2020 Nautilus Expedition Highlights
Over four months, the 2020 Nautilus Expedition took our team and partners from British Columbia to Southern California for hundreds of hours of deep-sea ROV dives and thousands of kilometers of seafloor mapping. Returning to octopus nurseries and a decomposing whale fall, observing towering hydrothermal vents and bubbling methane seep fields, and comparing colonies of deep-sea corals and sponges were just a few of the incredible encounters included in this year's highlights.
An oceanwide thank you to our partners, science teams and contractors, the Nautilus ship's crew, and all of the students, educators, and viewers who joined us on Nautilus Live. Major expedition sponsors for the 2020 Nautilus Expedition include NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and Ocean Networks Canada. Stay tuned for more highlights from our season, and join us again in spring 2021 as we launch our next expedition!
Central California NMS
This joint expedition will visit three distinct areas of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), a region comprising one of the world’s most productive and biologically rich ocean areas protecting over 700 species of fish and deep benthic species. Pioneer Canyon is in the northern portion of MBNMS, and is administered by Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
