In early April, the NOAA Ship Rainier will begin to map and characterize more than 8,000 square nautical miles of federal waters off Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. This project is part of the Department of Commerce's implementation of the US Offshore Critical Minerals Mapping Plan, as described in President Trump’s Executive Order 14285 : Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources.

The NOAA Ship Ranier conducts a seabed mapping exercise in the Pacific in 2022. (Image credit: NOAA)

The Rainier is a hydrographic survey ship staffed by NOAA Corps Officers and professional mariners. The first survey leg will focus on mapping with multibeam echo sounders in deep water.…