Four articles written by the IODP Arctic Coring Expedition 302 (ACEX) science party were published amid great fanfare in the June 1, 2006 issue of Nature. The articles contributed by the ACEX scientists include:
      •    “The Arctic Tells Its Story” (Stoll, H.);
      •    “The Cenozoic Palaeoenvironment of the Arctic Ocean” (Moran, K. et al.);
      •    “Episodic Fresh Surface Waters in the Eocene Arctic Ocean” (Brinkhuis, H. et al.),
      •    “Subtropical Arctic Ocean Temperatures During the Palaeocene/Eocene Thermal Maximum” (Sluijs, A.). Full text of these articles is posted online at www.iodp.org/recently-in-the-news.

Following publication in Nature, ACEX scientific results made headlines in countless print, television, radio, and online news media in more than 20 countries. Two key stories published in
the New York Times and on the Associated Press (AP) newswire sent the story into broad global syndication.

Headlines generally reported that 55 million years ago, water temperatures in the Arctic were similar to present-day temperatures in Florida. News reports also focussed on the sudden growth of large quantities of the free-floating fern, Azolla, about 49 million years ago, an indicator of fresh surface water and cooler conditions that enabled ice formation much earlier than previously believed.

Examples of the resulting ACEX coverage, with regional overviews, can be viewed at http://www.iodp.org/more-ACEX-news-coverage/The IODP news release that helped kick off the media frenzy can be viewed at www.iodp.org/nature-06012006/. The ACEX expedition page, including expedition reports, is online at European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling - IODP 302 Arctic Coring Expedition.

Following a recent planning meeting in Japan, IODP is nearly ready to begin assembling the science parties for five NanTroSEIZE expeditions that will take place beginning in September 2007 and continue through April 2008. The expeditions are collaborative CDEX/USIO drilling operations. A call for expedition applicants with full information about scheduling and the application process will go out in a special edition of E-News within the next several weeks.

NanTroSEIZE, the acronym for the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment, is a multi-expedition series of below-seafloor investigations to be carried
out in an area known as the Nankai Trough, southwest of Japan. The entire series will span approximately six years. Science proponents identified the Nankai Trough because it has a long record of frequent earthquakes that register an impact of 8 or greater on the Richter scale. In addition, the area has well-imaged faults and well-defined drilling targets.

A total of five expeditions are currently planned in Stage 1. Three expeditions are to be conducted aboard the Chikyu, from September–December 2007, managed by CDEX. Two USIO expeditions aboard the SODV are scheduled between January and April 2008. The schedule and operational sequence could change depending on the completion date of the USIO vessel conversion.

Look for a special edition of E-News, with links to the IODP web portal for more information. NanTroSEIZE information also will appear on the IODP Expeditions page, http://www.iodp.org/expeditions/

The first Chikyu riser drilling test is scheduled to begin in August and will last for about three months. This period, the “shakedown,” enables CDEX to operate the System Integration Test for riser handling, BOP landing, mud circulation, emergency disconnection, and coring operation. The test drill target is deeper than 2,000 meters below the seafloor. During the shakedown cruise, the readiness of Chikyu’s laboratory facilities, laboratory set-up, manuals/cookbooks, core processing procedure, and IT environment will be reviewed in “real” time with IODP scientific/engineering representatives on board.

The Deep Sea Floor Frontier Initiative aims to develop a well coordinated European research and technology effort on deep sea floor science. Three European geoscientific communities are involved: ocean drilling, ocean margin research, and sea floor observation. Leading scientists from the following research programs:
    • IMAGES (International Marine Past Global Changes Study);
    • ECORD (European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling);
    • HERMES (Hotspot Ecosystem Research on the Margins of European Seas);
    • EuroMARGINS (ESF-EuroCORES), and;
    • ESO-Net (European Seafloor Observation Network)
represent the European scientific community. The initiative is endorsed by several European funding agencies. The Frontier initiative also is considered a new “work- package” of the EC-funded ECORD–net.

