.
Team
Each team member’s path to this expedition is unique. Read their bios to find out what makes them ocean explorers.
Assistant Professor, California State University, Sacramento
Leg 2
Leg 2
Temple University
Leg 2
Leg 2
Mechanical Engineer
Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration
Leg 2
Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration
Leg 2
Hydrographer and Marine Geologist
Leg 1
Leg 1
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Leg 1
Leg 1
Electronic Systems Engineer
Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration
Legs 1 and 2
Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration
Legs 1 and 2
Resources & Contacts
Media Contacts
- NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
Emily Crum
Email Address: emily.crum@noaa.gov - NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Vernon Smith
National Media Coordinator
Office: (301) 713 – 3125 x248
Email Address: vernon.smith@noaa.gov - NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
John Ewald
Director of Public Affairs
Office: (301) 427 – 8029
Email Address: john.ewald@noaa.gov - NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
David Hall
Public Affairs Officer
Office: (301) 713 – 7671
Email Address: david.l.hall@noaa.gov