The Leg 208 scientific party gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP), Transocean, and Catermar staff, whose hard work and dedication contributed to the success of the cruise. In particular, we thank Ron Grout for his insightful contributions to the design of our coring strategies and Wayne Malone, Sam McLellan, and their crews for their patience and skill in pushing the advanced piston corer well beyond its operational limits

The ODP shipboard technical staff provided essential scientific support and kept the laboratories functioning smoothly. Special thanks to Gar Esmay, curator, and Debbie Partain, yeoperson, who maintained calm and cheerful demeanors under often taxing conditions.

The cruise would not have been possible without the contributions of Volkhard Speib, Rainer Zahn, and colleagues who organized and undertook a survey of Walvis Ridge in the Winter of 2001 and provided a detailed analysis of potential site locations. We are particularly grateful to Sebastian Krastel, who was responsible for processing the seismic data and for providing critical support before and during the cruise.

Finally, we thank all the members of the JOIDES Extreme Climates Program Planning Group, in particular Gerald Dickens, who selflessly provided the scientific vision and support that led to the conception, design, and implementation of this leg.