OFF THE COAST OF A.C.--We begin tonight nearly 50 miles off the coast of Atlantic City, where scientists from around the world are conducting a sophisticated research project into rising sea levels. Phaedra Laird took the trip to see exactly what this mission was all about.

It's as if it came out of nowhere, the lift boat, Kayd, standing 45 feet above the swirling ocean, nearly 50 miles off the coast. And, the only way to get onboard was to be hoisted nearly 100 feet into the air.

The platform has been transformed into a busting work space for members of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, comprised of scientists from around the world working towards the same goal. "We're interested in understanding how the earth responds to sea level changes," said Dr. Gregory Mountain, Co-Chief Scientist for the mission, who's with Rutgers University, "Scientists are frequently trying to understand patterns in nature and one of the fundamental patterns is that the ocean rises and falls over various periods of time."

Researchers say the answers they're looking for are buried deep below the sea floor in sediment dating back to 14-24 million years ago, when there were drastic changes in the climate. "Because it's part of the sea level story we've yet to capture," said David McInroy, a staff scientist working with the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling, "we know something about the period before then and something about the period after then, but that is the gap in our knowledge in the moment."

Scientists believe the missing pieces of the puzzle lie in core samples taken from hundreds of feet below the seafloor. They say this information is relevant, especially for those living near the coast, in what could be the near future. "As sea level rises, we understand it's in that process now due to global warming, we're going to be flooding our shorelines probably at the rate of a foot, to two feet over the next century."

"If we want to understand how sea level may change in the future, we should know how sea level changed in the past, and what its effects on the shoreline have been," said McInroy.

Experts say the New Jersey coast is the best place on the planet for this type of research for several reasons; the region is stable, with no earthquakes or volcanic eruptions that could have disrupted the sediments, which were deposited in abundance through different existing rivers. A lot of information has also already been gathered in the area, and scientists hope their new data will be key in figuring out the ebb and flow of climate change.

Be sure to tune into NBC 40 Thursday night at six o'clock, when we'll see if researchers are finding what they're looking for, and what it's like working on a boat, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, nearly 50 miles out at sea.