State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201232

  • What’s a tree like you doing in a place like this? Or West meets East

    What’s a tree like you doing in a place like this? Or West meets East

    In the northeastern part of Turkey, the highest Pontic Mountains meet the Black Sea. Here altitude drops from more than 3900m to sea level in a less than 30 miles. Both the orographic effect of mountains and the lake effect (well, better sea effect) cause very high precipitation allowing for rich and productive temperate forest…

  • “Wash your hands!” and Other Advice for Undergraduate Students from Columbia Graduate Students

    “Wash your hands!” and Other Advice for Undergraduate Students from Columbia Graduate Students

    Ph.D. students delving deep into some of the world’s complex sustainability issues offered advice to current undergraduates interested in pursuing their own research questions.

  • Journalism Student Completes Thesis on Texas Drought and Wildfire

    Journalism Student Completes Thesis on Texas Drought and Wildfire

    by Kaci Fowler “Environmental politics is a part of who I am,” said Robert Eshelman, an aspiring journalist in Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. Robert used an Earth Institute travel grant to learn and write about sustainability in his senior thesis. “I am telling stories that will have a true impact on the environment.” Robert…

  • Connecting the Dots: Extreme Weather and Climate Change

    Connecting the Dots: Extreme Weather and Climate Change

    Professor Ben Orlove, anthropologist and co-director of the Earth Institute’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions discusses the connection between extreme weather and global warming, and public perception of climate change.

  • A Visit to Crystal Mountain

    A Visit to Crystal Mountain

    The weather has improved considerably and we were able to fly out today to collect more samples. Yesterday, some of us went to explore Crystal Mountain, a 900-foot peak about five miles from Alert that offers an excellent view of the surrounding landscape. Alert is a Canadian military station located in the far north region…

  • Tree-Ring Science in a Log Yard?

    Tree-Ring Science in a Log Yard?

    The cool, snowy weather really put a crimp in our plans. Dario, Tuncay, Cengis, and others spent two days trying to find potential sampling locations before Nesibe and I arrived. Even though it had been well above freezing during the day and above freezing at night, the snow had only retreated so far in the…

  • Ice cores…finally

    Ice cores…finally

    Today I got another chance to go out with team CASIMBO to drill ice-cores. The weather was beautiful with no wind, a few clouds, bright sunshine and a balmy temperature of about 5 degrees F. When I first saw sea ice near Alert a few years ago, I was very surprised. It wasn’t anything like…

  • Students. Saturday. Science?

    It’s a Saturday morning, and most kids between the ages of 12 and 14 are sleeping in, off to rehearsals or sports team practice, or grudgingly helping with household chores. At Columbia University, a group of middle-school students are eagerly engaging in the scientific method.

  • Johnson & Johnson Donates $75,000 to Help Lower Infant Mortality in Ethiopia

    Johnson & Johnson Donates $75,000 to Help Lower Infant Mortality in Ethiopia

    It’s said that practice makes perfect, and that saying couldn’t be truer than for health care workers trying to save newborn lives in low-income settings. Without frequent retraining and refresher workshops, such skills deteriorate over time. The need for these workshops is especially strong in Ethiopia, where the infant mortality rate is 77.12 deaths per…

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

  • What’s a tree like you doing in a place like this? Or West meets East

    What’s a tree like you doing in a place like this? Or West meets East

    In the northeastern part of Turkey, the highest Pontic Mountains meet the Black Sea. Here altitude drops from more than 3900m to sea level in a less than 30 miles. Both the orographic effect of mountains and the lake effect (well, better sea effect) cause very high precipitation allowing for rich and productive temperate forest…

  • “Wash your hands!” and Other Advice for Undergraduate Students from Columbia Graduate Students

    “Wash your hands!” and Other Advice for Undergraduate Students from Columbia Graduate Students

    Ph.D. students delving deep into some of the world’s complex sustainability issues offered advice to current undergraduates interested in pursuing their own research questions.

  • Journalism Student Completes Thesis on Texas Drought and Wildfire

    Journalism Student Completes Thesis on Texas Drought and Wildfire

    by Kaci Fowler “Environmental politics is a part of who I am,” said Robert Eshelman, an aspiring journalist in Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. Robert used an Earth Institute travel grant to learn and write about sustainability in his senior thesis. “I am telling stories that will have a true impact on the environment.” Robert…

  • Connecting the Dots: Extreme Weather and Climate Change

    Connecting the Dots: Extreme Weather and Climate Change

    Professor Ben Orlove, anthropologist and co-director of the Earth Institute’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions discusses the connection between extreme weather and global warming, and public perception of climate change.

  • A Visit to Crystal Mountain

    A Visit to Crystal Mountain

    The weather has improved considerably and we were able to fly out today to collect more samples. Yesterday, some of us went to explore Crystal Mountain, a 900-foot peak about five miles from Alert that offers an excellent view of the surrounding landscape. Alert is a Canadian military station located in the far north region…

  • Tree-Ring Science in a Log Yard?

    Tree-Ring Science in a Log Yard?

    The cool, snowy weather really put a crimp in our plans. Dario, Tuncay, Cengis, and others spent two days trying to find potential sampling locations before Nesibe and I arrived. Even though it had been well above freezing during the day and above freezing at night, the snow had only retreated so far in the…

  • Ice cores…finally

    Ice cores…finally

    Today I got another chance to go out with team CASIMBO to drill ice-cores. The weather was beautiful with no wind, a few clouds, bright sunshine and a balmy temperature of about 5 degrees F. When I first saw sea ice near Alert a few years ago, I was very surprised. It wasn’t anything like…

  • Students. Saturday. Science?

    It’s a Saturday morning, and most kids between the ages of 12 and 14 are sleeping in, off to rehearsals or sports team practice, or grudgingly helping with household chores. At Columbia University, a group of middle-school students are eagerly engaging in the scientific method.

  • Johnson & Johnson Donates $75,000 to Help Lower Infant Mortality in Ethiopia

    Johnson & Johnson Donates $75,000 to Help Lower Infant Mortality in Ethiopia

    It’s said that practice makes perfect, and that saying couldn’t be truer than for health care workers trying to save newborn lives in low-income settings. Without frequent retraining and refresher workshops, such skills deteriorate over time. The need for these workshops is especially strong in Ethiopia, where the infant mortality rate is 77.12 deaths per…