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There are severe storms and flooding rains soaking several states tonight. It is a weekend
wash out. It was absolutely unlike anything I've ever
experienced before. I think we're going to see a significant number of casualties…
Tonight the largest volcano has been discovered, and I know what you're thinking, how could
the largest volcano on earth stay hidden? This might be hard to hear. But apparently
we know next to nothing about our own planet.
If we want to fully understand climate change, earthquakes and tsunamis, the history of life,
and the evolution of our planet, we need to study the vast, largely unexplored area beneath
the ocean floor. Here, rocks and sediment deposits act as a logbook for Earth’s history,
recording both gradual changes and sudden events over the past several million years.
Scientists have expanded the frontiers of human knowledge by drilling core samples from
each of the world’s ocean basins. Their work is far from done. The new International
Ocean Discovery Program, or IODP, is carrying this work forward with a focus on four critical
research themes:
There is no better place to study Earth’s climate history than the ocean floor, where
climate records reach back ten times as far as the oldest ice cores. By understanding
the past, we can more accurately predict the future and assess how the planet will respond
to increased carbon emissions, warmer air and water, and more acidic oceans.
Scientific drilling can not only help us survey life on – but also in – the seafloor.
By studying the communities of bacteria and other microbes surviving in this harsh environment,
we can better understand how life might have begun, and can learn to recognize the kinds
of life we might find on other planets.
Deep beneath the Earth’s crust, the molten mantle has undergone dynamic changes over
millions of years, and is still evolving even today. A better understanding of these processes
can teach us about the nature of plate tectonics, seafloor spreading, and continental uplift.
The Earth can also move suddenly, often with disastrous results for human societies. Earthquakes,
landslides, tsunamis…. what causes these geohazards? With further study, we may yet
be able to discern patterns and read the signals in advance. Extra warning could mean the difference
between life and death.
The ocean floor is a rich source of information for the worldwide scientific community. But
accessing it is not easy. IODP relies on specialized vessels and equipment to recover samples from
the deep.
There’s the JOIDES Resolution, the US-based workhorse of the program. This flexible, adaptable
vessel has been drilling samples and providing data for nearly thirty years. A thorough re-fit
has set her up for decades of future service.
The Chikyu, operated by Japan, is a deepwater drill ship purpose-built for scientific drilling.
Her advanced capabilities offer the best chance for one day reaching the planet’s mantle.
And a consortium of European countries provides mission-specific platforms that can access
areas off-limits to the other two vessels – for example ice-bound seas, or shallow
waters.
The latest innovation at IODP is the use of subseafloor observatories that can monitor
crucial processes, such as changes in temperature, pressure, and fluid flow, over various time
scales. Many are capable of connecting to regional networks to serve data in real-time.
IODP generates vast amounts of new samples, data, and experimental results. A network
of facilities helps preserve this knowledge for future generations, making it openly accessible
to the global scientific community. Repositories in the US, Japan and Germany store and curate
cores, and send samples all over the world upon request.
Websites, newsletters and social media portals keep the public informed of the latest scientific
discoveries, while specialized education programs train science teachers and instill passion
for discovery in young minds across the globe.
Like the ocean itself, the seafloor covers nearly three quarters of our planet. And today,
more than ever, we need to discover all it has to tell us about our past and use these
lessons to inform our future.