The LDEO Deep-Sea Repository and the Curating and Maintenance of the Sediment Library and Dredge Collection

Columbia University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

Under this award the PIs will be responsible for the curation of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) Deep-Sea Sample Repository (D-SSR) which contains the world's largest collection of sediment cores from the major world oceans and seas. Total size of the collection is over 18,760 cores and 3,750 dredges. The cores with their potential for high-resolution research position this collection at the forefront of the focus on abrupt climate change. During the past three-year proposal period, 30,076 samples from the collection were distributed to 89 scientists and teachers throughout the world, and 324 new cores were added to the collection. In addition to actual sediment and rock samples the repository will passively process core material using and array of sensors: multi-sensor, corelogging, x-radiography, magnetic susceptibility, color spectra, and grey-scale analysis. Data will be given out in the form of computer searches, information on sampling history, digitized core descriptions, and on publications resulting from use of LDEO material.