A Journey Down Memory Lane

As this NYT article reached me this morning, I couldn’t help but reflect on how my career with the ODP/IODP aboard the JOIDES Resolution took off—thanks to my exceptional Ph.D. advisor, Dr. Roy H. Wilkens (University of Hawaii-Manoa), in the Fall of 1997. The vessel was about to transition from Tenerife, Spain, to Cape Town, South Africa, on its next mission „ODP Leg 175“. And I was onboard!

Our first child was just a few months old when I received the official invitation for this prestigious ocean drilling expedition. I had recently returned from a nearly 7 ½-week bathymetry voyage in the Indian Ocean, exploring a safe route for an AT&T cable-laying operation with the HMRG-MR1 System. Being selected for ODP Leg 175 was unexpected, and leaving home for such a long period during our first child's early months was challenging, especially when all I wanted was to be home.

Despite the difficulty and hardship, my family managed everything superbly while I was out on high seas. Looking back, I’m glad I took the opportunity—it ultimately saved my Ph.D. work. My initial focus on seabed acoustics wasn’t enough to meet the Ph.D. requirements, particularly due to the lack of robust porosity and permeability data for accurate seabed acoustic modeling. Today, with magnetic resonance technology, we can provide such data with great precision across various environments. Inevitably my work back then would have gained a much higher market value even today with such data being available.

During my first ocean drilling expedition in 1997, we set an unparalleled coring record—averaging one core every 20 minutes for 5 ½ weeks, following a deceptively quiet 2 ½-week transit from Europe to the first drill site off West Africa.

Now, I find myself revisiting some of the tools Roy developed for data processing, which (with his blessing) I can utilize in my own business—a testament to the lasting impact of those experiences and the drilling program in general in my career. Thanks to Roy’s nearly two decades of software development, his tools are now freely available to everyone as shareware for complex data integration.

Figure 1: My career has been shaped by long sea-going voyages, with some of the most thrilling experiences focused on unraveling Earth's climate history. Since 1997, career highlights have also included a demanding commercial seafloor mapping expedition in the Indian Ocean to explore a telecommunication cable route (top panel). One of the most memorable experiences, however, was participating in ODP Leg 175, where I underwent the traditional and obligatory "Equator Baptism" (middle panel). The intense coring operations, spanning over five weeks, were so rigorous that some marine technicians sustained microfractures. From 2009 to 2015, I had the privilege of joining their team on numerous expeditions, which I thoroughly enjoyed. "Data Integration" (bottom panel) has been a crucial tool for showcasing scientific results and is now beginning to play a vital role in my evolving business venture.

Currently, I’m focused on creating data profiles showcasing our Geo-MRT data (porosity, permeability, water content, etc.) alongside to corresponding composite core images and other relevant lab- and downhole logging profiles. It thereby follows the philosophy and applies tried and tested methods developed for the ocean drilling program.

Join me on this journey — it’s incredibly rewarding and can greatly enhance your project data revelations!

Meanwhile, so long, dear JOIDES! We cherished our time sailing with and on you.

Carpe Diem | IODP / JOIDES | Data Integration | Magnetic Resonance Profiling