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2026 Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Southeast Regional Ecosystem Assessment is Complete!
The 2026 Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Southeast Regional Ecosystem Assessment aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster successfully collected critical data on offshore live-bottom habitats in the South Atlantic Bight to better understand species distribution and ecological connectivity. Operating around the clock, the mission alternated between nighttime high-resolution sonar mapping and daytime scientific diver surveys to document seafloor characteristics, measure structural complexity, and record species abundance. This work directly supports core management goals to protect, maintain, and enhance natural habitats while assessing ecological connectivity with surrounding areas.
The expedition yielded substantial data for regional conservation strategies. The team successfully mapped 22.8 square miles of seafloor and conducted 70 Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) casts over 1,624.9 nautical miles. Divers explored the habitat in 69 individual dives totaling 31.5 dive hours, in addition to 10 camera drops to capture essential benthic imagery in non-diveable areas. Public outreach was also highly successful, with 230 people touring NOAA Ship Nancy Foster and 284 visiting the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary booth during a three-hour open house in Savannah. The team is also processing the data for a final report expected in the coming months; please contact graysreef@noaa.gov for more information.
You can also read about previous years' expeditions on our website!
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 Open-house for NOAA Ship Nancy Foster and the GRNMS booth. Photo by Danielle Oxman/NOAA
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 GRNMS research diver taking measurements beneath the waves to document seafloor characteristics. Photo by Jeff Odom/GA Aquarium Inc.
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 Deploying a drop camera off of the ship and monitoring the live stream topside. Photo by Kristen Binz/GA Aquarium Inc.
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Super Sanctuary Summer - Now Through August 28th, 2026
We're coming back this summer with our third annual Super Sanctuary Summer! | | |
