State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

R/V Marcus G. Langseth2

  • The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer

    The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer

    The Marcus G. Langseth, a research vessel operated by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, traverses the world’s oceans conducting marine seismic studies that contribute to new understanding of Earth systems. The ship typically spends half the year or more on research expeditions led by Lamont-Doherty scientists and colleagues from other research institutes.

  • Imaging the Cascadia Subduction Zone

    Imaging the Cascadia Subduction Zone

    In the research expedition now underway, we will investigate the Juan de Fuca plate before it disappears under North America to understand why earthquakes happen where and when they do within the Cascadia subduction zone off the Pacific Northwest. Our ship, the R/V Marcus G. Langseth, is one of 25 research vessels available to U.S.…

  • Women Making Waves

    Women Making Waves

    There are quite a few graduate students aboard the Langseth but that isn’t anything out of the ordinary. What is a little unusual is that we’re all women, which is remarkable given the demographics of our field. Read on to find out why we’re proud to be making waves in the South Pacific and in…

  • Lucky 13 Gets Us 250,000 Years of Sediment

    Lucky 13 Gets Us 250,000 Years of Sediment

    We have been steaming and searching for locations on the seafloor where the sediments are accumulating undisturbed. We tried without luck to take cores at several promising locations, however the cores came up less than perfect. On our thirteenth core attempt of the cruise we got lucky.

  • A Rare Treat – The Green Flash

    A Rare Treat – The Green Flash

    Sunday night after successfully recovering a gravity core about 42 miles north of the equator, conditions were right for a rare treat – the green flash.

  • Drilling Ancient Mud from Seafloor No Easy Task

    Drilling Ancient Mud from Seafloor No Easy Task

    Yesterday we left our first study region with new samples from the seafloor and a healthy respect for the ocean currents that can erode sediment deep in the ocean. The seafloor we surveyed was heavily eroded and we had to look carefully before finding sites that were promising enough to try sampling. Even then we…

  • Through the Looking Glass: Peering Through the Bottom of the Ocean

    Through the Looking Glass: Peering Through the Bottom of the Ocean

    Alice stepped through the mirror to see the world beyond, and we peer through the bottom of the ocean to see what is below. Short pulses of sound from the ship are focused on the seafloor, and we listen to the echo and reverberations that return.

  • Why I Care About the Bottom of the Ocean

    Why I Care About the Bottom of the Ocean

    It is the middle of the night and I am wide awake thinking about the ocean, specifically the bottom of the ocean. Is it rocky? Jumbled? Smooth? Rocky is bad. Jumbled is bad. Smooth is good.

  • 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.

  • The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer

    The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer

    The Marcus G. Langseth, a research vessel operated by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, traverses the world’s oceans conducting marine seismic studies that contribute to new understanding of Earth systems. The ship typically spends half the year or more on research expeditions led by Lamont-Doherty scientists and colleagues from other research institutes.

  • Imaging the Cascadia Subduction Zone

    Imaging the Cascadia Subduction Zone

    In the research expedition now underway, we will investigate the Juan de Fuca plate before it disappears under North America to understand why earthquakes happen where and when they do within the Cascadia subduction zone off the Pacific Northwest. Our ship, the R/V Marcus G. Langseth, is one of 25 research vessels available to U.S.…

  • Women Making Waves

    Women Making Waves

    There are quite a few graduate students aboard the Langseth but that isn’t anything out of the ordinary. What is a little unusual is that we’re all women, which is remarkable given the demographics of our field. Read on to find out why we’re proud to be making waves in the South Pacific and in…

  • Lucky 13 Gets Us 250,000 Years of Sediment

    Lucky 13 Gets Us 250,000 Years of Sediment

    We have been steaming and searching for locations on the seafloor where the sediments are accumulating undisturbed. We tried without luck to take cores at several promising locations, however the cores came up less than perfect. On our thirteenth core attempt of the cruise we got lucky.

  • A Rare Treat – The Green Flash

    A Rare Treat – The Green Flash

    Sunday night after successfully recovering a gravity core about 42 miles north of the equator, conditions were right for a rare treat – the green flash.

  • Drilling Ancient Mud from Seafloor No Easy Task

    Drilling Ancient Mud from Seafloor No Easy Task

    Yesterday we left our first study region with new samples from the seafloor and a healthy respect for the ocean currents that can erode sediment deep in the ocean. The seafloor we surveyed was heavily eroded and we had to look carefully before finding sites that were promising enough to try sampling. Even then we…

  • Through the Looking Glass: Peering Through the Bottom of the Ocean

    Through the Looking Glass: Peering Through the Bottom of the Ocean

    Alice stepped through the mirror to see the world beyond, and we peer through the bottom of the ocean to see what is below. Short pulses of sound from the ship are focused on the seafloor, and we listen to the echo and reverberations that return.

  • Why I Care About the Bottom of the Ocean

    Why I Care About the Bottom of the Ocean

    It is the middle of the night and I am wide awake thinking about the ocean, specifically the bottom of the ocean. Is it rocky? Jumbled? Smooth? Rocky is bad. Jumbled is bad. Smooth is good.

  • 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.