State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201420

  • Tale of a Carbon Atom

    Tale of a Carbon Atom

    I am a wild carbon atom, To others I’ve sometimes been bound, Not locked in some hard, rocky stratum, I’m telling you: I get around!

  • ‘Thumbs Up’ for Travel to Kullorsuaq

    ‘Thumbs Up’ for Travel to Kullorsuaq

    At the small airport a smiling woman approaches us asking our plans in one word “Kullorsuaq?” We smile and nod and she grins broadly motioning that she and her daughter are going there too – it is their home she manages to convey.

  • The Son of a Hunter

    The Son of a Hunter

    A visit to the Upernavik museum brought us to ‘Edvard’ a young Greenlandic and the local museum curator. Embracing the opportunity to practice his English he enthusiastically spent time sharing the historic art and past of the community and his experiences as a young adult growing up in a Greenland that is shifting from one…

  • The Changing Upernavik Waterfront

    The Changing Upernavik Waterfront

    Project Background: Changing conditions in Greenland’s northwest glaciers over the last decade have led to a range of questions about water temperature and circulation patterns in the fjords where ocean water meets the glacial fronts.

  • What Geology Has to Say About Global Warming

    What Geology Has to Say About Global Warming

    The most important lessons drawn from geology are that the earth’s climate can change radically, and rapidly. We can’t say precisely at what CO2 level we’re in danger of melting Antarctica, but that threshold could be reached in 150-300 years, if CO2 levels keep rising at the current rate.

  • Iron Fingerprints

    Iron Fingerprints

    Metals galore in deep Earth, But at the sea surface, a dearth. Iron is key For greening the sea … To planktic cells, gold has less worth.

  • MPA Students Discover the Gowanus Canal and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    MPA Students Discover the Gowanus Canal and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    The students in the newest MPA in Environmental Science and Policy cohort have spent the summer semester focusing on climatology, environmental chemistry, and ecology while supplementing classroom learning with field trips around New York. The field trips allow the 60 students to look at classroom topics in a real-world context.

  • Glacier Marks on Mount Chirripó

    Glacier Marks on Mount Chirripó

    On his sixth day on Mount Chirripo, Lamont’s Max Cunningham finds clues of the mountain’s origins and evolution.

  • The Advances and Challenges of Carbon Capture and Storage

    The Advances and Challenges of Carbon Capture and Storage

    While in energy policy discussions, I heard carbon capture, utilization and storage consistently dismissed as either too expensive or too uncertain in a low-carbon future that favors natural gas, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Yet as was made clear during the three-day Research Coordination Network on Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage annual meeting hosted by…

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

  • Tale of a Carbon Atom

    Tale of a Carbon Atom

    I am a wild carbon atom, To others I’ve sometimes been bound, Not locked in some hard, rocky stratum, I’m telling you: I get around!

  • ‘Thumbs Up’ for Travel to Kullorsuaq

    ‘Thumbs Up’ for Travel to Kullorsuaq

    At the small airport a smiling woman approaches us asking our plans in one word “Kullorsuaq?” We smile and nod and she grins broadly motioning that she and her daughter are going there too – it is their home she manages to convey.

  • The Son of a Hunter

    The Son of a Hunter

    A visit to the Upernavik museum brought us to ‘Edvard’ a young Greenlandic and the local museum curator. Embracing the opportunity to practice his English he enthusiastically spent time sharing the historic art and past of the community and his experiences as a young adult growing up in a Greenland that is shifting from one…

  • The Changing Upernavik Waterfront

    The Changing Upernavik Waterfront

    Project Background: Changing conditions in Greenland’s northwest glaciers over the last decade have led to a range of questions about water temperature and circulation patterns in the fjords where ocean water meets the glacial fronts.

  • What Geology Has to Say About Global Warming

    What Geology Has to Say About Global Warming

    The most important lessons drawn from geology are that the earth’s climate can change radically, and rapidly. We can’t say precisely at what CO2 level we’re in danger of melting Antarctica, but that threshold could be reached in 150-300 years, if CO2 levels keep rising at the current rate.

  • Iron Fingerprints

    Iron Fingerprints

    Metals galore in deep Earth, But at the sea surface, a dearth. Iron is key For greening the sea … To planktic cells, gold has less worth.

  • MPA Students Discover the Gowanus Canal and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    MPA Students Discover the Gowanus Canal and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    The students in the newest MPA in Environmental Science and Policy cohort have spent the summer semester focusing on climatology, environmental chemistry, and ecology while supplementing classroom learning with field trips around New York. The field trips allow the 60 students to look at classroom topics in a real-world context.

  • Glacier Marks on Mount Chirripó

    Glacier Marks on Mount Chirripó

    On his sixth day on Mount Chirripo, Lamont’s Max Cunningham finds clues of the mountain’s origins and evolution.

  • The Advances and Challenges of Carbon Capture and Storage

    The Advances and Challenges of Carbon Capture and Storage

    While in energy policy discussions, I heard carbon capture, utilization and storage consistently dismissed as either too expensive or too uncertain in a low-carbon future that favors natural gas, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Yet as was made clear during the three-day Research Coordination Network on Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage annual meeting hosted by…