A scientific research vessel for seafloor exploration and observation

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1 overhaul and enhancement JOIDES Resolution A scientific research vessel for seafloor exploration and observation

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3 New to the core After major refurbishment, the JOIDES Resolution returns Exploring and expanding humankind s understanding of planet Earth requires state-of-the-art research equipment. The JOIDES Resolution is a dynamically positioned drillship and floating laboratory that can drill down more than 2,000 meters into the seafloor and in waters as deep as 7,000 meters. On board the JOIDES Resolution, scientists from all over the world lead expeditions aimed at investigating the deep biosphere and the sub-seafloor ocean; environmental change, processes and effects; and solid earth cycles and geodynamics. These are the principal science themes for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), the international endeavor for which the new and improved JOIDES Resolution will primarily work. Already a 20-year workhorse of scientific ocean drilling, the JOIDES Resolution has been completely overhauled, resulting in a new U.S. drilling vessel for IODP. Laboratory space has been increased by 34% and is designed for greater efficiency in handling cores. There are 20 additional berths and all staterooms are double occupancy. Drilling capabilities and ship stability have been enhanced.

4 20 % INCREASE in science berths; all staterooms are double occupancy 27 % increase in overall square footage for science facilities 34 % increase in laboratory spaces, including offices and conference rooms A floating laboratory now equipped for the 21 st century Who uses this science facility? And for what? In the ship s core description, petrophysics, chemistry, microbiology, microscopy, paleontology, paleomagnetism, thin section, X-ray and downhole logging laboratories, scientists work to better understand Earth s climate conditions, fluctuations in sea level, changes in ocean circulation, plate tectonic processes, earthquake mechanisms, volcano formation, underwater landslides, the carbon cycle, the sub-seafloor biosphere, gas hydrates, and mineral deposits.

5 70 % of Earth is seafloor Yet we rely upon the 10-inch drill of unique research vessels like the JOIDES Resolution to investigate the valuable information the seafloor holds.

6 DRILLING Dynamic positioning system, derrick and drill string. A highly trained crew and new specialized engineering equipment make it possible to target and core the seafloor. MOON POOL Few research ships have a 22-foot hole in the center. The drill string drops through to the seafloor, and cores and downhole logging data return up through it en route to laboratories. CORE RECEIVING AND PROCESSING 91/2-meter long sections of ocean sediment or rock are transferred from the drilling area to the laboratories for analysis by scientists and technicians. SCIENCE PARTY Geochemists, microbiologists, paleontologists, geophysicists, sedimentologists, petrologists and educators LAB TECHNICIANS Staff uniquely trained to support laboratories and IT environments CREW Captain, mates, engineers, drillers, stewards and chefs The core work of the JOIDES Resolution in the deep sea Whether clues about our planet come from downhole instruments the JOIDES Resolution sends deep below the seafloor or from rock and sediment samples the ship brings to the surface, carrying out an expedition and extracting research results requires specialized equipment and specially trained staff on the vessel. Continuing work often extends for years while post expedition research is carried out at shore institutions throughout the world. Results are published in international peerreviewed scientific publications and also in the IODP Proceedings volumes.

7 PRIMARY ANALYSIS Cores are sliced lengthwise, analyzed and sampled, and one half is stored in Integrated Ocean Drilling Program repositories for future research. DOWNHOLE LOGGING After cores have been extracted, the borehole itself becomes a laboratory. Scientists lower instruments or install long-term observatories to study the surrounding environment. CURATION AND SPECIALTY RESEARCH Nearly 7,500 square feet of science space immediately spring to life as scientists conduct analyses, for example, examining fossils in the freshly recovered cores to date the material.

8 JOIDES Resolution from the outside...

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10 ... new to the core After 20 years of service, the JOIDES Resolution, the pioneering scientific ocean drilling vessel that has allowed scientists to retrieve samples of the Earth s crust and sediments from deep beneath the ocean, got a major renovation to expand and improve the scientific labs and living quarters.

11 Virtually all new from the derrick forward

12 A remarkable transformation overhauling the JOIDES Resolution MAY 2007 Removal of old bridge and accommodations. NOVEMBER 2007 InInstallation of newly constructed bridge and accommodations module. NOVEMBER 2008 Ship s bridge and accommodations ready.

