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Press Release 09-086
Newly Rebuilt Drillship JOIDES Resolution Enroute to Port Call
Scientific drilling vessel to dock in Honolulu harbor, May 5-9, 2009
April 29, 2009
The drillship JOIDES Resolution ("JR") has returned to international operations, and will make a port call in Honolulu, Hawaii, May 5-9, 2009. When it arrives, an international team of scientists studying seafloor sediments will have completed the first of two nine-week Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) expeditions to the equatorial Pacific Ocean. After more than two years of rebuilding, the JR has new capabilities that include an upgraded sub-sea camera system, improved core handling capability, and new core research stations and software, among others. The forward half of the ship, including berthing areas, galley, science laboratories and core processing areas are all new. The National Science Foundation (NSF), the University of Hawaii at Manoa's School of Ocean & Earth Sciences & Technology (SOEST), and the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program-US Implementing Organization will welcome guests to the ship on Wednesday, May 6, 2009. "The Resolution carries science teams whose research will help us better understand Earth's current climate and its ancient sea levels," said NSF Director Arden L. Bement, Jr. "This research will help resolve the puzzles of continental drift, volcano formation, and the onset of earthquakes." During the first phase of IODP drilling operations from 2004-2006, 12 expeditions were conducted. Ten of those expeditions were conducted aboard the JR prior to its redesign. "I am very proud and excited to see the JOIDES Resolution back in action--providing the world's science community with unique information essential for unlocking the evolution of our planet, and providing the framework for understanding our future changing climate," said Robert Gagosian, president of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. "Having twice sailed as an ocean drilling expedition co-chief scientist, I'm especially pleased to see the lab upgrades and return to operations of this amazing educational asset," said Brian Taylor, dean of SOEST. IODP is an international marine research program dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of the Earth through drilling, coring, and monitoring the subseafloor. The program operates three drilling platforms: Chikyu, a riser-equipped vessel provided by Japan; the JOIDES Resolution, the newly refurbished research vessel provided by the United States; and mission-specific drilling platforms, such as jack-up rigs similar to those that drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, managed by ECORD, the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling. During the first week of May 2009, all three platforms will be conducting investigations. The Chikyu will disembark from Shingu in Japan for the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Experiment (NanTroSEIZE), a multi-expedition drilling project focused on an earthquake-generating zone. The JOIDES Resolution will continue the Pacific Equatorial Age Transect (PEAT) Expedition, sampling Pacific Ocean sediments and studying the transition from climates that existed 15-50 million years ago to today's conditions. Scientists aboard the JR will investigate warm periods in Earth's history that share many features with the warm period Earth is currently entering. ECORD, through its operator the British Geological Survey, will core continental shelf sediments off New Jersey to study changes in sea-level from 14 million to 24 million years ago.
-NSF-
Media Contacts
Cheryl Dybas, NSF (703) 292-7734 cdybas@nsf.gov
Gregg Schmidt, Consortium for Ocean Leadership (202) 448-1231 gschmidt@oceanleadership.org
Related Websites
JOIDES Resolution: http://www.joidesresolution.org
Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP): http://www.iodp.org
U.S. Scientific Ocean Drilling Vessel Sets Sail for Science Sea Trials: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114060
Marine Scientists to Investigate Role of Equatorial Pacific Ocean in Global Climate System: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114144
Video of JOIDES Resolution Underway: http://www.youtube.com/user/OceanLeadership
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2009, its budget is $9.5 billion, which includes $3.0 billion provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to over 1,900 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 44,400 competitive requests for funding, and makes over 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
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