Arctic Deep-Sea Drilling: Scientific and Technical Challenge of the Next Decade

• Main Authors: Thiede, Jörn, Pfirman, S., Johnson, G. L., Mudie, P. J., Mienert, Jürgen, Vorren, T.
• Other Authors: Ayala-Castanares, A., Wooster, W., Yanez-Arancibia, A.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: UNAM Press 1989
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Basin; Arctic Ocean; Greenland; Greenland Sea; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/60249/; https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/60249/1/Thiede-1.pdf

Why is it important to go to the major expense and long-term effort of organizing, preparing and executing drilling in the permanently ice-covered, deep-sea regions of the Arctic? Because of its unique characteristics, the Arctic Ocean has a climatic and oceanographic influence far beyond its limited geographic extent. For example, deep water formed in the polar and subpolar seas fills the basins of the rest of the world's ocean. The modern Arctic sea ice cover, although apparently thermodynamically unstable, has existed for severul million years, affecting global heat budgets and therefore the global climate system. Yet we do not know when deep waters of the Arctic Ocean were first linked with those of the Norwegian-Greenland Sea, nor when sea ice first covered the Arctic Basin. Likewise the geologic composition and history of major morphologic features, ridges, plateaus and margins are practically unknown. This knowledge is missing because of a lack of appropriate samples of sediment and bedrock. With a coordinated effort of site surveying and drilling in the Arctic it would be feasible to obtain the required material. This report presents a scientific rationale and an organizational scheme together with various technological options for drilling in this hostile environment.