NA154 | Nautilus Live
2023 Expedition
Ala ʻAumoana Kai Uli in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
September 1 – 28, 2023
NA154
Summary
12
successful ROV dives
166
samples collected
172
live ship-to-shore interactions
23,466
km
of seafloor mapped
>1,600,000
livestream views
NA154 Expedition Summary
Data
Rolling Deck to Repository
ship navigation, mapping, and weather data
Mapping data
Marine Geoscience Data System
Video
full dive recordings
Geological samples
University of Rhode Island Marine Geological Samples Lab
Biological samples
Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology
Val Finlayson
Lead Scientist
Mike Brennan
Lead Scientist
Megan Cook
Expedition Leader
Daniel Wagner
Expedition Leader
Ocean Exploration Trust and partners will conduct a telepresence-enabled expedition to explore unseen deep-sea habitats aboard E/V
Nautilus
with
ROV
and
seafloor mapping
operations in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) focused on the largely unexplored northwestern section of the Monument.
PMNM is the largest marine protected area in the United States covering over 1.5 million square kilometers. While past expeditions have increased baseline knowledge of the deep-water resources here, large areas remain completely unexplored! This expedition will gather data urgently needed to address local management and science needs of PMNM, including a better understanding of the deep-sea natural and cultural resources, biogeographic patterns of species distributions, and seamount geologic history. While the expedition’s main focus will be to explore the geology and biology of unexplored seamounts, the operating area includes several historically-significant shipwrecks associated with the Battle of Midway. Should these historic wrecks be located, and weather conditions allow for ROV dives on these locations, the expedition will seek to conduct non-intrusive, ROV-based archaeological characterizations.
As E/V
Nautilus
voyages to the sacred islands of Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiians), we gratefully acknowledge past generations of Kānaka ʻŌiwi and today’s stewards of these waters and honor ʻŌiwi knowledge systems. PMNM is a place of tremendous natural wonders and is also a place of deep cultural significance for Native Hawaiians. The expedition name, Ala ʻAumoana Kai Uli (
path of the deep sea traveler),
was composed in collaboration with OET, former Kānaka OET interns, NOAA, and members of the PMNM Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group. Ala ʻAumoana Kai Uli speaks to the work that will be done on this expedition, but the name also speaks to the responsibility and accountability that we have to each other in protecting our shared ocean. The name is a reflection of our collective experiences as people who love and protect the ocean inciting images of physical and metaphoric paths, connecting ocean people to each other and various spaces within the ocean. These paths have been meticulously tended to over time, but the name also reminds us of our continued shared responsibility to care for these paths and our ever-developing relationships.
This expedition is funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.
Expedition Partners
Meet the Team
Virginia Biede
Science Team
Ken Block
Deck Chief
Jake Bonney
Hercules Pilot
Mike Brennan
Co-Lead Scientist
Alexis Catsambis
Co-Investigator Ashore
Mahinalani Cavalieri
Cultural Liaison
Tito Collasius
Hercules Pilot
Megan Cook
Communications Lead
Dan Cormany
Hercules Pilot
James "Jim" Delgado
Co-Investigator Ashore
Mia DeNardi
Navigator
Malia Kapuaonālani Evans
Guest Educator & PMNM Resource Monitor
Val Finlayson
Co-Lead Scientist
Amber Flynn
Lead Video Engineer
Jaina Galves
Video Engineer
Upasana Ganguly
Science/Data Team
Kukui Gavagan
Science Manager In Training
Zach Gonzalez
Atalanta Pilot
Philip Hartmeyer
Co-Investigator Ashore
Tori Hunt
Science Communication Fellow
Akifumi Iwabuchi
Co-Investigator Ashore
Renato Kane
Expedition Leader
Jun Kimura
Co-Investigator Ashore
Daniel Kinzer
Communication Lead
Matt Koskela
Data Engineer
Megan Lickliter-Mundon
Co-Investigator Ashore
Cara Lin
Science Communication Fellow
Sebastian Martinez
Ocean Science Intern
Russ Matthews
Co-Investigator Ashore
Ed McNichol
Video Engineer
Hannah Paradis
Science/ Data Team
Catalina Rubiano
Navigator
Randy Sasaki
Co-Investigator Ashore
Taylorann Smith
Science Manager
Derek Sowers
Mapping Coordinator
Elsei Tellei
Science Team
Frank Thompson
Science Team
Hans Van Tilburg
Science/Data Team, Archaeologist
Daniel Wagner
Expedition Leader
Robert Waters
Hercules Pilot
Jacob Wessling
ROV Engineering Intern
Gallery Highlights
Blog:
The Gifts of Scientific Learning and Cultural Exchange at Sea
View video
Video:
Casper the Friendly Octopus
View video
Video:
What Does Cultural Protocol Mean in Papahānaumokuākea?
