Climate208
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Tackling an Ice Age Mystery
In a new study in Nature, climate scientist Maureen Raymo and her colleagues show that variations in sunlight interact with Earth’s topography and the size of ice sheets to control Earth’s ice ages on 100,000 year cycles. One important finding: as ice sheets grow bigger, they also become more vulnerable to melting.
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Ozone-Protection Treaty Had Climate Benefits, Too, Study Says
The global treaty that headed off destruction of earth’s protective ozone layer has also prevented major disruption of global rainfall patterns, according to a new study in the Journal of Climate. The 1987 Montreal Protocol phased out the use of chloroflourocarbons, or CFCs, a class of chemicals that destroy ozone in the stratosphere, allowing more…
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Only 144 Miles, Yet Worlds Apart
144 miles separates Kangerlussuaq from Raven Camp. Not far really, just 144 miles – like traveling from the southern tip of New York City up to Albany. Flying at 270 knots we can be there in about half an hour, no time at all, and yet to the casual observer they seem worlds apart.
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Conservation & Environmental Sustainability – Fall 2013 Courses
The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability (EICES) at Columbia University provides executive training in environmental sustainability through courses in science, economics and policy. We invite you to join our leading experts and practitioners, strengthen your understanding of human-ecosystem interactions, and become an effective environmental leader and decision-maker.
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Disaster Readiness Center Joins Earth Institute
Shaping Local, Global Responses to Natural and Manmade Threats
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Gone Fishing…Took IcePod!
When we sat down to map out the flight plan, our request to the crew for locating lakes met with an easy nod: No problem at all. It took only seconds to register that our definition of lakes might differ from theirs.
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‘Lipreading’ the Icesheet
Even the most skilled of English language lipreaders are only able to tease apart about 30 percent of the information being shared, I read in a recent article. The author, herself deaf, noted that in some transmissions, the information capture is higher, while in others, nothing is collected. An average of 30 percent information transfer…most…
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Climate Forecasts: A Vital Tool for Policymakers
Focusing on near-term probabilities can also aid in decreasing vulnerability to future climate uncertainties.
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World Population Projected to Cross 11 Billion Threshold in 2100
In 2011, the U.N. announced that the world population had reached 7 billion. This year’s new projections for future population growth are higher than previously expected. Projects like Millennium Cities hope to alleviate many of the pressures that crowded cities place on infrastructure, public services, and the environment.
By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings“
