Scientific Ocean Drilling

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) is an international marine research program that explores Earth’s history and structure as recorded in seafloor sediments and rocks, and monitors sub-seafloor environments. Through its ocean drilling programs, Ocean Leadership is responsible for overall program leadership in the U.S. The IODP principal science themes include the deep biosphere and the sub-seafloor ocean; environmental change, processes and effects; and solid earth cycles and geodynamics.

U.S. Science Support Program

The U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP) associated with the IODP supports involvement of the U.S. scientific community in the program. USSSP provides funding to scientists and students to sail on expeditions, conduct pre-drilling or post-expedition resesearch, and host workshops.

U.S. Implementing Organization

Ocean Leadership in partnership with Texas A&M University and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University form the U.S. Implementing Organization (USIO). The USIO is responsible for science operations on the U.S. ship, the JOIDES Resolution, for IODP, which brings to the surface pristine samples of the sub-seafloor and accomplishes seafloor observatory objectives.

Core Discoveries Newsletter

Ship Conversion

In 2007, the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) account provided $115 million dollars in funding to upgrade and convert the JOIDES Resolution (JR), a uniquely outfitted dynamically positioned research ship that has been investigating the Earth’s origin and evolution through scientific ocean drilling worldwide since 1985.

The project, known as the Scientific Ocean Drilling Vessel (SODV), was managed by the United States Implementing Organization (USIO) for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). The SODV is the U.S. contribution to the IODP.

After an extensive 29-month renovation, the JR returned to operations as the riserless vessel for IODP in February 2009. The new and improved JR enables IODP to continue to expand the boundaries of ocean drilling research by collecting unique subseafloor samples and data that would otherwise remain inaccessible to researchers.

Ocean Drilling Program Legacy

Although the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) concluded in 2003, Ocean Leadership continues to develop the program’s legacy with its partners. Through a long history of many major discoveries, scientific ocean drilling has significantly advanced our understanding of the Earth and provided reliable information about how our planet works – and has worked in the past.

Antarctic Geological Drilling

Antarctic Geological Drilling (ANDRILL) is a multinational collaboration of more than 200 scientists, students, and educators from five nations (Germany, Italy, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States) to recover stratigraphic records from the Antarctic margin.

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Upcoming Events

June 4, 2013:
- Save The Date: Capitol Hill Ocean Week (all day)
June 24, 2013:
- 2013 AGU Science Policy Conference: Preparing for Our Future (all day)
September 23, 2013:
- OCEANS 2013 MTS/IEEE San Diego (all day)

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