View video
Video:
A Diversity of Floating Friends of the Deep Sea
View video
Video:
Two Cusk Eels and a Halosaur
Blog:
Uncovering the Geological Mystery of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
View video
Video:
Diversity of Deep Sea Fish from Papahānaumokuākea
View video
Video:
Cute Dumbo Octopus Eyes ROV Hercules
+5
Photo album:
Lift As You Climb - Mentorship and Knowledge Exchange
View video
Video:
Spectacular Sponges of Papahānaumokuākea
Blog:
Art Aboard E/V Nautilus: At-Sea Learning, Reflection, and Self-Care
Blog:
Deep Sea Dreams: A Journey Into Pō and Back
View video
Video:
Triple the Chaunacops Fun
+5
Photo album:
Kupaianaha, Amazing Seamount Views from the Path of the Deep Sea Traveler
View video
Video:
Hitchhiking Squat Lobster, Deep Sea Fish, and a Bunch of Brisingids
+2
Photo album:
Sula sula spotlight: red-footed boobies join the expedition
View video
Video:
Kupaianaha Orange Jellyfish
Blog:
Meet Ocean Explorer Sebastian Martinez
View video
Video:
Biodiversity Bonanza in Deep Sea Coral Gardens
View video
Video:
“Ghostly” Dumbo Octopus in the Deep Sea
View video
Video:
Deep Sea Dive on Battle of Midway Wreck IJN Kaga 加賀
View video
Video:
E/V Nautilus Reveals USS Yorktown for First Time in 25 Years
View video
Video:
First Visual Survey of IJN Akagi 赤城 - Historic Battle of Midway Shipwreck
View video
Video:
Exploring Iconic Battle of Midway Shipwrecks
Blog:
Exploring Iconic Shipwrecks from Battle of Midway to Provide Never-Before-Seen Details
View video
Video:
A Shared Voyage of Ocean Exploration
View video
Video:
Endless Pink Coral Forest in Papahānaumokuākea
View video
Video:
Adorable Transparent Pleurobranch
Blog:
The Battle of Midway: A Pivotal WWII Engagement within Papahānaumokuākea
Blog:
Ala ʻAumoana Kai Uli: Naming an Expedition to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
Blog:
Visiting an Unexplored Region of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument with Ala ʻAumoana Kai Uli Expedition
View video
Video:
Explore the Pacific with OET's 2023 Expedition Season
Blog:
OET’s 2023 Expedition Season Exploring the Central and Eastern Pacific
Blog:
What’s in an expedition name? Building relationships between people and place through ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language)
Expedition Posts
Selected Publications
2024
Cook, M., Morishige, K., Kapuaonālani Evans, M,., Fundis, A
(2024).
Building Equitable and Ethical Relationships through Deep-Sea Exploration Expeditions.
DeNardi, M.
(2024).
From classroom to field exploration: deep-sea archaeological surveys of Battle of Midway wrecks in Hawai’i’s Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
MAHSNews
35 (1): 6-9.
Hartmeyer, P.A., Weirich, J., Van Tilburg, H., Copeland, A., Malik, M., Cantelas, F., Cuellar, S., Suhre, K., Cantwell, K.
(2024).
Community-driven marine archaeology: NOAA Ocean Exploration Operations in the Pacific Basin 2024-2026.
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology
: 1-7.
Lobell, J.A.
(2024).
Midway's Lost Warships.
Archaeology
Jan/Feb: 2-7.
Van Tilburg, H., Delgado, J., Brenna, M., Hartmeyer, P., and Wagner, D.
(2024).
A sacred place: honoring the ocean's deepest battlefield.
MAHSNews
35 (1): 1-6.
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