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International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 378: South Pacific Paleogene Climate
As a part of International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP, *1), a research cruise of the JOIDES Resolution (*2) is set to begin on January 3, 2020 as IODP Expedition 378 program (see the attached schedule). The purpose of this cruise is to clarify the paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic changes that occurred during the Cenozoic Era in a high-latitude area of the South Pacific. Departing offshore of New Zealand, the ship is sheduled to sail eastward, implementing drilling operations to acquire marine sediments from five sampling points along the 50th parallel south. Notably, the marine sediments from the very warm Paleocene to Eocene epochs (56–34 million years ago, Ma) of the Paleogene at high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere will be continuously drilled and recovered for the first time. The research team aims to reveal the details of ocean–atmosphere circulation under greenhouse conditions. A total of 30 researchers from the United States, Brazil, Europe, China, India, South Korea, Australia, and Japan are scheduled to join the research cruise.
*1 International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP)
This international scientific research cooperative project started in October 2013. By drilling deep below the ocean floors using drilling vessels provided by Japan (MarE3 DV Chikyu), the United States (JOIDES Resolution), and Europe (Mission-Specific Platforms), IODP promotes research aimed at elucidating the internal structure and the biosphere within and below the Earth’s crust.
JOIDES Resolution ©IODP
The JOIDES Resolution Science Operator (JRSO) manages and operates the riserless drillship, JOIDES Resolution, for the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). The JRSO is based in the College of Geosciences of Texas A&M University.
Schedule (local time)
Expedition 378
- January 3, 2020
- Research cruise begins (principal investigator (PI) boards at Lautoka, Fiji)
- January 4
- Researchers from Japan board at Lautoka, Fiji
Preparation will last for a few days before departure
Drilling in the South Pacific - March 4, 2020
- Entry into Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
The schedule may change depending upon the progress in sailing preparations, weather conditions, and/or research activities.
Fig 1 Locations of drilling sites. The colors represent the ages of oceanic crust at the drilling sites: yellow, 56 Ma; orange, 40 Ma.
Table 1 List of drilling sites and boreholes in the projected drilling order.
| Site / borehole name | Water depth (m) | Target drilling depth (m) | No. of scheduled working days |
|---|---|---|---|
| DSDP277 | 1,214 | 670 | 10 |
| SP-1B | 4,971 | 247 | 8 |
| SP-2B | 5,075 | 147 | 4 |
| SP-13A | 4,772 | 164 | 5 |
| SP-14A | 4,658 | 181 | 5 |
Note: Drilling sites may change depending upon sailing preparations, weather conditions, and/or research progress.
*Figure 1 is cited from the IODP website with partial modification.
IODP JRSO・Expeditions・South Pacific Paleogene Climate
http://iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops/expeditions/south_pacific_paleogene_climate.html
http://iodp.tamu.edu/about/copyright.html
Contacts:
- (For IODP and this scientific expedition）
- Saneatsu Saito, Operations Department, Institute for Marine-Earth Exploration and Engineering
- (For press release)
- Public Relations Section, Marine Science and Technology Strategy Department