The summer is in full swing. Ocean exploration activities are underway and new discoveries are popping up daily. Students are working in labs and putting the finishing touches on summer internships. Enjoy the amazing pace of exploration work that’s going on, but feel free to take a moment to enjoy the warm weather, sunshine, and when you do, you should feel very proud of all of your contributions that help OECI and NOAA flourish.

Deepest Regards,

Adam

Maritime Archaeology of Guadalcanal: Iron Bottom Sound

E/V Nautilus and the onboard team just wrapped up an expedition in the Solomon Islands highlighting an area rich with history - Guadalcanal. The team explored maritime heritage sites lost during WWII using non-invasive exploration techniques. Notably, the team conducted comprehensive ROV-based surveys of 13 different maritime heritage sites, including four that were imaged for the first time, and two that were found for the first time! To learn more about his expedition, explore the expedition gallery which contains images (like the one below) and videos from the expedition!    

Teruzuki, meaning shining or illuminated moon, was a 134-meter-long Akizuki-class destroyer designed for screening aircraft carriers from aerial attacks.

Image credit: Ocean Exploration Trust

USM Intern Symposium 

Please join us on July 31st at 11 am EST for a special OECI Colloquium event! At this time, the OECI Ocean Explorer interns will be presenting results from their summer research projects. This year, 9 students from Tuskegee University and Jackson State University worked with mentors at the University of Southern Mississippi (project lead institution), the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, and the University of New Hampshire to conduct ocean-related research. The interns have worked diligently all summer, so let’s all support them by attending this event!

Please attend using this Zoom Link

SeaPerch 2025

Members of the OECI Education Working Group across all OECI partner institutions attended the International SeaPerch Challenge competition at the end of May. OECI was the lead sponsor of the 2025 International SeaPerch Challenge and has a large presence at the two-day event. This year, the challenge course was based on coral propagation with 181 teams competing in the Middle School, High School, and the Open Class. After the event, teams had the opportunity to connect with ROV pilots onboard E/V Nautilus.

Brennan Ocean Mapping Fund FY27

On June 17, 2025, the FY27 Brennan Ocean Mapping Fund opportunity was released in the Federal Register. The notice invites non-Federal entities to partner with the ocean and coastal mapping programs of NOAA's National Ocean Service on jointly-funded projects of mutual interest and establishes selection criteria and submission requirements for such projects. With this funding opportunity and subject to the availability of funds, NOAA will match selected non-Federal partners at a 70:30/NOAA:Partner ratio for projects proposing to contract for ocean, coastal, and/or Great Lakes mapping data, totaling up to $1,000,000 per project.  

All application materials due to iwgocm.staff@noaa.gov by Friday, October 10, 2025, at 5pm ET.

Federal Registry Notice

One Page Summary

AGU Session Submission

Please consider submitting an abstract to this OECI-affiliated AGU session: “Accelerating Exploration and Research of the Deep Sea to Inform Decision Making” by July 30th. 

Session Summary:

The deep seafloor comprises more than half of Earth's solid surface. Deep-sea crustal environments - defined here as the exposure of hard rocks to seawater, like on mid-ocean ridges, seamounts, nodules, and subseafloor oceanic crust - are key components of the deep ocean, hosting higher biodiversity and biomass than sedimented environments and playing an essential role in regulating ocean heat, chemical cycling, and biological habitat. With growing interest in potentially using the deep sea, from seamount fisheries to seafloor mining and storage of carbon dioxide, the next decade requires accelerated understanding of seafloor systems. This session aims to highlight the latest exploration and research of the structure, resilience, and ecosystem services of the deep sea environment, the shared objectives across federal, academic, non-profit, and commercial research and operations, and on how new and existing knowledge is being translated for stakeholders to make informed decisions.

Archive your bathymetry data with NCEI

NOAA NCEI is recognized both nationally and internationally as THE repository and archive for multibeam and singlebeam bathymetry data, as well as water column sonar, subbottom profiling, CTD, gravity, and magnetometry data. Additionally, the NOAA-led Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IWG-OCM) is mandated by the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act to provide the archiving, management, and distribution of these data as well as maintain an inventory of ocean and coastal mapping data at NCEI. Archive your data today!

Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Podcast

Check out this episode of the Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs podcast that highlights OECI’s recent expedition in the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary!