Researchers Around the World Will Study Off Coast of NJ
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Waves along the New Jersey coast.
From NBC40
ATLANTIC CITY–A group of researchers from around the world will be shoving off from Atlantic City to take part in a unique expedition off the coast of New Jersey for the next 80 days. They’re hoping information about climate changes in the past will help them gain a better understanding of what could happen in the future.
It’s an interesting sight that’s sitting along the coast of Atlantic City, that will soon be the center of a sophisticated research project along the continental shelf off the Jersey shore. “Our main goal is to better understand how, when, and how fast sea levels have changed,” said Gregory Mountain, a Professor of Geology at Rutgers University, “not just along the margin of New Jersey, but in a global sense and what its impact is on shoreline ecosystems and communities.”
Researchers from around the world will be onboard the liftboat, Kayd, which will be used to drill for sediment samples dating back to 24 million years ago, when there were drastic changes in the climate. Researchers hope that studying the past will help figure out what’s in store for the future. “We’re looking backwards into time to see how the earth has actually responded during periods of similar encroachment of the shoreline,” said Mountain.
lifeboat Kayd
The sediment samples taken will be studied immediately in one of the onboard laboratories and then refrigerated and shipped to Germany for further research. “Split in half, one half get archived and hopefully never touched,” explained Dave Smith, operations manager for the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling, “the other half scientists will work on.”
The Kyad will lower its 245-foot legs, and stand on the ocean floor, once reaching the destination about 45 miles out, allowing the platform to sit safely above sea level, where the researchers will work. The International consortium Integrated Ocean Drilling Program may be world-wide, but experts agree the only place on the plant to do this research is right here off the coast of New Jersey. “The fact is that New Jersey has four very important features to it that makes it stand out,” explained Mountain. Mainly because the area is tectonically stable, meaning there have been no earthquakes or volcanic eruptions to disrupt the sediments, which were deposited rapidly through different rivers millions of years ago.
Besides being well-preserved, a lot of information has already been gathered in this area and researchers hope this new information will be the missing piece to the puzzle in figuring out what happened during the climate change millions of years ago.
The expedition has a price tag of $13 million, and is funded primarily by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling, along with partnerships with the U.S. and several other countries.
