The first of 3 Okeanos Explorer cruises each year will be dedicated to multibeam mapping. The primary mapping system on this ship, an EM 302 multibeam sonar) will be used to map depths between 500 and 4,000 m. Survey planning will be carried out using Hypack navigation software. Data acquisition, editing, and processing will be carried out using SIS, MB Systems, CARIS, and possibly SABER. The secondary objective will be the creation of updated, or new, bathymetry and backscatter syntheses along with interpretive geological substrate maps for thePacificIsland waters surveyed during this three-year program. The multibeam datasets acquired here, merged with pre-existing multibeam data or existing syntheses, and fused with the USGS GLORIA sidescan sonar mosaics (where available) will provide a full and robust quiver to work with toward this goal. It will permit us to carry out comparisons with similar features and processes in the well-studied mainHawaiian Islands and elsewhere. Though of varying resolutions, navigational consistency, and extent of coverage, a major advantage of working with the different datasets is that they provide a crosscheck to each other. We anticipate there will be enough overlap to maintain assurance that the data and resulting interpretations are accurate and seamless throughout the transitions.
