State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Author: Jonathan Nichols

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  • Peat Fires Choking Southeast Asia Pose a New Threat to Global Climate

    Peat Fires Choking Southeast Asia Pose a New Threat to Global Climate

    The Indonesian peat fires that have been choking cities across Southeast Asia with a yellow haze are creating more than a local menace—burning peat releases immense stores of CO2, contributing to global warming.

  • Water Samples and Wildlife

    Water Samples and Wildlife

    After a day of coring on Tuesday, we decided to give our arms and backs a rest and collect water and plant samples. We take these samples so that we can characterize the chemical signatures of each plant type, and water from different parts of the system. Then, we can recognize those same signatures in…

  • Deepest core yet from Imnavait Creek!

    Deepest core yet from Imnavait Creek!

    Our first day in the field was a wild success! We visited Imnavait Creek Peatland, named for the small stream that drains out of it into the Kuparuk River. We chose this location because it has the potential to be much older than many other peatland sites. During the last ice age, the area of the…

  • Getting There = 0.5*fun

    Getting There = 0.5*fun

    Hello from the land of the midnight sun! We have just arrived by way of the famous Dalton Highway at Toolik Field Station, a Long Term Ecological Research site of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. We pulled up to the station just in time for dinner, a quick trip to the field station’s wood-fired sauna,…

  • Peat Fires Choking Southeast Asia Pose a New Threat to Global Climate

    Peat Fires Choking Southeast Asia Pose a New Threat to Global Climate

    The Indonesian peat fires that have been choking cities across Southeast Asia with a yellow haze are creating more than a local menace—burning peat releases immense stores of CO2, contributing to global warming.

  • Water Samples and Wildlife

    Water Samples and Wildlife

    After a day of coring on Tuesday, we decided to give our arms and backs a rest and collect water and plant samples. We take these samples so that we can characterize the chemical signatures of each plant type, and water from different parts of the system. Then, we can recognize those same signatures in…

  • Deepest core yet from Imnavait Creek!

    Deepest core yet from Imnavait Creek!

    Our first day in the field was a wild success! We visited Imnavait Creek Peatland, named for the small stream that drains out of it into the Kuparuk River. We chose this location because it has the potential to be much older than many other peatland sites. During the last ice age, the area of the…

  • Getting There = 0.5*fun

    Getting There = 0.5*fun

    Hello from the land of the midnight sun! We have just arrived by way of the famous Dalton Highway at Toolik Field Station, a Long Term Ecological Research site of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. We pulled up to the station just in time for dinner, a quick trip to the field station’s wood-fired sauna,…