EX2107: Windows to the Deep 2021: Southeast U.S. (ROV and Mapping)

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. The primary focus of this expedition was the Blake Plateau, including its escarpment, off the coast of the Southeast U.S., but three dives were also conducted in the western and central Florida Straits due to weather conditions. Overall, 14 dives were completed, including two explorations of the water column, several dives to mound and ridgelike structures likely to be bioherms, two deeper dives to explore the steep Blake Escarpment, and one dive to document a lone sinkhole in the southeast region of the Blake Plateau. ROV dives were conducted from 300 m to 3650 meters water depth for a total of 47 hours of bottom time, and 15,800 square km were mapped using EM 304 multibeam sonar. All data associated with this expedition have been archived and are publicly available through the NOAA Archives.