Overview
- An international drilling team confirmed a buried freshwater system off New Jersey to Maine, verifying decades of hints from geophysical surveys.
- The expedition, which drilled nearly 400 meters below the seafloor in May to July 2025, recovered more than 50,000 liters with salinity near 1 part per thousand.
- Samples processed in Germany and distributed to labs worldwide are being tested for age and chemistry, with a results meeting planned in Germany in the coming months.
- Scientists are weighing origins that include glacial melt or rain from lower sea levels, because a young, recharging system would be managed very differently than an ancient, finite cache.
- Experts say any use for drinking water faces high costs, risk of saltwater intrusion and harm to marine ecosystems, so bold supply claims like “800 years for New York” serve only as rough size markers.