U.S. Scientific Ocean Drilling

06/10/2026

Last week, the IODP Expedition 403 Postcruise Meeting took place in Svalbard, Norway– a fitting location for an expedition focused on the gateway between the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans. Scientists are examining ancient climate, tectonic, and DNA data in cores from Expedition 403 to answer questions about how the transportation of heat, salt, and moisture through the Fram Strait impacts regional and global climate.

Thanks to Khyber Jones/Slingshot Pictures for photos from the meeting and Renata Lucchi (403 co-chief) for photos from the field trip!

06/08/2026

June 8th is World Oceans Day! Oceans are crucial for our science and community.

Understanding our oceans is a major scientific priority of SciOD, including:
🌊 How currents move water, heat, and nutrients around the world
⬇️ How carbon is stored in the ocean
🏝️ How sea levels change under different climate conditions
🐟 How changes in ocean temperature, acidity, and nutrients affect marine ecosystems

This research would not be possible without the long records of past environmental conditions that are preserved beneath the seafloor!

Photo credits:
Dolphins on Exp. 396. Sandra Herrmann, IODP JRSO.
Sunset on Exp. 379. Masao Iwai & IODP.
CORK retrieval on Exp. 385T. Douglas Cummings, IODP JRSO.
Rainbow on Exp. 383. Elisa Malinverno & IODP.

06/04/2026

What happens when teachers become scientists for a week? 🌊🔬

At TRACX, educators roll up their sleeves and work side-by-side with researchers at the Gulf Coast Repository at Texas A&M, exploring ocean sediment cores and uncovering clues about Earth's history. From collecting new scientific data to translating real-world discoveries into engaging K–12 classroom lessons, participants experience the excitement of authentic research and bring it back to their students.

The result? Classrooms connected to cutting-edge ocean science, and students inspired by discoveries happening right now beneath the seafloor!

06/02/2026

This week, the 2026 Teacher/Research and Curriculum Experience (TRACX) is taking place at the Gulf Coast Repository - GCR. TRACX, a step-child of the long-running School of Rock, brings together teachers and scientists to advance research projects and create classroom resources around the data they generate. This year's three teams are:

🔬 Searching for the oldest diatoms using diatom-bearing laminated sediments from ODP Site 693 from the Weddell Sea, Antarctica.

🔄 Studying sediments deposited in the Pliocene (5.3 to 2.6 million years ago) from the continental margin of Greenland to reconstruct how polar ocean currents behaved during a previous warm period.

🧊 Investigating the glacial-interglacial cyclicity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) to look at a range of clues about past WAIS extent and retreat.

The group includes three researchers and nine teachers from around the U.S., as well as one teacher from Australia.

06/01/2026

05/27/2026

Are you interested in advancing scientific discovery through ocean drilling? Apply now for the role of SODCO Science Program Officer: https://academic.careers.columbia.edu/ #!/177103.

This position will work closely with the science community to shape the next phase of U.S. scientific ocean drilling. This includes planning and implementing research projects, expeditions, workshops, training courses, and science communications activities.

The SODCO Science Program Officer will be based at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. Within the University, this position will be an Officer of Research at either the Associate Research Scientist or Research Scientist level, based on previous experience. All candidates should have a PhD in Earth science or related field, at least two years of relevant experience, and excellent project management, communication, and writing skills.

05/26/2026

Undersea landslides in the North Atlantic could have serious impacts on communities along the eastern United States. However, their causes, behavior, and frequency are not well understood. The workshop, “Landslide dynamics, ocean currents, and carbon cycling on the southeastern U.S. Atlantic margin” aimed to address this knowledge gap. Scientists met last week in Austin, TX to explore the science and plan for future scientific ocean drilling to study submarine landslides.

This workshop was supported by the US Science Support Program. Learn more at usoceandiscovery.org/workshop-landslide-dynamics/.

📷 Hugh Daigle

05/22/2026

If you are attending the upcoming JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting, be sure to check out the IODP3/ICDP/J-DESC Town Hall. The event will include updates from each program and a networking reception.

When: Monday, May 25th, 18:30 – 20:30
Where: TKP Garden City Makuhari
Learn more: j-desc.org/en/event/20260525_joint-thm2026/

05/21/2026

Ally Peccia captivated the audience at the May American Museum of Natural History SciCafe. Drawing from her experience sailing on IODP Expedition 398 to the Santorini caldera, Ally explained why ocean drilling is a crucial tool for understanding volcanoes. In between tales of her midnight to noon shifts on the JOIDES Resolution, Peccia presented key findings from the expedition, including evidence for previously unknown past major eruptions.

Great work, Ally!

📷 Daniel Kim/© AMNH

05/18/2026

SODCO’s Thomas Ronge is at the 2026 Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) in Madison, WI.
 
Scientific ocean drilling provides access to remote environments on Earth that can serve as analogues to other planets. Two sessions on Tuesday (209 and 226) will explore what studying these environments can tell us about the possibility of life on other planets. If you’re at AbSciCon this week, check them out. For even more discussion on using for astrobiology, connect with Thomas!