FY 2009 marks the first time operations on all three IODP platforms will be conducted in the same operational year. The expedition schedule (as of July 15, 2008) includes seven expeditions:
Canterbury Basin Exp. 317 – Nov. 12, 2008 to Jan. 4, 2009 (USIO) —This expedition’s focus is on understanding the relationship between global sea level change and local tectonic and sedimentary processes in controlling continental margin depositional cycles. Drilling will commence on the eastern margin of the South Island of New Zealand. Click here to visit the expedition web page. Wilkes Land Exp. 318 – Jan. 4 to March 9, 2009 (USIO) – Designed to provide a long-term record of Antarctic glaciations and to understand its relationship to global climatic and oceanographic change. Drilling will commence in the inner shelf continental deep basins just off Antarctica, a straight shot south of New South Wales, Australia. Visit the Wilkes Land web page. Pacific Equatorial Age Transect (PEAT) Exp. 320 – March 9 to May 9, 2009 (USIO) — Designed to recover Eocene to middle Miocene record of the equatorial Pacific. Records collected from Expeditions 320/321 are to be integrated with those from ODP Legs 138 and 199 to make a complete time series from 0-55 million years ago. Visit the PEAT web page. PEAT/Juan de Fuca Remedial Cementing Exp. 321 – May 9 to July 9, 2009 (USIO) – A continuation of Exp. 320 to complete the Eocene to middle Miocene equatorial Pacific record. Exp. 321 will also cement observatories that were not sealed when installed during Exp. 301, Juan de Fuca Hydrogeology. NanTroSEIZE –Operations recently considered by the Operations Task Force include a riser site in the Kumano Basin in preparation for long-term observatory installation, casing installation in several riserless sites, and coring at the input sites. New Jersey Shallow Shelf Exp. 313 – Tentatively expected to launch in early May to early August 2009 (ESO). Will core and log several holes along the continental margin off the U.S. eastern coast to collect data that enhances understanding of the amplitude, rates, and mechanisms of sea level change. Visit Exp. 313 web page. Great Barrier Reef (not yet numbered) – Tentatively expected to launch September or October 2009 (ESO) –This drilling program is designed to achieve the science objectives in IODP Proposal 519, South Pacific Sea Level, which incorporates drilling off Tahiti and on the GBR. Updates for all IODP expeditions will appear on http://www.iodp.org/expeditions/.
IODP is currently accepting applications from prospective scientific staff members for the Great Barrier Reef Expedition (GBR) scheduled for Sept. to Dec. 2009. GBR drilling targets include successive reef terraces, relict reefs, and slope sediments along five separate transects to establish the course of sea level rise during the last deglaciation, and to reconstruct seasonal millennial-scale climate variability. Scientists interested in participating should apply to their appropriate IODP Program Member Office by Aug. 15, 2008. Click here to see the full call for applications.
Expedition 318 to the Wilkes Land Margin off Antarctica focuses on retrieving a long-term record of Antarctic glaciation and understanding its relationship to global climatic and oceanographic change. The expedition’s co-chief scientists are Henk Brinkhuis of Utrecht University, the Netherlands, and Carlota Escutia Dotti of University of Granada, Spain. The expedition is currently scheduled to sail in Jan. 2009. Click here to find the online prospectus.
As the conversion of the JOIDESResolution nears completion, a tentative launch date has been scheduled for Nov. 12, at which time IODP operations will resume with Canterbury Basin Exp. 317 from the port of Wellington, New Zealand.
The U.S.-sponsored riserless drilling vessel is completing its modernization with the refurbishment and reinstallation of drilling equipment, and the acquisition and development of new science systems. A committee of scientists chaired by Peggy Delaney (University of California, Santa Cruz), recently conducted a “test drive” of the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and several of the vessel’s analytical systems. Committee members included Steve Hovan (Indiana University of Pennsylvania), Barbara John (University of Wyoming), Miriam Katz (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institution), Mitch Lyle (Texas A&M University), Joseph D. Ortiz (Kent State University), David Smith (University of Rhode Island), Jonathan E. Snow (University of Houston), Michael Underwood (University of Missouri), Roy Wilkens (University of Hawaii), and Woody Wise (Florida State University). Their joint review concluded that, “the science system and physical improvements result in a quantum leap in shipboard science capabilities . . . and in a truly transformative science environment.”
