Abstract
Scientific Ocean Drilling was started as part of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) in 1968, and has been continued by Ocean Drilling Program (ODP). From 2003, it will move to the new stage as Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) that will use at least two drilling vessels. One is the deep-sea drilling vessel equipped with a riser system built and operated by JAMSTEC, and the other is a non-riser drilling vessel that will be operated by the United States. In the ocean drilling programs conducted up to now, plate tectonics was demonstrated, historical changes of the global environment were identified, and the significance of the sub-sea biosphere was recognized. IODP is expected to extend these achievements, identify the characteristics of changes in the overall global systems, clarify the interactions between subsystems, and investigate the fundamental cause of these changes. IODP will mark a revolutionary development since plate tectonics in earth science, and will create a new concept of the earth.
