Exploration Extras
Take a moment to dive a little deeper into ocean exploration with the “extras” listed below. With activities, virtual events and celebrations, exploration features, and historical reviews, these multimedia-rich web offerings are designed to increase interest in and understanding of ocean exploration and its importance to our everyday lives.
Browse through all of the “extras” or click on an icon to view a specific type of content.
Looking for specific news and announcements from our office? Visit the NOAA Ocean Exploration Updates page.
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Activities
Exploration Highlights
History
Events
Photogrammetry Collection
NOAA Ocean Exploration’s photogrammetry collection includes models of seafloor sites and features visited and modeled by NOAA Ocean Exploration and partners for use by scientists, researchers, and others interested in detailed representations of our exploration targets.
NOAA Ocean Exploration’s Spooky Star
Scientists on expeditions with NOAA Ocean Exploration have spotted all kinds of weird and wonderful creatures over the years, which made us start to wonder: which deep-sea animal is the coolest, spookiest, and strangest of all?
Ocean Exploration Matters
Take a deep dive with us as we look at several of the reasons why exploring our ocean is so important.
Meet the Deep for National Ocean Month
June is National Ocean Month. Join us throughout the month of June as we dive into some of the habitats of the deep ocean and shed light on some of the fascinating creatures that live there.
Ocean Exploration: Learning Runs Deep
To take a deep dive into what we know about the our largely unexplored ocean, NOAA Ocean Exploration partnered with the monthly science education magazine OYLA to share some of the ocean’s secrets. Browse through these multimedia-rich features below to learn more.
31 Dives of Halloween
To celebrate this haunting holiday, we’ve gathered some of our favorite spooktacular finds from the deep ocean. We’ll reveal a new one each day, so be sure to check back often or follow us on social media to see what we uncover next!
Take a DEEP Dive for National Ocean Month
As we celebrate National Ocean Month this June, join us for a daily look at just a few of the things that make the deep ocean special, mysterious, exciting, and important to understand and explore. We’ll reveal a new fact each day, so check back often or follow us on social media!
Valentine's Day Cards
How deep is your love? If you really need to know, this February, share your deep-ocean love with our collection of nerdy, punny cards! Each card is available in two formats: one (pdf) version that can be downloaded and printed and the other (jpg) version that can be digitally shared as a downloaded image or link.
Pumpkin Carving Templates: Creatures of the Deep Ocean
This Halloween, “trick or treat” yourself with these pumpkin carving templates, featuring a few of the critters we’ve encountered during our deep-ocean dives. From a spooktacular sea star to a ghost shark, you’re sure to find something to carve that will have you thinking, “life is gourd.”
Celebrating 20 Years of NOAA Ocean Exploration
In April 2001, the NOAA Ocean Exploration Program was established in response to the recommendations and challenges set forth in the Report of the President’s Panel for Ocean Exploration and in recognition of the value such a program could provide to NOAA and the nation.
Explore! Journey to Earth's Largest Habitat
Dive into this story map to learn about NOAA’s exploration activities in the deep sea and immerse yourself in some of the underwater worlds explored during past NOAA Ocean Exploration expeditions.
An Ocean of Art
Working with partners at the Ocean Exploration Trust and Schmidt Ocean Institute, OER assembled a coloring book to inspire everyone to learn about and appreciate the ocean. On this page, you can download the coloring book and also download individual coloring sheets and visit links to learn more about each featured animal.
Celebrating Our Ocean Planet
Leading up to the start of World Oceans Month in June 2020, OER shared images, videos, and webinars, focusing on a different deep-ocean theme each week. Visit this page to access information on dive rebroadcasts, photos from our Explorer’s Choice Photo Contest, and previously recorded Ocean Exploration Seminar talks.
Understanding Our Ocean with Water-Column Sonar Data
This story map, created by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, reviews how NOAA uses water-column sonar data to establish foundational information to better understand oceanic conditions and inform decision makers about ocean resources.
Ten Years of Okeanos Explorer Data Collection
Since the first ocean exploration data was collected from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in 2009, OER has led expeditions on the ship around the globe. Visit this page to view a timeline, watch a video, and read stories from the 10-year period.
Octonauts Corner
OER and the Octonauts have teamed up to deliver great deep-ocean information for kids (of all ages!). Visit this page to access coloring cards, a deep-sea animal chart, and more.
World Oceans Day 2015: Seafloor Mapping
This interactive web feature, created by OER in celebration of World Oceans Day 2015, takes a closer look at seafloor mapping, from how we do it to why it is such a critical, foundational component of exploring – and thus understanding – our ocean.
One Million Square Kilometers of Seafloor Mapped
In early 2014, OER surpassed 1,000,000 square kilometers of the seafloor mapped using high-resolution multibeam sonar on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Visit this page to take a look back at this accomplishment and other achievements reached.
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research: Titanic Collection
In 2003 and 2004, OER conducted two field expeditions and collected and disseminated data from the sunken RMS Titanic. Visit this page to access expedition information and logs, related educational resources, and expedition images and video footage.
Ten Years of Ocean Exploration
In 2001, NOAA created a program to explore Earth’s largely unknown ocean. This page, created in 2011, looks back at accomplishments that highlight the breadth, diversity, reach, and importance of ocean exploration over the course of the program's first 10 years.
History of Ocean Exploration
These pages offer a comprehensive look at NOAA's 200-year history of ocean exploration through a series of chronological essays. Also included is a selection of historical quotations that capture the advances, challenges, and misunderstandings as early and modern explorers studied the ocean realm.