UArizona Geosciences Assistant Professor Kaustubh Thirumalai talks about his time aboard the NOIDES Resolution in 2014 amid its upcoming retiring after nearly 4 decades of research.

Nov. 15, 2023
Thirumalai worked 12-hour shifts 7 days per week as a sedimentologist on Expedition 353, nicknamed the “iMonsoon.” He examined the core segments that plopped on deck every 45 or so minutes—”the best job on the cruise,” he said.

JOIDES (pronounced JOY-deez) Resolution, which is a modified commercial oil exploration platform, made its first scientific expedition for NSF in January 1985. In the 4 decades since, the 143-meter ship has conducted research in every ocean, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. It can operate in waters up to almost 6 kilometers deep and drill cores up to 2 kilometers long, which can record hundreds of millions of years of Earth’s history.

“Ocean sediments are relatively undisturbed,” said Thirumalai. “They’re sheltered from rain, wind, rivers, and other processes, so we tend to get pristine records that we’re just not able to get on land. We’re looking into Earth’s history book, and we have a much more complete book in the oceans.”

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