Planning Updates

With the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) currently scheduled to conclude on September 30, 2024, the scientific community is busy planning for the future of scientific ocean drilling. Efforts began with a series of national workshops that led to the international writing of the 2050 Science Framework: Exploring Earth by Scientific Ocean Drilling. The 2050 Science Framework describes the ways in which future scientific ocean drilling will increase understanding of the fundamental connections among Earth system components while addressing a range of challenging natural and human-caused issues facing society.

The scientific community continues to work with government funders to discuss the future of scientific ocean drilling. This page will be updated as the plans evolve and next steps are determined.