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We are at a crossroad in our quest to resolve the major questions
in deep subseafloor biosphere research. Three new US-led Integrated
Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) projects for deep subseafloor
biosphere research are poised for drilling before 2013, headed
by our executive committee members and involving many of our
science participants. These projects developed independently,
with specific sites and scientific objectives. C-DEBI will
seize a unique opportunity to bundle these diverse projects,
to accomplish an integrated, global scientific mission.
These three initial sites feature characteristics along a
continuum of characteristic field habitats based on hydrothermal
vigor, basement age, and thermal state.
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Juan de Fuca
- young (~ 3 million years old)
- sluggish hydrothermal system
- anoxic conditions
- warm (~ 60°C)
North
Pond - Mid-Atlantic Ridge
- youngish (~8 million years)
- vigorous hydrothermal system
- oxic conditions
- cold (10-20°C)
South
Pacific Gyre
- old (up to ~ 100 million years)
- hydrothermal system (?)
- oxic (?) conditions
- cold
> See our expedition
schedule
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2010 McClatchy Tribune IODP Graphic by Hulteng/Treible
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C-DEBI will support research that leads to the development
of key new projects with the goal of moving them toward scheduling
of drilling expeditions. The scientific rationale for these
sites and projects has been emerging within the community
for several years, and through C-DEBI support, they may most
effectively build the preliminary and justifying datasets,
and develop/coordinate the IODP objectives for a proposal
that will successfully traverse the IODP system. C-DEBI will
also support new and emergent field studies to enable microbiology-led
objectives to emerge as leading charges in drilling science.
> See opportunities for C-DEBI
research support
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