UK to join ICDP
The UK has never participated as a member of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP). All this is about to change, writes Melanie Leng
Geoscientist 22.05 June 2012
As geologists and geoscientists (and as emphasised in recent ‘forward looks’ on our science www.ukgeoscience.org.uk ) it is essential that we have access to key geological sections that can be well constrained in terms of time and formation. This allows us to determine the processes of global change that affect the Earth and to understand the controls on resource development. In addition, through instruments in the drill holes we can monitor and model natural hazards and fluid-related biological processes in the sub-surface.
Image: ICDP drilling project in Lake Van. Image © ICDP
Philip Barker (Lancaster University) and Melanie Leng (University of Leicester and NIGL-BGS) prepared a brief on UK involvement in ICDP that, along with BGS as co-funder and UK manager of the programme, we had planned to submit to the NERC International Opportunities Fund for the call in autumn 2011. However, NERC do not pay memberships from this fund. Subsequently, using funding that BGS obtains from providing services, NERC agreed that BGS could invest in membership of ICDP on behalf of the Earth Science Sector to build national capability for the UK geoscience community. This will allow UK geoscientists to fully participate in both IODP and ICDP and to develop synergies between these programmes. At the same time BGS will work with European countries through ECORD-IODP http://www.ecord.org/ and the European members of ICDP to create a European infrastructure for scientific research drilling.
The cost of membership of ICDP is significantly lower than IODP in that ICDP provides operational support and scientific evaluation support for approved drilling proposals, but it is up to the proposing scientists to use an “a la carte” funding mechanism to generate the operational, management and science costs for a particular drilling project.
Representatives of the geoscientific community are invited to attend a “kick-off” event at the British Geological Survey (Environment Research Centre, Keyworth) on Tuesday 3 July 2012.