The International Workshop on Continental Scientific Drilling, titled "Drilling Through Time: Decoding Orbital- and Millennial-scale Climate Changes," was successfully held in Xi’an from October 25 to 29, 2024. The event was hosted by the Institute of Earth Environment and the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IEECAS and ITPCAS), with support from CAS and the Chinese International Continental Scientific Drilling Program Committee. The Workshop brought together international experts from countries including Germany, the United States, Switzerland, Brazil, Australia, Belgium and the United Kingdom, along with domestic scientists from Chinese institutions and universities.

In the ongoing global climate warming context, the Earth system is approaching critical thresholds, profoundly affecting global ecosystems and planetary habitability. Currently, a number of International Continental Scientific Drilling Programs (ICDP) and International Ocean Discovery Programs (IODP) are being conducted worldwide, aiming to investigate patterns of environmental and climate change across varying spatial and temporal scales. These initiatives have greatly advanced Earth system science, offering new avenues for exploring the evolution of planetary habitability. Chinese scientists have actively participated in continental environmental drilling research and have made substantial contributions. 

This Workshop aimed to further strengthen international collaboration in studying global climate and environmental changes, advance global efforts in environmental drilling and climate research, and promote interdisciplinary cooperation across projects. During the symposium, Academician Prof. AN Zhisheng, on behalf of the Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, warmly welcomed experts from home and abroad and expressed high expectations for the success of the Weihe Basin Drilling Project (WBDP).  

Prof. Marco Bohnhoff, Chair of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP), expressed gratitude to the organizing institutions for hosting the symposium and provided an overview of ICDP’s objectives, development, and vision. Dr. Thomas Wiersberg, Secretary-General of ICDP, reviewed recent progress in ICDP deep-drilling projects focused on paleoenvironments and provided a detailed introduction to the instrumentation and services offered by the ICDP drilling support team. Director SUN Youbin of the Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, provided a summary of the progress and preparatory work for the upcoming international drilling project in the Weihe Basin.

International experts shared updates on recent scientific activities in completed drilling projects, such as those in the Amazon Plain of South America and Lake Towuti in Indonesia. They also introduced planned drilling projects at Lake Sevan in Armenia and in central Australia. Anders Noren, Director of the U.S. Continental Scientific Drilling Facility (CSD Facility), gave an overview of the center’s two decades of support for nearly 100 drilling projects.

The workshop provided a platform to share the latest progress in international environmental drilling projects and engaged in in-depth discussions on high-resolution climate and environmental changes on orbital to millennial timescales in critical regions worldwide. Participants explored improved methodologies for acquiring and interpreting geological records and exchanged valuable experiences on technical challenges and field management for deep drilling projects.

The attendees also visited the laboratories and new facilities of the Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, and conducted a field inspection of the proposed drilling site for the Weihe Basin international project, along with nearby typical Cenozoic sedimentary sections in the basin.

This workshop offered significant insights and experiences for the ongoing preparations of the Weihe Basin International Deep Drilling Project, fostered collaboration and exchange in international environmental drilling initiatives, and laid a solid foundation for future integrated research.

 Workshop participants group photo (From: Weihe Drilling Team, IEECAS)

Workshop Discussion (From: Weihe Drilling Team, IEECAS)

Visiting IEECAS Core Bank (From: Weihe Drilling Team, IEECAS)

Participants on field trip (From: Weihe Drilling Team, IEECAS)