14 - European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling

ECORD Newsletter # 14 - May 2010 - www.ecord.org 15A Letter from SpainSpain's participation in IODPSpanish research groups involved inIODP science belong to prestigiousUniversities and Research Institutes inSpain. At national level, they conductoffshore explorations and geologicaland geophysical investigations incontinental margins and basins using amultidisciplinary approaches to addressthe main questions in geosciences. Theirtasks comprise assessments on policyof socio-economic relevance such asenvironmental and climate changes,geohazards, and natural resources. Ourscientific approach also tackles intricateonshore-offshore correlations, whichare of special interest when studying theenclosed or semi-enclosed basins thatbound the Iberian Peninsula. Currentareas of research include the WesternMediterranean (from the Alboran toTyrrhenian Seas), the Atlantic Ocean(north and west off Iberia), the Arctic,the Antarctic, the Pacific and the EasternIndian oceans.Spain joined the 'saga' of internationalocean drilling programs in the 1980swhen OPD started. Drilling Spanishterritorial waters during ODP Leg 103(Galicia Margin) and ODP Leg (161,Alboran Sea) led to pro-active support forstrong involvement in ODP of Spanishinstitutions. During the transition fromthe ODP to IODP, Spain joined withother 'small countries' from the formerECOD to bring a single European voicewithin IODP. Spain has therefore beenpart of IODP within ECORD since thestart of the Consortium in December2003.Spanish scientists have participated insome interesting IODP Expeditionsby taking up a berth (according to ourmembership quota) onboard the JOIDESResolution (Exp. 306-North AtlanticClimate-2, Exp. 307-Modern CarbonateMounds: Porcupine Drilling, Exp. 308-Gulf of Mexico Hydrogeology, Exp.321-Pacific Equatorial Age Transect II- Juan de Fuca, Exp. 318-Wilkes Land),the Chikyu (Exp. 314-NanTroSEIZEStage 1: LWD Transect), and the MSPGreatship Maya (Exp. 325-Great BarrierReef Environmental Changes). However,Spain benefits from IODP not just in thenumber of allowed berths, but also byother research and learning opportunitiesthat the IODP offers to our scientificcommunity. Our geoscientists, accordingLogging Specialist Maria-Jose Jurado (EarthScience Institute-CSIC, Barcelona) explainingreal-time log data from the first NanTroSEIZELWD hole during IODP Exp. 314 on the Chikyu(©JAMSTEC/IODP).to their individual interests and expertise,have also profited from shore-basedstudies on data and relevant core samples.IODP data and samples are frequentlyused as science subjects for PhD workand are taken into account in competitiveIODP Exp. 318 Wilkes Land: Co-Chief ScientistsCarlota Escutia (Andalusian Earth ScienceInstitute, CSIC and University of Granada), andHenk Brinkhuis (University of Utrecht) on theJOIDES Resolution (©IODP-USIO).national and international R&D projects.Our most recent participation in Exp.318-Wilkes Land Glacial History (inwhich a Spaniard was Co-Chief Scientistfor the first time in IODP) and Exp.325-Great Barrier Reef EnvironmentalChanges is expected to motivate andpromote the prominent involvement ofInstitutions and scientists from Spain inIODP. Although there are difficult timesahead for IODP and ECORD becauseof the global economic crisis, Spain lookstowards continuing its contributing toany future drilling program post-2013and to contributing to the excellence ofits science.IODP España:A National Organisation for IODPTo manage and monitor IODP scientificmatters, Spain has a Secretariat andan Advisory Science Committee. TheIODP-Spain Secretariat http://carpe.usal.es/~iodp/iodp_esp) endeavoursto regularly inform the community ofIODP opportunities and activities, andto assist Spanish scientists to participate inIODP. The IODP-Spain Science AdvisoryCommittee aims to promote IODPscience and related research in Spain, andto ensure that our scientific interests areunder consideration in IODP. Membersof this committee are qualified scientists,with diverse expertise, representingSpanish Universities (Barcelona, Granada,Salamanca, Vigo) and Public ResearchOrganisations involved in marinegeosciences (the High Council forScientific Research-CSIC, the SpanishGeological Survey-IGME, and the SpanishInstitute of Oceanography-IEO).The Spanish Ministry of Science andInnovation (MICINN, http://www.micinn.es) funds our participation in ECORD/IODP as the access of Spanish scientiststo organisations is a key element of thepolicy of this Ministry.Menchu Comas (ESSAC Delegate) andJosé-Ramón Sanchez Quintana (ECORDCouncil Delegate)