Ireland’s economic growth in recent years has been underpinned by investment in research and development. The Government is pleased to recognise the contribution that the geosciences make to this process and therefore it welcomes today’s events.
My first task is to welcome the research vessel, Joides Resolution, and its crew to Dublin Port. The vessel is in Ireland as part of a prestigious international geoscience programme and marks Ireland’s growing reputation for sophisticated geoscience capability. It carries with it a proud tradition of scientific achievement and we in Ireland are happy to be associated with it.
This vessel is one of the key facilities of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme, IODP. IODP is the latest in a series of international research programmes which have deepened our knowledge of planet Earth.
It has provided insights into how oceans and continents evolve, the history of ocean currents and how climate and marine life have both changed radically through geological time. Indeed, ocean drilling is not just about the past; its findings can assist us in predicting the future pace of climate and environmental change.
I am pleased to announce that I will be seeking Government approval for Ireland’s affiliation to the IODP through the Geological Survey of Ireland. This will be done through the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling and I am pleased to greet its representatives today, especially its Chairperson, Dr. Jonas Bjorck, and Prof. Jean-Pierre Henriet who had the vision for this particular drilling. Also Jeff Fox who is the head of the American organization of IODP.
Indeed, I am very pleased to share with you all the excitement of the drilling you are about to undertake. A truly international team will study Ireland’s deep-water carbonate mounds with their rich diversity of coral life. Most people associate corals with warm tropical waters rather than the deep cold waters of the Atlantic. These carbonate mounds would compete in height with Dublin’s Spire which stands at 120 metres.
Ireland is well place to join the international team of scientists on this voyage. Geosciences in our universities and state agencies are now increasingly popular with both students and researchers. I am looking at options to ensure GSI is appropriately positioned to play a full role in delivering the Government’s agenda in the geoscience area.
Substantial investments are now a regular feature of geoscience programmes attracting many scientists from abroad. I am aware that a new Geoscience Initiative is being developed as an integrated response to national needs and I look forward to receiving the final proposals in due course. The Government’s commitment to the geoscience sector is also reflected in the Irish National Seabed Survey, a major programme which has cost over €30 million since 1999. It is managed by the Geological Survey of Ireland, with the Marine Institute as its strategic partner. Its results have been used, for example, to reveal the full extent of the carbonate mounds and have been used in planning the current drilling project.
I look forward to sharing in the excitement of the results that emerge and I wish the scientists and crew of the drill ship every success.
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