Fresh tuna “catch of the day” in Nachikatsuura

Japan Visit Report – Ethan Petrou (DPhil Candidate in Earth Sciences, University of Oxford)

During my DPhil programme I have had the opportunity of participating in two offshore expeditions twice for geological research purposes. Participating in these experiences offers an incredible opportunity to immerse oneself fully at the source of ocean science, contributing to expansive, multinational, fully integrated science projects. The largest offshore expeditions are hosted by IODP (The international Ocean Discovery Programme), are undergoing restructuring due to conclusions drawn from funding packages and the impending retirement of their primary research vessel. Consequently, there is uncertainty within the Earth Science community regarding the future of ocean science drilling. The need for future ocean science drilling expeditions is incredibly important as earth scientists require physical water and rock samples across the globe to perform their research. Consequently, a workshop took place in Nachikatsuura, Japan in March 2024 to deliberate on the future trajectory of ocean science drilling.

I was nominated by the European Ocean Research Drilling Programme (ECORD) to serve as one of the Early-Career Researcher UK representatives at the Workshop on the Future of Scientific Ocean Drilling: Advancing Drilling Proposals for IODP³. This workshop, jointly organized by ECORD and Japanese equivalent, J-DESC/JAMSTEC, was designed to convene researchers with promising drilling concepts that have arisen during and following the Phase-1 Workshop. The objective was to present and deliberate on scientific and operational strategies, preparing for the submission of drilling proposals for IODP³ aboard the MSP and Chikyu vessels along with the future direction of ocean science drilling. The event was a fantastic opportunity to learn about the current state of scientific ocean drilling and the potential directions it could take. There were delegates from more than 100 countries at the workshop which allowed collaboration between groups and the formation of teams that proposed new scientific drilling projects. I was part of the Atlantic Ocean team, and we came up with a myriad of potential impactful drilling projects that would further climate change research. I believe that the knowledge shared, and outcomes generated at the workshop will further the need of scientific offshore drilling research which is now being lobbied for funding at the national scale.

Presentation at the IODP3 workshop

While the workshop was not directly related to the scope of my DPhil research, I have participated in and used materials collected from different offshore scientific research expeditions. At the workshop, I also had the opportunity to increase my scientific network: an invaluable opportunity at this late stage of my DPhil. As such, I am grateful to University College and the Ferard and Leney fund for contributing to making it possible for me to attend the workshop.

Nachikatsuura is a rural fishing village four hours south of Osaka in the Kansai region and it was contrasted with the other highly populated, technological-driven cities I also visited in Japan. The remote location fostered collaboration between scientists and the two-day field trip allowed us to explore the notable geological and spiritual features of the Nachikatsuura area. The town also is known for hot springs, so I greatly enjoyed ending the day relaxing in the warm water!

Find out more about the range of travel grants and scholarships available to assist Univ students on our Travel Grants page or read further travel reports.

Published: 7 June 2024

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