Norsk medlemskap i International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP)

The International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) is a multinational initiative to promote and fund scientific drilling on land (continental crust). The program has provided new knowledge of the Earth's crust and geological processes, and has significantly contributed to promoting international cooperation in geoscience. After 18 years as a member country, it is safe to conclude that the Norwegian research communities have been active partners in the program. A total of 180 scientists from Norwegian institutions have contributed to 60 applications and participated in more than 20 planning workshops and a corresponding number of scientific drilling projects around the world. Today, 20 countries are members of ICDP. ICDP collaborates with IODP on projects of common interest, especially on the continental shelf. ICDP was initiated in 1996 and the program is funded by 20 participating countries. Norway became a member in 2002 and renewed its membership in 2012 and 2018. Norwegian participation is funded by the Research Council of Norway. The administrative responsibility is assigned to the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU). The drill-cores obtained in the various ICDP-supported projects offer an unprecedented opportunity to study geological processes and phenomena that affect and shape the Earth, and to test geological models. Detailed descriptions of the ICDP science goals are presented in the recently published a Scientific Plan 2020-30 (cf https://www.icdp-online.org/media/icdp-science-plan/ ). The ICDP program helps to rise funding for the efficient planning and implementation of drilling programs within the topics mentioned above. Scientists and engineers from all participating countries can submit drilling proposals to the ICDP Scientific Advisory Group (SAG, Scientific Advisory Group). ICDP has established an operational support group (OSG) that can support the proponents in the planning phase, as well as provide administrative, technical and operational assistance during the implementation of the drilling program itself. OSG has developed tailor-made drilling equipment for various operations, and is also responsible for developing and operating ICDP's key scientific and operational databases. Proposals that are positively assessed by SAG will be further developed into full proposals. These will be reviewed by SAG and by ICDP's broadly composed Executive Committee prior to being formally be approved as an ICDP project and awarded a grant by the ICDP's Assembly of Governors (AoG). Workshops and drilling operations funded through ICDP are spread throughout the world. Norwegian scientists from numerous institutions have been involved in many proposals and drilling projects with a wide variety of science goals; such as drilling in the Caledonian thrust belt between Trondheim and Østersund, and for drilling through active faults in northern Scandinavia. Financial support for the latter was granted by ICDP in 2019, and the proponents may now continue their efforts to fund drilling operations and follow-up science. In 2020, a new Nordic application entitled Volcanic forcing and Paleogene climate change (PVOLC) was accepted by the governing bodies (EC and AoG). The project is led by UiO and has strong Norwegian and international participation. Drilling are plannen at key sites in Denmark, and the goal of the project is to understand the relationship between the Paleogene North Atlantic Igneous Province, plate tectonic development, climate change and biosphere changes with a focus on the event known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). From 2019, ICDP has revised its governance structure. An executive director (Marco Bohnhof) has been appointed, replacing the position of former secretary general. The AoG, see https://www.icdp-online.org/profile/program/how-icdp-runs/governance-aog/ , makes overall decisions based on advice from by EC, which again relies on scientific evaluations from Science Advisory Group and Operational Support Group. AoG and EC have reorganized the work flow, and have a chosen Chair and Co-Chair for periods of 2 + 2 years. ICDP publishes annual reports summarizing the activity in ongoing and planned drilling programs; cf. https://www.icdp-online.org/media/icdp-annual-reports/. In addition, ICDP is in charge of the publication of the scientific journal Scientific Drilling, which provides articles on current drilling projects (https://www.icdp-online.org/media/journal-scientific-drilling/volumes/ ).

Norge vil fornye medlemskapet i International Continental drilling Program for perioden 2007-2023. Prosjektet omfatter administrasjon av medlemskapet, bistand til norske forskningsmiljø som vil søke støtte til boreprosjekt gjennom ICDP, samt formidling av informasjon om programmet og resultater fra de ulike boreprosjektene.