MBARI’s new flagship research vessel completes first science expedition

R/V David Packard expedition produces new high-resolution maps of Oregon seafloor, advancing earthquake and tsunami research.

Why It Matters

New high-resolution maps of Oregon’s Rogue Canyon offer a fresh perspective for MBARI scientists and USGS collaborators studying seafloor geology in the Pacific Northwest and assessing risks of earthquakes and tsunamis in this region.

MBARI researchers have produced a high-resolution map of Oregon’s Rogue Canyon system—an undersea landscape in the Cascadia Subduction Zone that holds vital clues to predicting future earthquakes and tsunamis. This achievement was made possible by our new flagship research vessel, R/V David Packard, and its state-of-the-art multibeam echosounder, which can visualize the deep seafloor in remarkable detail.

Four members of MBARI’s marine operations crew stand on the gray metal deck of a research vessel during its transit into port. The crew members are all wearing orange life vests. In the background are greenish-blue water, a sandy shoreline, green forests, a gray bridge, and a coastal community, with pale-blue sky overhead. — MBARI’s expedition to Oregon allowed the crew of R/V *David Packard* to test and refine operations for future science missions. Image: Dave Caress © 2025 MBARI

In July 2025, MBARI’s Seafloor Mapping Lab, working closely with R/V David Packard crew, conducted a 17-day expedition to put this cutting-edge system through its first real-world tests. The mission marked a major milestone for the research vessel, proving its advanced capabilities and opening the door for MBARI scientists to explore previously uncharted parts of the ocean—including places critical to understanding and mitigating seismic hazards along the U.S. West Coast.

“This first science expedition aboard the David Packard showcased what’s possible with the advanced technology on our new vessel,” said MBARI President and CEO Antje Boetius. “With this state-of-the-art ship, we can map areas of interest, identify precise locations to deploy MBARI’s innovative technology, and begin to answer critical questions about marine life, ecosystems, and processes.”

Why Rogue Canyon matters

Spanning from Northern California to British Columbia, the Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) fault located approximately 100 to 200 kilometers (62 to 124 miles) offshore where the Juan de Fuca and Gorda tectonic plates slide beneath the North American plate. This region has a long history of generating massive earthquakes and tsunamis, making it a top priority for geohazard research.

Since 2020, MBARI’s Continental Margin Processes Team has collaborated with USGS to study this region of the seafloor. This work provides insights that help resource managers and policymakers assess geohazard risks to coastal communities and underwater infrastructure. Rogue Canyon, which is carved into the continental margin offshore of Cape Blanco, Oregon, is a key feature in this system. The canyon’s shape and sediment deposits preserve a record of past seismic activity, offering vital clues to what might come next.

A leap forward in MBARI mapping technology

Capable of producing high-resolution maps across a wide swath of seafloor, the Kongsberg EM304 MKII multibeam echosounder installed on R/V David Packard is the first of its kind in MBARI’s fleet. MBARI scientists can use this technology to chart entirely new areas, identify features of interest, conduct repeat surveys to assess seafloor dynamics, and precisely target deployments of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts.

A map shows the bathymetry of the Rogue Canyon. On the right is the Oregon coast in gray. The multicolored bathymetry map illustrates depth with a gradient of colors from orange to yellow to green to blue. The Rogue Canyon system extends from the top right of the map to the bottom center. To the left of the canyon is a black-and-white scale bar that reads km with markers for 0, 12.5, and 25 kilometers. Around the map are latitude and longitude data. Underneath the map is a key labeled Topography (meters), with a depth color gradient that includes, from right to left, white, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and purple, with a notched bar representing depth. The notches on the bar appear in increments of 375 meters from 0 on the right to -3750 on the left. — Researchers in MBARI’s Seafloor Mapping Lab have constructed a detailed, high-resolution map of the Rogue Canyon system that will help guide further research in this region. Image: Dave Caress and Jenny Paduan © 2025 MBARI

During this expedition, the team calibrated the system in Monterey Canyon before heading north. In two survey legs—separated by a port stop in Newport, Oregon—they mapped the head of Rogue Canyon at depths around 100 meters (328 feet) and traced its winding path down to 3,500 meters (11,483 feet), where it meets the abyssal hills of the Gorda Ridge.

