Director’s Message

Dear Friends,

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory has been a leader in the study of our planet since its founding in 1949, and today we continue our 65-year tradition of pushing back the frontiers of knowledge in Earth and planetary science. Our scientists are known throughout the international scientific community for their innovation, collegiality and entrepreneurial spirit.

Sean C. Solomon, Director

Sean C. Solomon, Director

The past year has been another of noteworthy accomplishment by the dedicated scientists and students at the Observatory in areas as diverse as improving understanding of extreme weather and climate, developing seismological tools for near-real-time characterization of landslides, assessing natural hazards in particularly vulnerable areas, elucidating microbiological responses to climate change and exploring geological opportunities for sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The achievements described in this report are made possible, in part, by the many friends, alumni and staff who provide continued support for our research and educational endeavors. Your contributions enable us to maintain progress toward an improved understanding of our planet and an enhanced ability to address the most complex environmental challenges ahead.

In addition to studying the workings of our planet, our scientists have also been engaged in identifying the most promising future research directions for the Observatory. The new initiatives that have emerged from this planning effort build on the Observatory’s core strengths and focus on special opportunities. These initiatives, to be fully described in our forthcoming Strategic Plan, emphasize interdisciplinary areas ripe for near-term advances and will serve to focus our efforts in research, recruitment and fundraising.

Since our founding in 1949, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory has been a leader in the study of our planet.

This year we’ve taken a fresh approach to our annual report and are pleased to offer it online for the first time. The report highlights some of the research that our scientists have undertaken during the last 12 months and how the discoveries that have come from their work help to address challenges society faces today, and in the years ahead.

I hope you enjoy reading the report in this new format, as well as the effort of our staff writers to describe the breadth, diversity and global reach of our research. We deeply appreciate the generosity of our donors and all that their gifts make possible.

Thank you again for your support.

Sean C. Solomon
Director