Key points
- The exploration vessel departed San Diego at 00:50 hours with 55 people on board, beginning Expedition 5A.
- The six-week voyage is part of DeepGreen’s baseline environmental studies in the NORI-D contract area.
- Researchers will characterize benthic fauna and surface biota and study the geochemical makeup of deep-sea sediments.
- The expedition will establish spatial and temporal reference sites for long-term monitoring from the sea floor to the surface, with data to be shared openly.
