Seafloor Samples Laboratory

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Intellectual Merit The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Floor Samples laboratory provides consistent and quality facilities and services to an international audience of marine scientists. The collection annually provides the basic framework for a diversity of projects ranging from climate history to petrology related to plate tectonic studies. Immediate access to fully documented, described and digitized cores is sustained while new material is steadily entered into the collection. In the most recent grant period, the McLean laboratory distributed almost 26,000 samples to scientists around the world, and the sample distribution numbers have continued to climb over the years. Statistics demonstrate the continuing value that previously acquired sea floor samples represents to ongoing research in the oceanographic community. In addition, the laboratory provides access to technological advice on sampling operations and a suite of modern and well-maintained, custom built equipment for the gathering of sea floor samples of all types. The lab manages the preparation of tools employed in field acquisition programs, principally on UNOLS ships, and can modify this inventory of instruments for deployment from nearly every vessel in the scientific fleet. This proposal requests a continuation of funding so that WHOI can keep pace with the expanding demands for material and data related to its extensive collection, allowing a wide array of global research programs to begin, continue or be enhanced by the use of previously acquired marine geological samples. Broader Impact The WHOI core repository provides a valuable service to the Marine Geology & Geophysics community as well as international scientists. It supports and updates a map-based search site, www.whoi.edu/corelab/explore, that includes thousands of core and dredge descriptions in PDF format that are available for immediate downloading or online browsing, which makes possible instantaneous broad access to our extensive database via 'open channel' communication. The repository also supports graduate, undergraduate and K-12 learning through classes and periodic open house tours of the facility for the public.