The contract names the alliance the system integration contractor, responsible for program management; planning for scientific services and drillship operations; drilling, coring, and logging of seafloor sediments and crustal rock; collecting, analyzing, storing, curating, and disseminating data, samples and results; and science education and outreach.
Bruce Malfait, head of the marine geosciences section at NSF, said that "signing the contract is a major step in implementing IODP and follows on recommendations of the international scientific community developed over the past seven years of planning for this exciting new program. The alliance institutions have provided exemplary service during the Ocean Drilling Program, and we have every confidence they will meet the increased challenges of the IODP."
JOI president Steven Bohlen added, "The alliance looks forward to building upon our past successes with the Ocean Drilling Program and reaching future science goals with innovative approaches."
The contract signing comes just before the official start of IODP on October 1, 2003, and will allow the United States to bring a research vessel online by next June. Following the advice of the IODP science planning and operations committees, the first expedition will take place next summer at the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the northeast Pacific Ocean to study fluids in the oceanic crust.
IODP will use the ship JOIDES Resolution for this expedition. The JOIDES Resolution was used for nearly 20 years by the Ocean Drilling Program, and with minor improvements, will be used by IODP for one to two years. An enhanced vessel capable of achieving the long-range science and engineering goals of IODP will then be acquired, converted, and operated by the alliance.
In addition to the JOIDES Resolution, IODP will use a vessel currently under construction in Japan named Chikyu ("Earth"). Plans are also underway for additional countries to sponsor special platforms for drilling in shallow water and ice-covered regions.
IODP is an international program of basic research that builds upon the legacies of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (1968-1983) and the Ocean Drilling Program (1983-2003). IODP is guided by its science plan, which encompasses three main themes: the Deep Biosphere and Subseafloor Ocean; Environmental Change, Processes, and Effects; and Solid Earth Cycles and Geodynamics. More information is available online at http://www.iodp.org.
NSF PR 03-110
NSF Program Contact: Bruce Malfait, 703-292-8581, bmalfait@nsf.gov
NSF Media Contact: Cheryl Dybas, 703- 292-7734, cdybas@nsf.gov
Joint Oceanographic Institutions Media Contact: Kasey White, 202-232-3900 x240, kwhite@joiscience.org.
The National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of nearly $5.3 billion. National Science Foundation funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 30,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes about 10,000 new funding awards. The National Science Foundation also awards over $200 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
Receive official National Science Foundation news electronically through the e-mail delivery system, NSFnews. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to join-nsfnews@lists.nsf.gov. In the body of the message, type "subscribe nsfnews" and then type your name. (Ex.: "subscribe nsfnews John Smith")
Useful National Science Foundation Web Sites
NSF Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov/
News Highlights: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa
Newsroom: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/media/start.htm
Science Statistics: http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/stats.htm
Awards Searches: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a6/A6Start.htm