After
a complete transformation to modernize and upgrade the research vessel JOIDES
Resolution (JR), the ship has set sail from the Singapore shipyard where the
work was done, for science sea trials and transit to Honolulu.
The
JOIDES Resolution is the U.S. research vessel for exploring and monitoring the
sub-seafloor. It operates as part of the international Integrated Ocean
Drilling Program (IODP).
Already
a 20-year workhorse on behalf of scientific ocean drilling, the JOIDES
Resolution has been completely refurbished. It's now poised to help IODP
continue to push the edge of science by collecting unique sub-seafloor samples
and data that would otherwise remain out of reach to researchers.
"We
are extremely pleased to see the JOIDES Resolution set sail once more for
science – with a vastly improved capability for performing cutting-edge
research into the secrets of Earth's past climate and ocean conditions, and our
planet's interior and deep biosphere," says Tim Killeen, NSF assistant
director for geosciences.
"This
is a long-awaited day for the world of ocean research," says Robert
Gagosian, president and CEO of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. "The
JOIDES Resolution is operational again for IODP expeditions at an extremely
important time, when our need for scientific understanding of our ocean planet
– and climate and energy challenges – is at its greatest. The research pursuits
of thousands of scientists around the globe will be enhanced in a major way by
the future work of the JR."
Expeditions
onboard the JR help improve scientific understanding of the causes of natural
hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis; Earth's changing climate conditions
over the past 100 million years; methane hydrates – "frozen" deposits
of methane gas that may be a major factor in climate change; and future rising
sea levels, by examining the evidence of past sea level rise and climate change
in seafloor sediments.
U.S. Scientific Ocean Drilling Vessel Sets Sail for Science Sea Trials
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