State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201149

  • La Niña Subsiding, Atlantic Climate Phenomenon Forming

    La Niña Subsiding, Atlantic Climate Phenomenon Forming

    A return to near normal conditions in the Pacific doesn’t mean there aren’t other interesting climatic phenomenon afoot.

  • IceBridge Team Settles in the North

    IceBridge Team Settles in the North

    Operation IceBridge has returned to the Arctic for a second Greenland season collecting critical measurements of Arctic sea ice cover and thickness and Greenland’s coastal outlet glaciers. Traveling on a DC8 outfitted as a cargo plane with only 6 rows of seats, the team flew from Baltimore MD to Thule in northern Greenland. The workhorse…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/13

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/13

    Untapped crop data from Africa predicts corn peril if temperatures rise, EurekAlert, Mar. 13 Stanford agricultural scientist David Lobell and researchers at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center have found that data from 20,000 experimental crop trials in sub-Saharan Africa show a clear negative effect of warming on corn production. Their research indicates that even…

  • A Dialogue Between Two Cities, New York and Shanghai

    China’s economic growth continues at a staggering pace as we enter into their 12th Five-Year Plan. GDP per capita has never been higher, and as nearly 20% of the world is lifted out of poverty, the enormous migration of Chinese from rural regions to urban centers places a tremendous strain on society, natural resources, and…

  • The Dangers of Palm Oil

    The Dangers of Palm Oil

    Palm oil is one of the world’s leading agricultural resource but it is also a major contributor to emissions of carbon dioxide and the endangerment of countless species of concern living in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.

  • Apply Now for Summer Ecosystem Experience for Undergraduates (SEE-U)

    Apply Now for Summer Ecosystem Experience for Undergraduates (SEE-U)

    The Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates (SEE-U) program provides undergraduate students of all majors from all accredited colleges or universities with a global understanding of ecology and environmental sustainability. It provides students with the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in unique natural settings in addition to participation in a combination of classroom lectures and lab work.

  • Still Time to Apply for Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Program

    Still Time to Apply for Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Program

    There is still time to apply for classes in Module 3 of the Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Program.

  • A Solution to the Problem of Lawns?

    A Solution to the Problem of Lawns?

    Given the growing intensity of the global water crisis, to spend such enormous amounts of water on something that for practical purposes does little more than enslave millions of American homeowners by chaining them to their lawnmowers and sprinklers every Saturday…

  • Done in Khulna, back to Dhaka and then home

    Done in Khulna, back to Dhaka and then home

    On Saturday, we finished up work at the site.  Even at the last minute, it threw some challenges at us.  We began the day with out reduced group eating breakfast down the street.  We could no longer take the mediocre food at the hotel.  Dhiman and Babu had been eating there for days.  Besides paratha,…

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

  • La Niña Subsiding, Atlantic Climate Phenomenon Forming

    La Niña Subsiding, Atlantic Climate Phenomenon Forming

    A return to near normal conditions in the Pacific doesn’t mean there aren’t other interesting climatic phenomenon afoot.

  • IceBridge Team Settles in the North

    IceBridge Team Settles in the North

    Operation IceBridge has returned to the Arctic for a second Greenland season collecting critical measurements of Arctic sea ice cover and thickness and Greenland’s coastal outlet glaciers. Traveling on a DC8 outfitted as a cargo plane with only 6 rows of seats, the team flew from Baltimore MD to Thule in northern Greenland. The workhorse…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/13

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/13

    Untapped crop data from Africa predicts corn peril if temperatures rise, EurekAlert, Mar. 13 Stanford agricultural scientist David Lobell and researchers at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center have found that data from 20,000 experimental crop trials in sub-Saharan Africa show a clear negative effect of warming on corn production. Their research indicates that even…

  • A Dialogue Between Two Cities, New York and Shanghai

    China’s economic growth continues at a staggering pace as we enter into their 12th Five-Year Plan. GDP per capita has never been higher, and as nearly 20% of the world is lifted out of poverty, the enormous migration of Chinese from rural regions to urban centers places a tremendous strain on society, natural resources, and…

  • The Dangers of Palm Oil

    The Dangers of Palm Oil

    Palm oil is one of the world’s leading agricultural resource but it is also a major contributor to emissions of carbon dioxide and the endangerment of countless species of concern living in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.

  • Apply Now for Summer Ecosystem Experience for Undergraduates (SEE-U)

    Apply Now for Summer Ecosystem Experience for Undergraduates (SEE-U)

    The Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates (SEE-U) program provides undergraduate students of all majors from all accredited colleges or universities with a global understanding of ecology and environmental sustainability. It provides students with the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in unique natural settings in addition to participation in a combination of classroom lectures and lab work.

  • Still Time to Apply for Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Program

    Still Time to Apply for Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Program

    There is still time to apply for classes in Module 3 of the Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Program.

  • A Solution to the Problem of Lawns?

    A Solution to the Problem of Lawns?

    Given the growing intensity of the global water crisis, to spend such enormous amounts of water on something that for practical purposes does little more than enslave millions of American homeowners by chaining them to their lawnmowers and sprinklers every Saturday…

  • Done in Khulna, back to Dhaka and then home

    Done in Khulna, back to Dhaka and then home

    On Saturday, we finished up work at the site.  Even at the last minute, it threw some challenges at us.  We began the day with out reduced group eating breakfast down the street.  We could no longer take the mediocre food at the hotel.  Dhiman and Babu had been eating there for days.  Besides paratha,…