The team plans to map over 7000 km² over four days along a portion of the unmapped Johnston Seamount group, where at least three unexplored seamounts will be investigated. This remote area is ripe for mapping to better inform future ROV cruises to collect data and expand knowledge for scientific research and new discoveries. It marks the southernmost range for species common in Hawaii, and is considered a stepping stone for many central and south Pacific marine species expanding their populations to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (also known as the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument). Many researchers consider Johnston Atoll a key marker in biological boundaries – a mapping waypoint for many species. A large number of seamounts, ridges and other features at Johnston are saturated with unique organisms such as high-density deep-sea coral and sponge communities, as well a high concentration of deep-sea minerals. In 2014, the Johnston Atoll Unit was expanded from 50 to 200 nautical miles, and while there have been several cruises dedicated to mapping parts of Johnston Atoll, a vast amount is unmapped, unexplored, and unknown. In this remote protected area lies Johnston Atoll, the closest landmass to Hawaii, some 717 nautical miles (1,328 km) from Honolulu. John Smith and his team will join Falkor crew as they stop in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument 1,830 nautical miles (3,390 kilometers) southwest of Honolulu. Aiming to maximize the science being done at sea, Falkor will embark on its first transruise or “Research on Transit” this December, as she sails from Guam to Honolulu, Hawaii.
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