Deciphering the Arctic Ocean Climate Puzzle

In August and September of this year, three powerful icebreakers transited to the North Pole in search of a climate record stored in sediments below the Arctic Ocean floor. During the spectacular Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX), conducted by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), 340 meters of sediment core were retrieved from the bottom of the Arctic Ocean — a true “first.” With these sediments in hand, earth scientists for the first time can move away from pure speculation about the climatic evolution of the Arctic over the past ~55 million years.

Following a 10-day workshop of the ACEX Science Party — 33 scientists from 11 countries — a news conference will be held:

Tuesday, November 16, 2004, 12:30 p.m. at the
IODP Core Repository
University of Bremen
Konsul-Smidt-Str. 30
Bremen, Germany

Early data analysis indicates that the upper 160 meters of sediment retrieved represent a continuous record of the past ~15 million years. The sediment cores suggest that ice-covered conditions extend this far back in time. Details of the ice cover, timing, and dominance over this time period will be released to the media in Bremen.

We also will present the Bremen repository and its labs where ~70 kilometres of sediment cores, mainly from the Atlantic Ocean, are stored. Each sediment core contains an exciting story about the earth’s climatic and environmental development.

ACEX

Information concerning the Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX) and the news conference, including directions and a map, can be found online at http://www.iodp.de

IODP

The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) is an international marine research drilling program dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of the Earth by monitoring and sampling sub seafloor environments. Through multiple platforms, pre-eminent scientists explore IODP’s principal themes: the deep biosphere, environmental change, and solid earth cycles. Information: http://www.iodp.org

ECORD

The European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) represents and funds international ocean drilling among European nations. Information: http://www.ecord.org

ESO

ESO is a consortium of European scientific institutions formed to undertake Mission- Specific Platform operations for ECORD on behalf of the IODP.