The Deep Sea Floor Frontier Initiative’s top priority is to develop a scientific road map of integrated research on the deep seafloor over the next 10 years. A recent workshop, subtitled “Integrating Marine Geosciences from the Shelves to the Abyss,” launched this effort last month. Seventy-five representatives from the five programs mentioned above met in Naples, as well as representatives from funding agencies and the European Commission. Working groups discussed the following topics:
    1. History, monitoring and prediction of geohazards;
    2. Fluid seeps and bacteria ¬affecting margins, oceans, and the atmosphere;
    3. Climatic control and feedback from the deep sea environment;
    4. Development and conservation of deep sea ecosystems;
    5. The deep sea landscape—sediment transport and fluxes;
    6. Sustainable exploitation of deep sea resources.

Discussions from the Naples meeting will form the basis for the creation of the scientific road map, to be used in seeking funds from the Framework 7th program. A report is expected this fall. For more information about the Deep Sea Floor Frontier, contact Sören Dürr, , or Amelie Winkler, , or go to www.ecord.org/enet/deepsea-sf.html

The National Science Foundation (NSF), one of IODP’s two Lead Agencies, has received a “Webby”award in recognition for its web site, which sets a standard of excellence in terms of quality of information, visual effects, and user efficiency. NSF, an independent U.S. agency, won in the category of Best Government web site. The site underwent a year-long restructuring process from 2004-05 to make it more user-friendly and efficient for both the scientific community and the general public. Visit NSF’s site at www.nsf.gov. See the new Ocean Sciences page at www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=OCE. Click on Ocean Drilling to see IODP information, www.nsf.gov/funding.

IODP has expanded its base of international support by welcoming the Republic of Korea as its newest member. South Korea’s membership was detailed in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and signed by officials from Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea last month. The MOU creates an Interim Asian Consortium, with the Korean Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) as the consortium’s first affiliated institution. The new consortium will serve as another funding source for IODP operations. By fiscal year 2008, the Interim Asian Consortium will be responsible for $1 million in funding to IODP. South Korea may contribute all or part of the committed amount depending on the number of consortium members it is expected to attract to the new funding agency. In return, the consortium—now only KIGAM—will provide a scientist to IODP expeditions and will send an observer to the SAS Executive Committee. To review the MOU between KIGAM, NSF, and MEXT, go to www.iodp.org/funding-agencies/.

The IODP-MI Board of Governors has approved a new slate of the Science Advisory Structure Executive Committee (SASEC), SAS’s highest authority. Chaired by Susan Humphris of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the new committee includes:

Two members from the IODP-MI Board of Governors (one U.S., one Japanese) Two scientists each from Japan, the United States, and ECORD, nominated by their respective Program Member Offices; SPC chair (nonvoting); IODP-MI president (nonvoting); and Observers from China and South Korea (Asian Consortium).

SASEC is convening its initial meeting at IODP-MI headquarters July 11–12. Its mandate is to meet three times a year to conduct IODP long-range planning, evaluate and assess the program, review and approve the annual program plan and budget, and perform outreach to other geoscience programs. See full membership list with contact information at http://www.iodp.org/sasec/.

IODP-MI announces a competitive procurement process, through a Request for Proposals (RFP) entitled ‘Scientific Earth Drilling Information Service (SEDIS) Phase I.’ By developing SEDIS, IODP is preparing for the challenge of managing data from three scientific drilling platforms, operated by three science operators: the US Implementing Organization (USIO), Japan’s Center for Deep Earth Exploration (CDEX), and the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling Science Operator (ESO). Each currently uses a different data management system and database. Phase I tasks include: 1) organize and distribute data to clients outside the program, 2) develop interfaces with external global data and metadata catalogues, 3) make data searchable for data discovery, mapping, and visualization applications. SEDIS will enable IODP-MI to integrate data from a web-based network of distributed operator databases, and provide easy, seamless top-down access from the larger cyberspace infrastructure. SEDIS will provide a unique entry point for accessing IODP data, as well as legacy data from previous scientific ocean drilling programs, ODP and DSDP.
Find the RFP text at: http://www.iodp.org/RFPs.