Integrated Ocean Drilling Program
Buried in unexplored seafloor sediments and the crust below is a rich history of the Earth: the waxing and waning of glaciers, the creation and ageing of oceanic lithosphere (the hard rock crust), the evolution and extinction of microorganisms, and the building and erosion of continents.
Scientific ocean drilling has revealed much about the Earth's dynamic nature. However, we are only just beginning to recognise that plate tectonic processes and the accompanying changes in ocean circulation and climate have greatly affected biological evolution and biogeochemical cycling.
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Integrated Ocean Drilling Program is part of an international scientific research programme involving Europe (ECORD, European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling), the United States and Japan.
Research focuses on a wide range of fundamental and applied issues, such as global climate change, biodiversity, natural hazards involving earthquakes and volcanic processes, sustainable mineral and energy resources, as well as the internal structure and dynamics of our planet.
To investigate these previously undiscovered environments requires more than one drill ship. The USA and Japan have committed two ships and Europe is providing others for drilling in shallow water and ice-covered regions.