Chapter 8: Time to Apply
Below are materials to support teaching and learning about scientific ocean drilling that connect to the content in this chapter. We also encourage you to explore the Resources for Educators page in this OER for links to additional exercises and assessments.
Time to Apply: Part A
Exercise 1
Video: Fall Meeting 2018 U12A: Fifty Years of Scientific Ocean Drilling: How the Past Informs the Future
This video features four presenters who discuss the history, goals, and breakthroughs in Earth science made possible by ocean floor drilling. The second presenter (~26 minutes in), Richard Arculus of Australian National University, focuses on the “Earth in Motion” theme within scientific ocean drilling. Consider the following questions which relate to the early portion of his presentation:
a) What three key questions or challenges was the Earth in Motion plan designed to address?
b) According to Arculus, how is scientific ocean drilling a valuable tool in the study of convergent plate margins? What Earth in Motion challenges does drilling in this setting help address?
c) How does Arculus argue for the importance of “going out and doing some observations,” and how does this connect to the goals of scientific ocean drilling?
d) How does Arculus link his example of early “practical experimentation” to the principles and practices of scientific ocean drilling?
This image comes from an Instagram post by the European Petrophysics Consortium Leicester (@epc_iodp). The image reads: “DID YOU KNOW…”
The post caption states:
The deepest hole ever drilled into the Earth’s crust from the ocean is over 12,000 meters deep, that’s deeper than Mount Everest is tall! 🌍🌊
This was achieved by the JOIDES Resolution, a research vessel part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). Through ocean drilling, scientists uncover secrets about Earth’s climate history, plate tectonics, and even ancient life buried beneath the seafloor.
🔬 These discoveries help us understand earthquakes, tsunamis, and how our planet has evolved over millions of years!
Imagine you are creating an Instagram post to accompany this image. Based on what you’ve learned about scientific ocean drilling in this chapter (and throughout the text) respond to the following questions:
a) Write your own post caption. Think about what information would engage your audience and inspire curiosity about ocean drilling.
b) Explain why your message is important. What makes your content worth sharing with others? What do you want people to understand or feel after reading it?
Exercise 3
Read this article published by the National Science Foundation, Exploring hidden depths: the seafloor and below and answer the questions below:
a) What does scientific ocean drilling help us learn about our ocean that we cannot learn from human-occupied submersibles such as Alvin?
b) How does deep-sea and subseafloor research benefit society? Explain.
Exercise 4
This article published by AP News (September 5, 2025), Scientists tap ‘secret’ fresh water under the ocean, raising hopes for a thirsty world details the discoveries of Expedition 501, which is featured in the last section of this chapter (Moving Forward with MSPs). Read this article and answer the questions below:
a) Generate a timeline of the events listed throughout this article to clearly follow the timeline of water challenges, research proposals, and the execution of this expedition. What do you think controlled the length of time between events and advancements? Does anything stand out to you for the length of time between events?
b) According to this article, what is the scientific significance of finding fresh water under the ocean? How can this scientific research benefit society?
c) What still needs to be done to the water before humans can use it – including consume it?
Time to Apply: Part B
There are lessons based on activities developed by educators and scientists who worked aboard JOIDES Resolution. They have been revised by the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) to connect to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and to include additional support for student learning. All lessons can be found under Educational Resources Using Ocean Coring Data.
In addition, the JOIDES Resolution website has an entire collection of Classroom Activities that include lesson plans, data exercises, digital interactives, posters, and career information.
