|
New Program: International Ocean Discovery Program |
|
|
New Program: The International Ocean Discovery Program ‘Exploring the Earth Under the Sea’
The International Ocean Discovery Program is currently being planned by 25 nations and is planned to start in October 2013 and to last for 10 years.
This new international scientific ocean drilling program will bring together researchers from the Earth, ocean atmospheric and life sciences with a common goal of understanding the Earth's past, present and future. To achieve its aims, the program will draw on information from beneath the ocean floor, brought to the surface by ocean coring technologies and borehole observatories.
The program’s science plan, Illuminating Earth’s Past, Present, and Future, addresses pressing scientific priorities and social concerns with four themes: Climate and Ocean Change, Biosphere Frontiers, Earth Connections and Earth in Motion. Development of this science plan, full version and summary of the plan published in mid-year 2011 is available at: http://www.iodp.org/Science-Plan-for-2013-2023/
The scientific goals of the science plan require access to two permanent drilling platforms, the U.S- supplied JOIDES Resolution and the Japanese rise-vessel Chikyu, and the option to charter mission-specific platforms for operations in environments where specialized platforms are required.
Related to this initiative, a new Science Advisory Structure (SAS) is formed by October 1st 2011 to guide the scientific, technological and engineering aspects of the current IODP, ending in September 2013, as well as the new Program, from October 2013. (New SAS Diagram).
Terms of References for the new Science Advisory Structure panels are available here: New SAS ToRs
IODP-Management International Inc., (IODP-MI) is responsible for continuous scientific planning for the current program and a seamless transition into the post 2013 program.
The detailed structure of the new program is yet to be completed. Recent letters from key funding agencies and IODP-MI addressing this matter on: (www.iodp.org/weblinks/News-Highlights-HOME-PAGE/Messages-to-IODP-Community/)
|
New-Program