Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Conversation
The Conversation
Environment
Suzanne OConnell, Harold T. Stearns Professor of Earth Science, Wesleyan University

The workhorse ship of ocean drilling may have made its last voyage – here’s why scientists don’t want to see the JOIDES Resolution mothballed

The scientific research ship JOIDES Resolution on an expedition to the southwest Indian Ocean in 2015. Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong via Getty Images

My favorite place in the world isn’t a fixed location. It’s the JOIDES Resolution, an internationally funded research ship that has spent its service life constantly on the move, from deep in the Antarctic to high in the Arctic.

Since 1985, scientific expeditions on this one-of-a-kind oceangoing laboratory have drilled 230 miles (370 kilometers) of sediment and rock cores – long cylindrical samples that provide a unique view of the ocean floor. The cores come from a thousand different locations, enabling scientists from many universities around the world to explore changes within the Earth.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.