“We were able to map the entirety of the Rogue Canyon system at a higher resolution than ever before,” said Principal Engineer Dave Caress, chief scientist for the expedition. “The new data reveal details about how sediments from turbidity currents—underwater landslides often triggered by earthquakes—are transported through the complex channel system and deposited at the base of the continental slope. This is exactly the kind of information my colleagues need to collect precisely located sediment cores and reconstruct the regional seismic history.”

Building on past research

Two scientists look at a large bank of video monitors displaying data feeds from seafloor mapping instruments. Both scientists have long brown hair and are wearing navy-blue sweatshirts and blue jeans. In the background are the white metal walls of a shipboard science lab. — A multibeam echosounder on R/V *David Packard* allows MBARI researchers to map the deep seafloor and identify areas for further study. Image: Dave Caress © 2025 MBARI

MBARI’s new ship-based surveys add critical context to two earlier AUV-based mapping projects that MBARI conducted in 2021 and 2022 in the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The combined datasets will help researchers pinpoint the best sites for collecting sediment cores, which will be essential for refining earthquake timelines and modeling future hazards.

Senior Scientist Charlie Paull, who leads MBARI’s Continental Margins Processes Team, noted that the survey data already highlight where Rogue Canyon’s main channel cuts across a major fault line before spilling into the deep ocean. “This work provides the geologic context we need to interpret past findings and plan our next round of targeted investigations,” said Paull.

Collaboration and outreach

Demonstrating its commitment to open science, MBARI will make the fully processed Rogue Canyon survey data publicly available through the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS) and NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), ensuring that researchers worldwide can benefit from these detailed maps.

An engineer and ROV pilot speak with university students about ocean exploration. The engineer on the left is wearing a navy-blue cap, a navy-blue t-shirt, and tan shorts. The ROV pilot on the right is wearing a navy-blue long-sleeved shirt and dark blue jeans. To the right is a large underwater robot with a yellow float reading MBARI Doc Ricketts and a black metal frame with scientific instrumentation. In the foreground are six students with their backs to the camera. The background is the white hangar bay of a research ship. — While docked in Newport, Oregon, MBARI toured students from Oregon State University to showcase the diversity and breadth of careers in marine science and engineering. Image courtesy of Jeff Beeson

The expedition also created opportunities for scientific exchange and public engagement. MBARI hosted collaborators from Oregon State University (OSU), including marine geophysicist Jeff Beeson and sedimentologist Emily Eidam, who will operate similar mapping technology on OSU’s R/V Taani. While in Newport, MBARI invited OSU students aboard R/V David Packard, offering them firsthand exposure to ocean exploration careers.

MBARI also welcomed educators from the 2025 EARTH (Education and Research: Testing Hypotheses) Workshop aboard the ship. Co-hosted by MBARI and OSU, with support from the National Science Foundation and Oregon Sea Grant, EARTH brings together educators and researchers to develop new lesson plans and curriculum resources that use real science and authentic data to teach science. “Having teachers aboard to see the ship and its technology in action informs lesson plans that connect real-world science to the classroom,” said Senior Education and Research Specialist George Matsumoto.

Looking ahead

Now back in Moss Landing, R/V David Packard will undergo further system integration, including preparations for operating MBARI’s ROV Doc Ricketts. Sea trials for ROV operations are expected later this year, setting the stage for even more ambitious expeditions in 2026.

“We’re incredibly proud of the dedicated crew, pilots, and engineers in our marine operations team for their monumental efforts to get us to this important milestone,” said Boetius. “As we continue to integrate systems on the David Packard, we look forward to more exciting science and engineering breakthroughs.”

The Oregon expedition was funded through the David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s longstanding support of MBARI’s work to advance marine science and engineering to understand our changing ocean.

Story by Senior Science Communication and Media Relations Specialist Raúl Nava

For additional information or images relating to this article, please email pressroom@mbari.org.

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