The JOIDESResolution is expected to be released from the shipyard on Oct. 11. During transit to its first port of call, an independent assessment team will be brought onboard in Darwin, Australia, to verify readiness for science operations, while undergoing a seven-day sea trial of drilling, coring, logging and other science systems. Learn more about the conversion update.
ESSAC Seeks Hosts for Distinguished Lecturer Programme
The European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) is currently seeking host applicants for the 2008/2009 Distinguished Lecturer Programme. Applications will be accepted from colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations in all European countries and Canada through Sept. 30, 2008. The ECORD Distinguished Lecturer Programme features participation from leading IODP scientists; it is designed to bring first-hand reports on exciting scientific discoveries to the geosciences community in ECORD and non-ECORD countries.
Lecturers include Achim Kopf of MARUM, Peter Clift of University of Aberdeen, and R. John Parkes of University of Cardiff. For more information contact
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A dry-dock survey performed on Chikyu at the Sasebo shipyard in Japan between Feb. and April 2008 revealed significant damage to the azimuth thruster gears. Remedial measures include the fabrication and reassembly of six new gears. The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) projects repairs to be complete by January 2009. IODP drilling operations are then expected to resume in March 2009. Get more information (in English, in Japanese) on the status of the Chikyu.
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), one of three USIO member organizations, has deployed a new database for logging data, which provides users with more flexible and more focused search options. The database features all DSDP, ODP and IODP-USIO logging data, as well as the non-moratorium IODP- ESO logging data. The new system offers 1) the ability to search by logging tool type in addition to measurement type; 2) a search interface, which features a map widget for enhanced geographic searches; 3) three types of web services, which allow more automated access to the data; and 4) the option to query by external data visualization and management systems. The new database went live mid-May, and LDEO is currently collecting user input to plan future improvements. Access the logging database (http://iodp.ldeo.columbia.edu/DATA); send your feedback to
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The Legacy Core Redistribution Project is nearing completion. All ODP/DSDP cores are being distributed using the same geographical basis as IODP cores, based on recommendations made by the IODP Science Advisory Structure (SAS). Over the past two years, cores have been sent from U.S. East and West Coast repositories to three IODP repositories: the Kochi Core Center (KCC), the Gulf Coast Repository (GCR), and the Bremen Core Repository (BCR). In addition to consolidating cores on a regional basis for easier sampling, the redistribution project saves IODP an estimated $350,000 per year. The East and West Coast repositories will be closed at the end of the current fiscal year.
Repository technicians store archival cores received by the Kochi Core Center.
If you’re going to Oslo, Norway, for the International Geological Congress, plan to attend the Scientific Drilling Symposium (SDD-01) presented jointly by IODP and ICDP on Sat., Aug. 9. This day-long session highlights significant contributions of IODP and ICDP to understanding Earth’s structure, climate, and environmental evolution. The symposium features 20 innovative scientists presenting results from numerous scientific drilling expeditions, both deep-sea and continental, over the last four years. The symposium begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 5:30 p.m. IODP also presents a booth on the IGC exhibition floor: CO2-21. See the symposium agenda and speaker list.
IGC 33 opens on Aug. 6 and extends until Aug. 14. The congress convenes every four years to focus on multi-disciplinary Earth sciences and their societal impact. To register, go to www.33igc.org/coco.
IODP-MI President and CEO Manik Talwani will be honored at the 33rd International Geological Congress (IGC) in Oslo for his excellence and leadership in marine Earth science. His achievements will be recognized at a special symposium for marine geophysics on Aug. 7, 2008. Dr. Talwani is widely known for his research of the Earth’s crust and the dynamics of continental margins and ocean basins. He pioneered research in marine geosciences, contributing significantly to the field’s understanding of the evolution of oceans and continents. He served as director of Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory from 1973 to 1981, and then joined Gulf Oil Company, where he served as the director of the Center for Crustal Studies and as chief scientist until 1985. Returning to academia, Dr. Talwani accepted a position as Schlumberger Chair for the Advanced Studies and Research at Rice University, Houston. At the same time, he founded the Geotechnology Research Institute in Houston Advanced Research Center and served as its director until 1998. Dr. Talwani continues at Rice as Emeritus Schlumberger Professor. He was appointed IODP-MI President in 2003 when IODP was founded. Dr. Talwani is the recipient of several honors and awards, including the first Krishnan Medal from the Indian Geophysical Union, the Macelwane and Maurice Ewing Awards from the American Geophysical Union, the Wegener Award from the European Union of Geosciences, the Woollard Award from the Geological Society of America. He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science, a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and a fellow of the Geological Society of India, and has received an honorary doctorate from University of Oslo.
