This volume is dedicated to William Brian Jonasson (24 December 1945–18 January 2005), who was the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Operations Manager on Leg 200. He was a big man in many respects, and it was an honor and a pleasure to work and sail with him. His kind and gentle spirit, quiet demeanor, practical intelligence, and professional competence will be sorely missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Brian Jonasson, Manager of Tools and Analytical Services for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) at Texas A&M University (TAMU), died in an accident on 18 January 2005. Born in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada, Brian spent 22 years in the Canadian oil industry before working at TAMU. This experience gave him a broad background in drilling operations, engineering, safety and quality management, offshore regulations, rig construction, and subsea and floating production systems. Brian provided key leadership and engineering contributions that were vital to the scientific successes of ODP and IODP. These engineering enhancements will certainly benefit IODP for many years. He is survived by his wife, Pauline, and two sons, Hans A. Jonasson (Aron) and Leif S. Jonasson (Stefan).