An international team of scientists this summer confirmed the presence of a massive freshwater aquifer buried beneath the Atlantic Ocean, stretching from New Jersey to Maine, and has extracted nearly 50,000 litres of water samples for analysis.
Reports from The Associated Press say that the $250 million Expedition 501 project, backed by the U.S. National Science Foundation and European partners, drilled up to 400 metres into the seafloor off Cape Cod.
Researchers believe the hidden reservoir could rival some of the largest U.S. aquifers and potentially sustain a city the size of New York for centuries. They are now studying whether the water originated from ancient glacial melt or is still being replenished by groundwater, which will determine if it is a renewable resource.
“Coring and sampling the subseafloor offshore Massachusetts, USA, will provide data for understanding the processes driving emplacement of freshwater lenses offshore New England and elsewhere globally, and lead to a better understanding of this worldwide hydrogeological phenomenon,” stated the International Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP3), a part of the joint research effort.
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While the discovery could help address mounting global water shortages, experts caution that extracting the water may prove costly, environmentally risky, and legally complex. Initial results are expected in 2026 after months of lab analysis.
The Liftboat Robert mission, which began in May and wrapped in August, was designed to study the offshore aquifer system of freshwater beneath the New England continental shelf. It was a joint research effort between IODP3 and the U.S. National Science Foundation. The mission was technically supported by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling through its science operator team.
A draft environmental assessment for the expedition was prepared by Ontario-based LGL Ltd.
