New Opportunities in Global Ocean Research for Academia and Industry

Since 2017, requesting ship time has become possible for university researchers and businesses on research vessels. They include Isabu and Onnuri of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) and the icebreaking research vessel Araon of the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI). There was no regulation barring the chartering of the significant national scientific infrastructure in the first place, but the exorbitant cost of ship time had made their usage virtually impossible. Shared Use Committee (SUC) was set up to handle applications and coordinate the cruises. A modest amount of research funds is also granted. Currently, the KIOST vessels conduct surveys in the Pacific and the central Indian Ocean annually. The KOPRI vessel routinely operates around Antarctica during the austral summer and in the Arctic seas during the boreal summer. Other government-supported institutions are likely to follow this shared used example. Here I provide a brief historical background leading to the shared use of research and information for potential applicants. The description is given from the perspective of geological oceanography, and thus some accounts may differ in other fields of study. A case study is given where a team of international university scientists successfully conducted a joint experiment to investigate the upper mantle structure by deploying ocean bottom instruments and recovering them one year later in the Pacific using Korean research vessels. Finally, some long and short-term recommendations are made to improve the system further.

Automated summary

Since 2017, university researchers and businesses have had the opportunity to request ship time on research vessels operated by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) and the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI). The use of these vessels was previously impractical due to high costs, but a Shared Use Committee was established to handle applications and coordinate cruises, with research funds also provided. The KIOST vessels conduct surveys in the Pacific and central Indian Ocean, while the KOPRI vessel operates in Antarctica during the austral summer and the Arctic seas during the boreal summer. This shared use model is expected to be adopted by other government-supported institutions.