‘First of Its Kind’ Expedition Off Massachusetts’ Southern Coast

Scientists believe there may be a freshwater aquifer beneath the ocean floor off the southern coast of Massachusetts. Soon, an international team will begin an unprecedented mission to find it.

The Nantucket Current reported, "A team of international scientists will soon begin drilling beneath the sea floor off Nantucket in search of a vast freshwater aquifer that it not only believes exists but could one day be tapped and used by humans."

Well, what do you know about that?

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The paper reported that the research project, decades in the making, "will be the first of its kind in the world and will be conducted just a few miles southwest of the island where researchers will drill to depths of 1,600 feet to locate the freshwater believed to be there in potentially large quantities beneath the sea floor."

The project is called "Expedition 501 New England Shelf Hydrogeology."

The European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) anticipates the expedition will last up to 90 days from May through August 2025.

An ECORD project summary says, "The northeast coast of the United States is perhaps the best-understood example of an offshore freshwater system, and multiple studies have been undertaken to determine the origin and volume of offshore freshwater."

The Current reported the ECORD team "will drill in three locations to collect water and sediment samples to gain a better understanding of the offshore aquifers."

Some scientists believe the underwater aquifer may have been formed by the last glacial period some 2,500 years ago.

The ECORD project is exciting and could bring a lot of positive attention to the region.