The survey consists of 120 random stratified stations in the Middle Atlantic Bight, Southern New England, Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine. Depending on the duration of the cruise and weather, fewer stations might be samples. These will be sampled with an array of bongo nets: a 61 cm bongo frame equipped with two 333 micron mesh nets, and a smaller 20 cm bongo frame equipped with two nets of that same mesh A subset of 15 stations from the cruise will be sampled with a similar array except that the 20 cm bongo frames will be equipped with 165 micron mesh nets.

This cruise will include a series of tests to ensure the condition of the new EM 304 that was installed over the winter repair period. The expedition will commence on March 3, 2020 in
Pascagoula, Mississippi, and conclude on March 8, 2020 in Key West, Florida. Mapping operations will focus on conducting equipment calibration, assessing equipment performance, and transiting to Key West.
All operations will occur within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Between April 14 and May 10, 2021 EX-21-01 performed the sea acceptance testing of the newly installed Kongsberg EM 304 MKII transmit array, conducted mission readiness of the mapping systems through
annual testing and calibration, and mapped unexplored areas of the Blake Plateau. In addition to the EM 304 multibeam sonar objectives, EK60/80 split-beam echosounder objectives included acceptance of the newly installed

From May 14-27, 2021, NOAA Ocean Exploration led the 2021 Technology Demonstration on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to Norfolk, Virginia. The expedition provided an opportunity to test several technologies that will allow the ocean exploration community to explore deeper, farther, and more comprehensively than previously possible.

This Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) shakedown expedition aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer began in Norfolk, Virginia on June 13, 2021 and concluded on June 28, 2021 in Newport, Rhode Island. This was the first time the ROVs Deep Discoverer and Seirios were mobilized and used for ROV dives since the extensive 2021 winter dry dock repair period. While underway, 24‐hour operations focused on preparing remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems for the remainder of 2021 expeditions.

The 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts expedition (EX-21-04) was a combined mapping and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) expedition to the seamounts of the Northwest Atlantic that took place between June 30 and July 29, 2021. Operations during this 30-day at sea expedition included a combination of ROV dives in support of NOAA Ocean Exploration and its partner priorities as well as exploratory mapping operations targeting areas containing no or poor quality modern mapping data. The initial focus was on the U.S.

From August 15- September 2, 2021, NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted mapping operations on the Blake Plateau within U.S. waters, aiding in closing the gaps within this region. This cruise consisted of a strategic transit from Newport, Rhode Island to the primary working grounds off of the U.S Southeast, aimed at collecting data over previously mapped and potentially new seeps along the edge of the continental shelf. EX-21-05 collected 13,054 square kilometers of bathymetry and associated water column data, 12,989 square kilometers of which were within the U.S.

From September 5 - September 28, 2021, NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted mapping operations on the Blake Plateau within U.S. waters, aiding in closing the gaps within this region. The second of two cruises focused on mapping this region, EX-21-06 collected 25,800 square kilometers of bathymetry and associated water column data, 25,790 square kilometers of which were within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and Territorial Sea deeper than 200 m.

The Windows to the Deep 2021: Southeast U.S. ROV and Mapping expedition (EX-21-07) was a combined mapping and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) expedition to the Blake Plateau and Florida Straits that took place between October 26 and November 15, 2021. Operations during this 21-days at sea expedition included a combination of ROV dives in support of NOAA Ocean Exploration and its partner priorities.

From April 4 - 28, 2022, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer sailed to support NOAA Ocean Exploration's Puerto Rico Mapping and Deep-Sea Camera expedition (EX-22-03). The ship departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The mission objectives were two-fold: seafloor mapping in U.S waters offshore of Puerto Rico and testing deep-sea camera systems developed by the Multidisciplinary Instrumentation in Support of Oceanography (MISO) Facility at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) for potential integration into future NOAA Ocean Exploration operations.