EARTH SCIENCES, NATURAL DISASTERS, PRESS RELEASE

August Research Roundup: Select Papers

This month, we covered a long-term analysis suggesting that landfill methane emissions may be far higher than estimated, as well as new research on unexpected trends in U.S. extreme rainfall. Here are additional studies worth noting.

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Columbia Climate School is bringing bold ideas, leading experts, and groundbreaking research to Climate Week NYC. Explore our events, stories, and updates as we help shape the conversation on climate action across New York City.

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Interactive: The Heezen–Tharp World Ocean Floor Map

You Asked: What Exactly Is a ‘Super’ El Niño?

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• Lamont-Doherty Hudson River Field Station’s Science Saturdays!
  Saturday, September 12, 2026 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM Where: Off-campus Description: We believe that science is best taught outdoors in the natural environment! Science Saturdays are free family-friendly organized programs that are aimed to engage and educate about our beautiful and unique environment. Science Saturday is held seasonally from June 6th, 2026 to September 26th, 2026 every Saturday from 12:00 PM-4:00 PM at […]
• MPG/SGT Seminar – Mike Kaplan
  Wednesday, September 9, 2026 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Where: Gary C. Comer Geochemistry Building, 61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964 Description: A MPG/SGT seminar presentation by Dr. Mike Kaplan. Title: Paleoglaciology of the central East Antarctic Ice Sheet as revealed by blue-ice sediment Abstract: Kaplan et al. (2023) present ~100 cosmogenic surface exposure ages, including 75 new analyses, for a […]
• Lamont-Doherty Hudson River Field Station’s Science Saturdays!
  Saturday, September 5, 2026 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM Where: Off-campus Description: We believe that science is best taught outdoors in the natural environment! Science Saturdays are free family-friendly organized programs that are aimed to engage and educate about our beautiful and unique environment. Science Saturday is held seasonally from June 6th, 2026 to September 26th, 2026 every Saturday from 12:00 PM-4:00 PM at […]

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   Thinking a lot about energy… mitochondria Powerhouse of cells, Breathing life into each breath, Eternal energy. heat death of the…

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   As an Innovation Fellow at Columbia University since 2016, working across schools on inter-disciplinary ideas, such as RSMetrics.com, I can…

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   Yes a wet 20th century countered the effects of smog among other pollution. I don’t know where you grew up…

Media Highlights

• What 66 Million Years of Climate History Tells Us About Our Future
  August 24, 2026
  Bärbel Hönisch is a Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University and one of the world’s leading researchers in paleoceanography. In this conversation, we explore what ancient oceans reveal about atmospheric CO₂ and […]
• Power Outages Are Getting More Costly. Here’s How to Prepare
  August 21, 2026
  Alexis Abramson, professor of climate and dean of the climate school at Columbia University, told Yahoo Finance that a combination of increasingly frequent extreme weather events and an aging power infrastructure is to blame. “Much […]
• Scientists Warn Super El Niño Is Intensifying with Sea Temps up 2.7°C
  August 20, 2026
  ‘The 2026 El Niño event continues to intensify across the central–eastern equatorial Pacific,’ a blog written by Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research team reads….