The National Environmental Research Council (NERC, UK) postponed the July 7, 2008 Achievements and Future Event at the Royal Society of London. The event is to be rescheduled to avoid dates that coincide with summer fieldwork and research. The event, designed to showcase IODP achievements and major scientific outcomes over the last five years, will be deferred until early 2009. For further information, contact Heather Stewart (
) or Sasha Leigh (
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IODP Japan recently organized two high-profile exhibition booths at the Japan Geoscience Union meeting (JPGU 2008) in Chiba, Japan, and at the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS 2008) in Busan, Korea. The joint collaborations among CDEX, J-DESC, and K-IODP (South Korea) promoted IODP expeditions and successfully highlighted acquisition of IODP data and samples. In addition, J-DESC, along with ICDP, sponsored the first Town Hall Meeting in Japan during JPGU. The meeting informally brought together nearly 100 scientists and graduate students to exchange drilling program news and other useful information. There are plans afoot to make these Town Hall meetings annual events. For more information, visit www.j-desc.org.
Scientific Drilling, the semiannual drilling journal published jointly by IODP and ICDP has adjusted its publication schedule due to expedition scheduling. Look for the newest issue, dated July 2008 in August, or online. Featured reports include:
Aug. 24—Deadline to apply for Arctic Ocean History Workshop, cofunded by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, European Science Foundation, Arctic Ocean Science Board, and Nansen Arctic Drilling Program. See www.oceanleadership.org/arctic for details. Contact Bernard Coakley () or Ruediger Stein () for further information.
Aug. 25-28—Science Planning Committee (SPC) meeting, Sapporo, Japan, www.iodp.org/spc.
Aug. 29-Sept. 1—International Conference on Asian Marine Geology, Kochi, Japan. Visit IODP booth sponsored by KCC, CDEX, and J-DESC. www.ori.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ICAMG6.
Sept. 10-12—Marine Research Drilling in the Atlantic (Magellan Series), Montpellier, France. Participation on invitation only. For more information, contact Dr. C. J. MacLeod at
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Sept. 17-19—South Asia Geosciences Conference & Exhibition, New Delhi Expo XXI, India. For information, contact .
Sept 27—Ocean Hall, a new exhibition featuring scientific ocean drilling and IODP opens to the public at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC.
Sept. 29 – Oct. 1—Ultra-High Geological Records of Past Climate Change, Potsdam, Germany, presented by IODP-MI. For more information, visit http://www.iodp.org/climate-ws-workshop/.
Oct. 13-17—Collaboration on Past Speciation Conditions in Ohrid (SCOPSCO), Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia. http://ohrid.icdp-online.org.
Nov. 3-5—Arctic Ocean History Workshop, From Speculation to Reality, Bremerhaven, Germany www.oceanleadership.org/arctic.
Nov. 16-21—7th International Symposium of Subsurface Microbiology, Shizuoka, Japan, www.issm2008.com. Visit IODP booth sponsored by KCC, CDEX, and J-DESC.
TV viewers in the U.S. can set their Tivos for Thursday, July 24, when the Scripps Institution of Oceanography will be featured on Jeopardy, a popular American game show, as a clue category. See if you can score points as a home viewer in this special science category! Click here to find your local air time.
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IODP E-News is a bimonthly publication of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Management International (IODP-MI). It is produced and distributed by IODP-MI for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program under the sponsorship of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the Ministry of Culture, Education, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, and other participating countries. Its content is based upon research supported under NSF Contract OCE-0432224.
