During the 2023 EXPRESS: West Coast Exploration (AUV and Mapping) expedition, the Ocean Discovery League is testing Maka Niu, a low-cost camera and sensor platform designed to make ocean exploration more accessible and broaden the community of those who explore and understand the deep ocean. This time-lapse video shows the system being deployed off NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. | NOAA Ocean Exploration

Curious about how and why scientists map the ocean floor? Learn more about bathymetry: the study of underwater floors in oceans, rivers, or lakes! Just like dry land, the surface of the seafloor is not always flat––it can have coral reefs, mountainous ridges, deep canyons, and many other features that can be revealed in bathymetric data. Check out our latest ocean fact to learn more about what bathymetry is and why it is important: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/bathymetry.html | NOAA Ocea