J. Lamar Worzel
Encyclopedia
J. Lamar Worzel American geophysicist
known for his important contributions to underwater acoustics
, underwater photography
, and gravity measurements at sea.
Worzel, was a graduate of Lehigh University
. There he met Dr. Maurice Ewing
with whom he had a forty-year working relationship. He had a long and notable career as a research scientist and professor of oceanography
at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
before following Ewing to the new Lamont Geological Observatory at Columbia University
. He conducted annual research on many ships, including the Vema, which set the stage for the rapid advances in marine geology and geophysics in the late 1940s and 1950s. Along with Ewing and Alan Vine, he built the first camera designed to go to a depth of 3000 fathom
s (5.5 km), in 1939.
Together with Ewing, he discovered "shadow zones" in the oceans that were not accessible to sonar detection as well as "deep sound channels" that transmit low frequency sounds for long distances. Such discoveries were of military significance and the basis for the development of the Sofar channel
program of the US Navy. Other inventions include the precise measurement of the earh's gravity field from surface ships, previously hampered by the inherently instability of the ship platform.
He was a Gravity Specialist and Co-Chief Scientist and eventually Associate Director at Lamont Geological Observatory (now known as Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
), director of the Marine Science Institute Geophysical Laboratory at Galveston, Texas
, from 1975–79, vice-president of Society of Exploration Geophysicists
(1978–79), and principal investigator of the drilling program on the Blake plateau region off Jacksonville, Florida
, in 1965. Worzel is a cofounder of the Palisades Geophysical Institute and served as its president fom 1974 until 2002 when he disbanded it as he felt the research was too focused on weaponry. . Worzel was a fellow of the American Geophysical Union
.
His work had both military and peaceful implications. With Ewing he established that the sea floor is not a former sunken continent but an original ocean basin. Today, the J. Lamar Worzel Assistant Scientist Fund is a US$1 million fund that supports young scientists pursuing careers in geophysical oceanography at Woods Hole. Additionally, the Maurice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel Professorship of Geophysics at Columbia University in New York is named in his honor.
He was married to the former Dorothy Crary.
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
known for his important contributions to underwater acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
, underwater photography
Underwater photography
Underwater photography is the process of taking photographs while under water. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while snorkeling or swimming.-Overview:...
, and gravity measurements at sea.
Life
Worzel was born on February 21, 1919, in Staten Island, N.Y. His father was a real-estate lawyer.Worzel, was a graduate of Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
. There he met Dr. Maurice Ewing
Maurice Ewing
William Maurice "Doc" Ewing was an American geophysicist and oceanographer.Ewing has been described as a pioneering geophysicist who worked on the research of seismic reflection and refraction in ocean basins, ocean bottom photography, submarine sound transmission , deep sea coring of the ocean...
with whom he had a forty-year working relationship. He had a long and notable career as a research scientist and professor of oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers. Established in 1930, it is the largest independent oceanographic research...
before following Ewing to the new Lamont Geological Observatory at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He conducted annual research on many ships, including the Vema, which set the stage for the rapid advances in marine geology and geophysics in the late 1940s and 1950s. Along with Ewing and Alan Vine, he built the first camera designed to go to a depth of 3000 fathom
Fathom
A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems, used especially for measuring the depth of water.There are 2 yards in an imperial or U.S. fathom...
s (5.5 km), in 1939.
Together with Ewing, he discovered "shadow zones" in the oceans that were not accessible to sonar detection as well as "deep sound channels" that transmit low frequency sounds for long distances. Such discoveries were of military significance and the basis for the development of the Sofar channel
Sofar channel
The SOFAR channel , or deep sound channel , is a horizontal layer of water in the ocean at which depth the speed of sound is minimal. The SOFAR channel acts as a waveguide for sound, and low frequency sound waves within the channel may travel thousands of miles before dissipating...
program of the US Navy. Other inventions include the precise measurement of the earh's gravity field from surface ships, previously hampered by the inherently instability of the ship platform.
He was a Gravity Specialist and Co-Chief Scientist and eventually Associate Director at Lamont Geological Observatory (now known as Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
The Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory is a research unit of Columbia University located on a campus in Palisades, N.Y., north of Manhattan on the Hudson River.- History :...
), director of the Marine Science Institute Geophysical Laboratory at Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, from 1975–79, vice-president of Society of Exploration Geophysicists
Society of Exploration Geophysicists
The Society of Exploration Geophysicists is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the science of geophysics and the education of exploration geophysicists. The Society fosters the expert and ethical practice of geophysics in the exploration and development of natural resources, in...
(1978–79), and principal investigator of the drilling program on the Blake plateau region off Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, in 1965. Worzel is a cofounder of the Palisades Geophysical Institute and served as its president fom 1974 until 2002 when he disbanded it as he felt the research was too focused on weaponry. . Worzel was a fellow of the American Geophysical Union
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists, consisting of over 50,000 members from over 135 countries. AGU's activities are focused on the organization and dissemination of scientific information in the interdisciplinary and international field of geophysics...
.
His work had both military and peaceful implications. With Ewing he established that the sea floor is not a former sunken continent but an original ocean basin. Today, the J. Lamar Worzel Assistant Scientist Fund is a US$1 million fund that supports young scientists pursuing careers in geophysical oceanography at Woods Hole. Additionally, the Maurice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel Professorship of Geophysics at Columbia University in New York is named in his honor.
He was married to the former Dorothy Crary.
Publications
- Propagation of Sound in the Ocean. [Three papers.] with Maurice Ewing & Chaim L. PekerisChaim L. PekerisChaim Leib Pekeris was an Israeli-American physicist and mathematician. He made notable contributions to geophysics and the spectral theory of many-electron atoms, in particular the Helium atom. He was also one of the designers of the first computer in Israel, WEIZAC.-Biography:Pekeris was bon in...
- Gravity and Geodesy: 1. Gravity Investigations of the Subduction Zone
- Pendulum Gravity Measurements at Sea
- Tertiary Tectonics of Central Hispaniola and the Adjacent Caribbean Sea with John W. Ladd
- New Concepts of Sea Floor Evolution Part 1 and 2 with Edward BullardEdward BullardSir Edward "Teddy" Crisp Bullard FRS was a geophysicist who is considered, along with Maurice Ewing, to have founded the discipline of marine geophysics...