Office of Marine Operations | Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

When Lamont began full time operation of a research vessel [Vema, 1953] a group of workers was formed to coordinate scientific goals with the management and administration of ships. Through time, the number of ships, their scientific missions and funding mechanisms have evolved, and so too has the exact makeup of the office of marine operations and its links with the scientific community. Over the past three decades, which began with the transition from operations of "two vessels [Vema and Conrad] to one, and included replacement of Conrad by Ewing, with its enhanced seismic capabilities, and now replacement of Ewing with R/V Langseth, with its superior seismic and all-purpose capabilities, the management structure has continued to evolve. > more

Marine Mammal Protection

Acoustic and seismic research has contributed more to understanding Earth’s physical history, natural hazard potential, and climate systems than perhaps all other scientific technology combined. It gives scientists the ability to map the ocean floor, a tool that revolutionized earth sciences 50 years ago with the discovery that continents break apart and tectonic plates shift. It revealed the globe-encircling volcanic mid-ocean ridge system, earthquake-producing boundaries of crustal plates, drowned shorelines, and submarine landslide deposits.

3D Acquisition and Planning

Langseth will be able to tow up to four seismic hydrophone cables. The cable itself is Solid State [not oil-filled] manufactured by Thales [now supported by Sercel] in 150-meter sections. Each section has 12 hydrophone groups, which are, therefore, 12.5 meters long. Enough cable is being purchased to allow up to four 6-km streamers to be deployed at the same time. If a smaller number of cables are to be deployed, greater lengths are possible. The manufacturer recommends a 10-km maximum length, due to strength limitations, and this refers to new cables. Lamont policy is to restrict maximum length to 8 km.

Lamont Ships

As we prepare to say farewell to the R/V Maurice Ewing and to welcome her successor, the Marcus G. Langseth, we thought it would be appropriate to take a look back at the four distinguished research vessels – the Vema, the Conrad, the Eltanin, and of course the Ewing – which, collectively, have enabled our Observatory to conduct groundbreaking explorations of our planet’s oceans and seafloor for over half a century.