ICDP Science Plan: 2020-2030

By whichever means we explore Earth from its surface, the information gained about our planet’s interior is always indirect, a model put together using multiple types of evidence. Drilling is the only way to verify such models against reality. However, drilling and retrieving samples and data is costly, complex, and sometimes dangerous - this is exactly where the International Continental Scientic Drilling Program (ICDP) comes in. The goal of the ICDP is to encourage Earth scientists to use the investigative tool of scientic drilling to test models from information gathered at the Earth’s surface. Given the typically high cost of drilling and of research in boreholes, it is clear that any proposals for drilling with ICDP’s help must address substantial scientific questions with a strong focus on societal needs. This Science Plan lays out some of the most important issues that ICDP aims to investigate over the next decade. The key questions address fundamental science, but many also link to wider societal challenges encompassed in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, ICDP projects can provide important information to underpin the SDGs related to clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, and climate action.