Close to 600 scientists from 21
countries met Sept. 23 – 25 2009 in Bremen, Germany, to outline major
scientific targets for a new and ambitious ocean drilling research program. The
scientific community envisions that this program will succeed the current
Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), which ends in 2013. The outcome of
the Bremen meeting will result in a new science plan, enabling scientific ocean
drilling to take on a central role in environmental understanding and
stewardshipof
our planet in the 21st century.
“This is a truly historic
meeting”, said the IODP vice-president Hans Christian Larsen. “Never before
have so many scientists from the ocean drilling community met in one place. We
were especially pleased to see so many young scientists – these researchers
represent the next generation who will lead the new ocean drilling programme,
which is expected to start in 2013.”
A working group session chair leads the discussion.
The 600 scientists
attending the meeting discussed both established and new research fields, such
as the co-evolution of life and the planet, processes in the Earth’s core and
mantle, climate change, and new approaches to capture and store the greenhouse
gas carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth’s crust. Potential
predictability of geohazards such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and
tsunamis were also addressed, in part linked to development of sub-seafloor
laboratories as much as 6 km deep into the seabed.
Ocean drilling has
already revealed many exciting discoveries such as confirmation of microbial
life up to 1,600 metres below the seafloor in rocks as old as 111 million
years. Scientists have now started to explore this 'deep biosphere’, which may
have a biomass equal to that of the tropical rain forest. But many critical
questions remain unanswered: How did these ecosystems develop? Can they tell us
about the potential for life on other planets? Can marine microbial communities
play a role in the development of new biotechnologies and pharmaceuticals?
An INVEST dinner was held at MARUM among the tools of scientific ocean research.
During his plenary talk,
Alan Mix of Oregon State University pointed out that the current level of CO2
injection into Earth’s atmosphere soon will bring the CO2
concentration to a level not seen for many million of years and on par with
that of severe greenhouse conditions of the geological past. Only ocean
drilling can provide records of the environment that ruled during these warm
episodes during Earth’s history, and investigate the true sensitivity of the
climate to changes in CO2 concentration.
Ocean research drilling
started more than four decades ago as one of the most ambitious projects in the
history of marine science. Since then, about 200 expeditions have been
completed and more than 350 kilometres of core have been recovered, documenting
a much more dynamic Earth and climate than was previously thought to exist. In
recent years, IODP, using multiple drilling platforms, has drilled in extremely
challenging environments, such as shallow water carbonate reef systems very
sensitive to sea-level change and in the high Arctic, the last frontier area of
ocean exploration on the Earth. Today, even deep drilling, up to ten kilometres
beneath the drillship is possible.
These investigations have
revolutionised the understanding of how the Earth works. A future ocean
drilling programme will play a pivotal role in enhancing this knowledge by
using new technologies and installation of permanent laboratories deep below
the ocean floor. As Alan Mix told the conference participants "The
beginning is now!”
Contact:
Information and Data manager
Integrated Ocean Drilling Program—Management International at:
Future of Scientific Ocean Drilling 
