ASPIRE: A Campaign Focused on Partnerships and Ocean Exploration to Improve Understanding of the North Atlantic Ocean

Though it borders densely populated areas in Europe, Canada, and the United States, much of the deep (>200 m) North Atlantic Ocean remains unexplored. This region encompasses diverse submarine canyons and seamounts, extensive deep-sea coral habitats, methane seeps, potential geohazards, a dynamic oceanic ridge system, and more. The Atlantic Seafloor Partnership for Integrated Research and Exploration (ASPIRE) initiative under the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation is a multi-year, multi-national collaborative ocean exploration campaign to explore and characterize the North Atlantic Ocean. Building upon the successes of the 2012-2013 NOAA-led Atlantic Canyons Undersea Mapping Expeditions (ACUMEN), the ASPIRE campaign broadens the geographic focus to include more of the U.S. Atlantic Ocean and the high seas. ASPIRE also broadens the scope of partnerships to include other federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the United States Geological Survey, as well as international partners from the European Union and Canada. Fieldwork thus far has included missions to explore the submarine canyons of the U.S. and Canadian Atlantic continental margins, characterize the sensitive habitats of the U.S. South and Mid-Atlantic Ocean, and map deepwater areas within international waters supporting the Atlantic Seabed Mapping International Working Group. NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer began working in the region in 2018 and, as of September 2019, has completed eight ASPIRE missions. Campaign highlights so far have included mapping of over 200,000 km2 of seafloor, discoveries of previously unknown deep-sea coral and sponge habitats as well as new cold seeps, novel observations of predation and life history events, and documentation of geographic range extensions and potential new species. The ASPIRE campaign is providing a foundation of publicly accessible baseline data and information to increase understanding of the North Atlantic Ocean. The effort also provides critical information relevant to emerging Blue Economy priorities, including sustainable fisheries, offshore energy and marine minerals, coastal and offshore hazards, and marine tourism and recreation.