The Observatory was one of the centers of research that led to the development of the theory of Plate Tectonics as well as many other notable scientific developments.
The LDEO is a substantial source of data for the US government in relation to climate change. Faculty at the LDEO have been noted for giving climate change testimony to Congress in relation to melting ice sheets.[4]NOAA has also noted the LDEO's Global Ocean Surface Water Partial Pressure of CO2 Database as being an instrumental source of partial pressurecarbon dioxide data (pCO2), which can, in turn, detail the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the earth's oceans. Many versions of the LDEO database have been published over the years, dating back to 2006.[5]
The tree-ring lab at the LDEO studies the effects on climate and climate change on trees. In an interview, Nicole Davi from the LDEO noted findings like the formation of tree-rings during extended dry seasons, as well as work being done to carbon-date trees to verify tree ring data.[6]
The core repository at the LDEO stores various drilled sediment samples from the earth's oceans. The samples have been used to detail climate changes between glaciation periods, in context of dissolved elements and gases, like calcium (from shells) and carbon dioxide.[7]
A major source of past earthquake data comes from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory/National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (NCEER) Earthquake Strong Motion Database.[8]
In 2012, Voice of America documented the work done by LDEO researcher Robin Bell, and others, in mapping the land underneath the Antarcticaice sheet. Several notable findings included the discovery of hidden rivers, hidden mountain ranges, and significant geothermal energy below the ice.[9]
R/V Marcus Langseth is a research vessel operated by the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) of Columbia University as a part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet.[10][11] The Marcus G. Langseth was dedicated on December 4, 2007, came into service in early 2008, replacing the R/V Maurice Ewing.[12]
^"New Seismic Vessel Will Look Deep Under Oceans". Science Daily. 2007-12-04. Archived from the original on 2014-07-13. Retrieved 2011-11-02. The academic community's most advanced seismic-research vessel was dedicated here today, opening potential new windows on natural hazards, earth's evolution, and other vital questions. The R/V Marcus G. Langseth, owned by the U.S. National Science Foundation, will generate CAT-scan-like 3D images of magma chambers, faults and other structures miles below the world's seabeds. To be used by dozens of cooperating institutions, it will be operated for NSF by Columbia University's Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory.
^Tharp, Marie. "Connect the dots: mapping the sea floor and discovering the Mid-Ocean Ridge". Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia Twelve Perspectives on the First Fifty Years.