State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

marine geophysics

  • Talking With Bill Ryan, Detective of the Deeps

    Talking With Bill Ryan, Detective of the Deeps

    Marine geologist William B.F. Ryan discusses once seemingly unlikely theories about the evolution of oceans and seas, the hunt for the wreck of the Titanic, the Biblical Flood, and more.

  • Shifts in Deep Geologic Structure May Have Magnified Great 2011 Japan Tsunami

    Shifts in Deep Geologic Structure May Have Magnified Great 2011 Japan Tsunami

    A new study looks at why the 2011 Tohoku tsunami off Japan was unexpectedly huge.

  • Zeroing in on Life Around a Hydrothermal Vent

    Zeroing in on Life Around a Hydrothermal Vent

    Vicki Ferrini has spent a lot of time working on mapping the ocean floor, and now she’s sailing in the South Pacific to get a closer look.

  • Dennis E. Hayes, Mapper of the World’s Ocean Beds

    Dennis E. Hayes, Mapper of the World’s Ocean Beds

    Dennis E. Hayes, a marine geophysicist who advanced mapping of the world’s ocean floors, died at his home in New York City on Aug. 6. He was 76.

  • Recovering ‘Sea Spiders’ and Heading Home

    Recovering ‘Sea Spiders’ and Heading Home

    The NoMelt project is more than just a seismic experiment; it also has an important magnetotelluric (MT) component. MT instruments measure natural magnetic and electric fields on the seafloor, allowing scientists to estimate the electrical conductivity of the underlying rocks. Conductivity is highly sensitive to tiny amounts of water and molten rock within the upper…

  • Santa Comes Bearing an OBS

    Santa Comes Bearing an OBS

    Recovering OBS instruments from the ocean floor is always a tricky business, especially in our case; these instruments have been sitting beneath more than 3.5 miles of water for over a year. With cold, tired batteries powering the instruments’ acoustic transponders, communicating with them through miles of ocean currents amounts to a whispered conversation on…

  • Transiting the Pacific

    Transiting the Pacific

    Today marks our sixth day aboard the R.V. Melville on a journey to a remote region of the Pacific to retrieve seismic instruments that have been quietly recording earthquake signals on the ocean floor for the past year. We have covered more than 2,600 km thus far but must cruise for another two and a…

  • One Year Later – Return to the NoMelt Site

    One Year Later – Return to the NoMelt Site

    On December 18, 2012, the Research Vessel Melville departed San Diego to recover remainder of the NoMelt instruments and data. The expedition includes two scientists from Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: Post-doctoral scientist Patty Lin and graduate student Natalie Accardo. Natalie is sending regular reports from the ship.

  • Holidays on the High Seas

    Holidays on the High Seas

    With round-the-clock shifts, there are precious opportunities for Santa to slip onto a research ship unseen. But slip in he did, leaving treats and gifts around the R.V. Langseth to brighten our day.

Colorful banner image over Earth with text "Open House Discover Science, October 19, 2024, 10am to 4pm

Join us on Saturday, October 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House! Celebrate 75 years of science with us at our beautiful Palisades, NY campus. The event is free and open to everyone, with a suggested $5 donation. Learn More and RSVP

  • Talking With Bill Ryan, Detective of the Deeps

    Talking With Bill Ryan, Detective of the Deeps

    Marine geologist William B.F. Ryan discusses once seemingly unlikely theories about the evolution of oceans and seas, the hunt for the wreck of the Titanic, the Biblical Flood, and more.

  • Shifts in Deep Geologic Structure May Have Magnified Great 2011 Japan Tsunami

    Shifts in Deep Geologic Structure May Have Magnified Great 2011 Japan Tsunami

    A new study looks at why the 2011 Tohoku tsunami off Japan was unexpectedly huge.

  • Zeroing in on Life Around a Hydrothermal Vent

    Zeroing in on Life Around a Hydrothermal Vent

    Vicki Ferrini has spent a lot of time working on mapping the ocean floor, and now she’s sailing in the South Pacific to get a closer look.

  • Dennis E. Hayes, Mapper of the World’s Ocean Beds

    Dennis E. Hayes, Mapper of the World’s Ocean Beds

    Dennis E. Hayes, a marine geophysicist who advanced mapping of the world’s ocean floors, died at his home in New York City on Aug. 6. He was 76.

  • Recovering ‘Sea Spiders’ and Heading Home

    Recovering ‘Sea Spiders’ and Heading Home

    The NoMelt project is more than just a seismic experiment; it also has an important magnetotelluric (MT) component. MT instruments measure natural magnetic and electric fields on the seafloor, allowing scientists to estimate the electrical conductivity of the underlying rocks. Conductivity is highly sensitive to tiny amounts of water and molten rock within the upper…

  • Santa Comes Bearing an OBS

    Santa Comes Bearing an OBS

    Recovering OBS instruments from the ocean floor is always a tricky business, especially in our case; these instruments have been sitting beneath more than 3.5 miles of water for over a year. With cold, tired batteries powering the instruments’ acoustic transponders, communicating with them through miles of ocean currents amounts to a whispered conversation on…

  • Transiting the Pacific

    Transiting the Pacific

    Today marks our sixth day aboard the R.V. Melville on a journey to a remote region of the Pacific to retrieve seismic instruments that have been quietly recording earthquake signals on the ocean floor for the past year. We have covered more than 2,600 km thus far but must cruise for another two and a…

  • One Year Later – Return to the NoMelt Site

    One Year Later – Return to the NoMelt Site

    On December 18, 2012, the Research Vessel Melville departed San Diego to recover remainder of the NoMelt instruments and data. The expedition includes two scientists from Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: Post-doctoral scientist Patty Lin and graduate student Natalie Accardo. Natalie is sending regular reports from the ship.

  • Holidays on the High Seas

    Holidays on the High Seas

    With round-the-clock shifts, there are precious opportunities for Santa to slip onto a research ship unseen. But slip in he did, leaving treats and gifts around the R.V. Langseth to brighten our day.