Presenter: Katharine Egan (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Ocean Exploration and Research)

Description:
By leading ocean exploration efforts, NOAA Ocean Exploration is filling gaps in our basic understanding of deep waters. The office uses a number of mechanisms to explore, including NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, grants, contracts, a cooperative institute, and partnerships. To evaluate how the office addresses its mission and identify areas for growth, data recommendations for initial exploration of an area were reviewed. The following objectives were addressed: (1) Identify and rank Exploration Variables through a literature review; (2) Identify appropriate tools that could be used to address Exploration Variables using Okeanos Explorer as an example; (3) Identify Exploration Variable data gaps that are not currently addressed by Okeanos Explorer operations; (4) Develop an approach for scoping out new methods and technologies to address data gaps; (5) Use this approach to assess new methods to meet data gaps. There were 16 high-priority Exploration Variables identified. Of those, the office can address 8 of them with its current Okeanos Explorer operations. Moving forward, NOAA Ocean Exploration can use Exploration Variables to ensure they are continually improving their ocean exploration activities, such as through their recent trial run for collecting environmental DNA. The Exploration Variables may be a useful guidepost for other programs, such as the multi-sector effort to map, explore, and characterize the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone as envisioned by the National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization Strategy.