Program Update: Integrated Ocean Drilling Program – January 2010
Filed under: Discovery,Program Updates - Integrated Ocean Drilling Program,Scientific Ocean Drilling,US Science Support Program
Ricky Belda (Assistant Driller, Transocean) and Ron Grout (Operations Superintendent, IODP-USIO/TAMU) watch Jacinto Tabat (Welder, Transocean) cut off the end of the stuck core barrel. (Credit John Beck, IODP/TAMU)
Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 318 – Wilkes Land Glacial History began on January 4, 2010 in Wellington, New Zealand. In Wellington, the IODP U.S. Implementing Organization (USIO) and the Australian-New Zealand IODP Consortium (ANZIC) coordinated a press conference and ship tours for approximately 150 visitors including local students, scientists and dignitaries. An evening science lecture was open to the public and featured scientists from the recently-completed Canterbury Basin Expedition and the Wilkes Land Expedition.
Expedition 318 is currently drilling off the coast of Antarctica where the research team plans to drill four sites to investigate the history of Antarctic glaciation and its intimate relationship with global climatic and oceanographic change. Weather and ice conditions continue to play an important role in determining the accessibility of the different sites. Recently recovered cores have included sequences interpreted to likely be turbidites. Microfossil analyses indicate core ages range from late Pleistocene to the Holocene.
To read the daily and weekly reports from the expedition, visit http://iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops/sitesumm.html. To see weekly photos from the expedition, visit http://iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops/gallery/exp318/.
The IODP is accepting applications for scientific participants on the next expedition of the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE), which is scheduled to begin in June 2010. U.S.-affiliated scientists interested in participating in this expedition should apply to sail through the U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP) by February 12, 2010.
For NanTroSEIZE application instructions, please visit http://www.oceanleadership.org/usssp/sail.
