IODP in Canada
Canadian Membership in IODP and ECORD
Canada’s involvement in scientific ocean drilling dates back to the early days of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP), when Canada joined as a full member from 1985 to 1988. From 1989 onwards, Canada became part of an entity called the Pacific Rim Consortium (PACRIM) with Australia, Korea and Taiwan.
Canada joined the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program in 2004 in partnership with the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD). Since 2013, we have maintained our participation in the International Ocean Discovery Program as a member of ECORD. Our membership is supported by the Canadian Consortium for Ocean Drilling (CCOD), comprising researchers from 13 Canadian universities.
Our membership has provided access to samples, data and state-of-the-art drilling platforms for students and researchers from over 50 academic institutions, government agencies and private companies, distributed across 9 provinces and 2 territories. The number of users (>250) has grown by ~20% annually in recent years.
Canadian Achievements within IODP (2003-2013)
Scientific Participation
Canadian scientists are often selected for their expertise to sail on IODP expeditions. Between 2004 and 2013, 16 Canadians sailed as shipboard scientists on 12 IODP expeditions across the full range of drilling platforms. Importantly, three of these participants were students or postdoctoral fellows, and six of these expeditions involved a Canadian as Chief Scientist or Expedition Project Manager. Canadians also actively contributed to the planning of scientific priorities and strategies as organizers of international workshops, lead authors on drilling proposals, and elected members and Chairs of key advisory panels.
In the last 10 years (2003-2013), Canadian scientists have led innovative studies on ocean drilling research, and have authored over 765 articles involving IODP materials and data. Canadian research has been responsible for major progress in the understanding of critical components of the climate system, gas hydrate reservoirs and the factors controlling their formation, as well as the dynamics of ice sheets and their vulnerability under climate warming. Canadians have pioneered new technology in borehole observatories, which allow detailed monitoring of formation pressure, chemistry and temperature. Canadians have also been involved in recent achievements that tested long-standing hypotheses concerning how the ocean crust is accreted and how energy is extracted and dissipated at fast-spreading mid-ocean ridges.
Education and Outreach
To educate the public and train the next generation of scientists, IODP-Canada has organized many public outreach and student training activities including summer schools, conference booths, ship tours and lectures. Between 2009-2013, IODP-Canada provided 27 scholarships and grants for students, young scientists and teachers to attend summer schools, participate in workshops, present at conferences, and conduct research.