13 BRIDGE DECK The ship s dynamic positioning system is now integrated into the bridge. Technical support, science and operations offices for IODP and a science planning area are now located on the Bridge Deck. CORE DECK From the receiving platform on this deck, the cores are taken through a series of scientific analyses. Downhole measurements, microscopy, paleontology, core description, petrophysics, stratigraphic correlation and paleomagnetism labs are on the Core Deck. FO C S LE DECK The Fo c s le Deck now includes the chemistry, microbiology, sample preparation, thin-section and X-ray laboratories; imaging and publications offices; videoconference-enabled conference room; and the hospital. MAIN DECK The Main Deck is where the galley, mess hall, food storage areas, laundry room, and crew changing room are located. Forward Tween Deck The Forward Tween Deck houses the ship s recreation areas. It features a lounge for social gatherings, computers for internet use, coffee and snack bar, public telephone, movie room with new entertainment systems and an airconditioned gym. All of the labs and quarters are new

14 STUDY AREA ANTARCTICA What one core reveals about our past Scientists use clues from IODP core samples and borehole logging data to piece together a more complete answer to scientific questions, such as the record of climate from the past. But what can we learn from one core? Drilling off the coast of Antarctica in an ocean basin known as the Palmer Deep has given scientists a glimpse of the pace of rapid climate and oceanographic change in the Southern Ocean. Rapid warming in the Antarctic Peninsula region today has resulted in collapse of ice shelves and changes in the region s ecosystem. Sediments at the bottom of the Palmer Deep help inform and ground-truth models predicting future conditions because these sediments record 13,000 years of history of the region s fluctuations from colder to warmer climates. Fluctuations are evident in the core in the olive green layers of diatom ooze, which early in the record alternate with gray diatom sandy mud, indicating a relatively cooler period when annual ocean productivity blooms alternate with glacial meltwater, silt and sand pulses. Deeper in the record, the alternating annual layers give way to sediments with more glacial debris, likely released by meltwater and icebergs during a warming trend. Thousands of cores like this one have their own story to tell.

15 7 cm 10 cm RECENT PAST PHOTOMICROGRAPH OF DIATOM A MICROFOSSIL COOLER PERIOD Olive green layers of diatom ooze in sediment cores alternate with gray sandy mud, indicating annual ocean productivity blooms alternating with silt and sand pulses from glacial meltwater WARMING TREND Deeper in the record, the alternating annual layers give way to sediments with more glacial debris, likely released during a warmer period by meltwater and icebergs DEEP PAST

16 1985 OCEAN DRILLING PROGRAM LAUNCHED The JOIDES Resolution sets sail on January 29 in the Gulf of Mexico for the first expedition of the Ocean Drilling Program DEEPEST SCIENTIFIC OCEAN BOREHOLE Drillers on the JOIDES Resolution penetrate 2,111 meters into the seafloor the deepestever scientific ocean borehole GAS HYDRATES FOUND BELOW SEAFLOOR Large amounts of gas hydrates are discovered in seafloor sediments during an expedition to the eastern margin of North America. Global reach of the JOIDES Resolution 1985-Present In its past service to the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, and the Ocean Drilling Program before it, the JOIDES Resolution has operated from north of the Arctic Circle to south of the Antarctic Circle and from the depths of the Mariana Trench to the shallow coastal shelf off New Jersey. ASIA In the next phase of IODP operations, the drillship is scheduled to conduct expeditions in the equatorial Pacific, north to the Juan de Fuca ridge off the west coast of North America, then north to the Bering Sea, south to the Shatsky Rise off the eastern coast of Japan, the Canterbury Basin off New Zealand, and finally to Wilkes Land, Antarctica. INDIAN OCEAN AUSTRALIA ANTARCTICA JOIDES Resolution ocean drilling sites Future Past

17 1997 METEORITE HITS 65 MILLION YEARS AGO An expedition to Florida s Atlantic coast recovers evidence of a meteorite impact thought to have led to mass extinctions Microbes at 800 meters deep Microbes are discovered living in sediments 800 meters beneath the seafloor, far deeper than previously thought possible gabbros IN deepest oceanic crust Three expeditions to a single location recover all three layers of intact ocean crust, including gabbro from the lowest layer. ARCTIC OCEAN NORTH A MERICA EUROPE AFRICA PACIFIC OCEAN SOUTH AMERICA ATLANTIC OCEAN

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19 Join the scientific team aboard the JOIDES Resolution to research and explore IODP expeditions on the JOIDES Resolution are scheduled to resume in Applications for expedition participation are being accepted for future expeditions. Forms and instructions are available at the Program Member Offices: U.S. scientists may apply to the U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP) Japanese scientists may apply to the Japan Drilling Earth Science Consortium (J-DESC) Scientists in ECORD (European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling) countries may apply to the ECORD Science Support Advisory Committee (ESSAC) Scientists in China may apply to the People s Republic of China, Ministry of Science and Technology Scientists in the republic of Korea may apply through the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources SCIENTISTS IN AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND may apply to the Australia-New Zealand IODP Consortium (ANZIC) Science Committee

20 JOIDES RESOLUTION ART BY CHARLES FLOYD MAP AND PHOTOS BY IODP-U.S. IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN BY JOSHUA KORENBLAT