Seabed research on climate change

Deep holes drilled in the seabed off the Canterbury coast this summer will help scientists determine the link between climate and sea-level changes over the past 35 million years.

Six sediment cores will be drilled to about 1800 metres beneath the sea floor, across the Canterbury Basin, from the ship Joides Resolution.

The two-month expedition is expected to cost more than US$6 million (NZ$8.1m).

The project involves scientific organisations from 24 countries.

Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP) New Zealand co-ordinator Dr Chris Hollis, a senior scientist at GNS Science, said rocks and fossils would be studied to discover the temperature needed to trigger the catastrophic collapse of ice sheets and how much sea level could rise by a change in ice volume.

"It's pretty exciting," he said.

"The people who go on these cruises, generally it shapes their research for the rest of their careers."

The expedition involves 33 scientists, including three New Zealanders: Dr Greg Browne and Dr Martin Crundwell, of GNS Science, and the University of Otago's Dr Kirsty Tinto.

Hollis said a 1998 trip to the Canterbury basin, when one sediment core was drilled, identified the potential for a more detailed study.

- © Fairfax NZ News