Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory / Photo: Marco Tedesco. The summer season over the Greenland ice sheet is characterized by surface melting, creating a texture of patterns with supraglacial lakes and streams, crevasses and canyons. Over the past decades, melting has been increasing in Greenland, hence increasing its contribution to sea level rise. In this project, we specifically study how meltwater drains and how albedo (e.g., how ‘bright’ the surface is) modulates melting.
International Research Institute for Climate and Society / Photo: Francesco Fiondella.
A farmer primes an irrigation pump. The village of Nanighi in semiarid eastern Kenya sits along the Tana River. Farmers here depend on irrigation to sustain their crops. The river is prone to flooding, and in the past, such floods have carried away or destroyed irrigation pumps. As part of a UKAID-funded project, IRI is working with CARE Kenya and Kenya’s Meteorology Department to improve the quality, access, understanding and timely delivery of climate and weather information for better decision making.
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory / Photo: Margie Turrin. The Arctic system is undergoing profound change. Loss of summer sea ice cover brings uncertainty about how an ice free Arctic Ocean might affect precipitation which will affect land ice, especially the Greenland Ice Sheet. The Snow on Ice project focuses on the interconnectivity of changing sea ice, climate and the Greenland Ice Sheet. Samples are collected from glacial erratics for exposure dating to determine age of ice sheet retreat.
Columbia Water Center / Photo: Jeremy Hinsdale. Falling water tables have put both Gujarat’s aquifers and agricultural productivity at risk. The Columbia Water Center’s innovative project in North Gujarat is designed to help farmers conserve water, cut energy use and employ sustainable farming techniques. In order to succeed, such efforts require working closely with community members as well as forming partnerships with local stakeholders and other organizations.
Urban Design Lab / Photo: Robert Elliott. Bronx, NY, Summer 2016. Nandan Shetty works to set up temperature measurements to track the performance of a native green roof integrated with a smart rainwater harvesting and irrigation system on the NYC parks department Ranaqua Office.
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies / Photo: Joaquim Goes. Photo from the Korean Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) – NASA Joint Field campaign examining phytoplankton in the seas around South Korea.
Center for International Earth Science Information Network / Photo: Dave Funkhouser. A woman in Araihazar, Bangladesh, is one of thousands participating in a long-term health study on the effects of arsenic contamination in drinking water. Naturally occurring arsenic taints millions of wells across the country. For more than 20 years, researchers from the Earth Institute and the Columbia Superfund Research Program have studied how arsenic gets into the water, how to prevent it, and how to help those affected.
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory / Photo: Tim Kenna. GEOTRACES samples different trace elements in the ocean waters that can be an asset and a liability in the marine system, providing either essential nutrients for biologic productivity, or toxic inputs to a rapidly warming system. Arctic GEOTRACES focuses on the smallest and shallowest of the world’s oceans and the one most under siege from climate change. Sampling close to an open edge can mean a quick lowering to the ice.
To celebrate 20 years of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, we asked faculty, staff and students to submit photographs depicting their work. With an overwhelming response from individuals from across our centers and programs, we created a 2017 wall calendar and have curated an exhibit in the Rotunda at Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library. This exhibit highlights the variety and global reach of the Earth Institute’s mission, and will run through summer 2017.
A sampling of the exhibit photos may be viewed in the slideshow above. Please join us to view the exhibit in person on March 29 at a panel discussion and reception hosted by Earth Institute Executive Director Steven Cohen, Transforming Organizations with Sustainability Management.
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
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Julia Joy
8 years ago
Hi,
I was just wondering exactly how long this exhibit runs. You say “will run through summer 2017” — does that mean until around Labor Day? Do you have an exact date?
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Hi,
I was just wondering exactly how long this exhibit runs. You say “will run through summer 2017” — does that mean until around Labor Day? Do you have an exact date?
Thanks!
Julia
Hi Julia,
We don’t have an exact date yet, but right now expect it to continue past Labor Day, into the fall semester.