U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Cruise to Map Gaps in Kela and Karin Ridges, Johnston Atoll, Equatorial Pacific Ocean

TitleU.S. Extended Continental Shelf Cruise to Map Gaps in Kela and Karin Ridges, Johnston Atoll, Equatorial Pacific Ocean
Publication TypeReport
Year2014
AuthorsGardner, JV, Armstrong, AA
Number of Pages67
Date Published9/1/2014
Organization NameCCOM/JHC
LocationDurham, NH
KeywordsLaw of the Sea

The objectives for cruise KM14-17 are to map the bathymetry of two gaps in two submarine ridges in the vicinity of Johnston Atoll. One ridge gap occurs along the informally named Keli Ridge (Hein et al., 2005) south of Johnston Atoll and the other ridge gap occurs north of Johnston Atoll that separates Sculpin Ridge (also informally called Karin Ridge) and Horizon Ridge, all in the central equatorial Pacific (Fig. 1). The cruise took advantage of a scheduled dead-head transit from Papeete, Tahiti to Honolulu, Hawai’i that could be extended for 5 days to include the planned mapping. The mapping is in support of the U.S. (Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) Task Force. These areas were identified by the ECS Central Pacific Integrated Regional Team as having the potential for an ECS.