Onshore Science Party (OSP)

A major difference between MSPs and other IODP expeditions is the need to have an Onshore Science Party (OSP) following the offshore drilling phase as the cores are usually not opened/split at sea. The OSP is the real science party, not merely a sampling party.
The OSP takes place after the offshore operations are completed. The cores are transferred to Bremen Core Repository (BCR) located at the Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM) of University of Bremen in Germany. The entire invited expedition scientific party are required to attend the OSP. The start times may be influenced by any changes in the timing of the offshore phase, but the OSP normally takes place within 3-4 months of the end of the offshore operations. The duration of the OSP is in part dependent on the quantity of core collected. At the OSP, cores are split and scientists have their first opportunity to study the samples in more detail, as they have access to the full laboratory facilities of the BCR. Please make sure that you indicated equipement and consumables you intend to use during the OSP in your sampling request! An essential requirement of the OSP is that scientists consider it as if they are attending a science party at sea. In other words, they have to remain at the core repository until all sampling, measurements and reporting has been completed. The end of the OSP is the equivalent of coming off an IODP drillship.

In the following we will describe the tasks during an OSP following the core flow.


For overview reports on the Onshore Science Parties for past IODP Expeditions see the ECORD Newsletter:
- for IODP Exp. 302 (Arctic Coring Expedition, ACEX) ECORD Newsletter #4 (p. 2-3);
- for IODP Exp. 310 (Tahiti Sea Level) ECORD Newsletter #7 (p. 3-4).
- for IODP Exp. 313 (New Jersey Shallow Shelf) ECORD Newsletter #14 (p. 3-7).