State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201616

  • How Safe is the Hudson? Scientists Test the River, Adirondacks to Ocean

    How Safe is the Hudson? Scientists Test the River, Adirondacks to Ocean

    A team of scientists conducted an unprecedented health check of the entire Hudson River system, from its source to New York Harbor. This is what they found.

  • How Does the Ocean Drive Weather and Climate Extremes?

    How Does the Ocean Drive Weather and Climate Extremes?

    Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists Ryan Abernathey and Richard Seager are investigating how processes in the ocean create extreme weather and climate conditions over land.

  • President Obama Continues to Build His Environmental Legacy

    President Obama Continues to Build His Environmental Legacy

    There are limits to how much a president can do without a congress willing to legislate. Barack Obama produced his environmental legacy through the creative and determined use of his executive authority.

  • New Faculty: Nilda Mesa joins the Urban Design Lab

    New Faculty: Nilda Mesa joins the Urban Design Lab

    Nilda Mesa joins the Earth Institute to launch a new program in urban sustainability and equity planning at the Urban Design Lab.

  • Faculty Profile: A. Park Williams, Professor of Climatology

    Faculty Profile: A. Park Williams, Professor of Climatology

    Park Williams, a bioclimatologist whose research focuses on the climatological causes and the ecological consequences of drought, teaches climatology in the summer semester for the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Program.

  • Turning Sunlight into Fuel

    Turning Sunlight into Fuel

    The world uses little more than one percent of the sun’s energy for our electricity needs. A major obstacle to tapping into its full potential is that it is intermittent. Solar fuels could one day store, transport and use solar energy to produce electricity and replace fossil fuels in vehicles.

  • By Mid-Century, More Antarctic Snowfall May Help Offset Sea-Level Rise

    Increasing Precipitation Masked by Natural Variability—For Now

  • Earth Institute Fall 2016 Internships

    Earth Institute Fall 2016 Internships

    This fall, the Earth Institute is offering students opportunities to work as interns within various departments and research centers at the institute. All full-time Columbia and Barnard students are eligible to apply.

  • Fall Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunities

    Fall Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunities

    The Earth Institute will offer eight research assistant opportunities for undergraduate students during the fall 2016 semester. Undergraduates from Columbia and Barnard will be able to serve as assistants on research projects related to sustainable development and the environment with distinguished faculty and researchers at the cutting edge of this burgeoning field.

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

  • How Safe is the Hudson? Scientists Test the River, Adirondacks to Ocean

    How Safe is the Hudson? Scientists Test the River, Adirondacks to Ocean

    A team of scientists conducted an unprecedented health check of the entire Hudson River system, from its source to New York Harbor. This is what they found.

  • How Does the Ocean Drive Weather and Climate Extremes?

    How Does the Ocean Drive Weather and Climate Extremes?

    Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists Ryan Abernathey and Richard Seager are investigating how processes in the ocean create extreme weather and climate conditions over land.

  • President Obama Continues to Build His Environmental Legacy

    President Obama Continues to Build His Environmental Legacy

    There are limits to how much a president can do without a congress willing to legislate. Barack Obama produced his environmental legacy through the creative and determined use of his executive authority.

  • New Faculty: Nilda Mesa joins the Urban Design Lab

    New Faculty: Nilda Mesa joins the Urban Design Lab

    Nilda Mesa joins the Earth Institute to launch a new program in urban sustainability and equity planning at the Urban Design Lab.

  • Faculty Profile: A. Park Williams, Professor of Climatology

    Faculty Profile: A. Park Williams, Professor of Climatology

    Park Williams, a bioclimatologist whose research focuses on the climatological causes and the ecological consequences of drought, teaches climatology in the summer semester for the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Program.

  • Turning Sunlight into Fuel

    Turning Sunlight into Fuel

    The world uses little more than one percent of the sun’s energy for our electricity needs. A major obstacle to tapping into its full potential is that it is intermittent. Solar fuels could one day store, transport and use solar energy to produce electricity and replace fossil fuels in vehicles.

  • By Mid-Century, More Antarctic Snowfall May Help Offset Sea-Level Rise

    Increasing Precipitation Masked by Natural Variability—For Now

  • Earth Institute Fall 2016 Internships

    Earth Institute Fall 2016 Internships

    This fall, the Earth Institute is offering students opportunities to work as interns within various departments and research centers at the institute. All full-time Columbia and Barnard students are eligible to apply.

  • Fall Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunities

    Fall Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunities

    The Earth Institute will offer eight research assistant opportunities for undergraduate students during the fall 2016 semester. Undergraduates from Columbia and Barnard will be able to serve as assistants on research projects related to sustainable development and the environment with distinguished faculty and researchers at the cutting edge of this burgeoning field.