Overview

• Researchers drilled 20 to 30 miles offshore and up to nearly 400 meters below the seabed, recovering thousands of samples across multiple sites.
• Measured salinity ranged from about 4 parts per thousand down to 1 part per thousand or lower, a level that qualifies as fresh water in theory pending safety tests.
• Initial mapping and decades-old government boreholes hinted at offshore fresh or freshened water, which this campaign has now validated with direct sampling.
• Scientists previously estimated the reserve could supply a metropolis like New York City for hundreds of years, and they now suspect the volume is larger, though practical use remains uncertain.
• The $25 million effort, funded principally by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling, operated from the Liftboat Robert as teams gathered samples for months of laboratory analysis and feasibility, environmental, and governance assessments.