Climate274
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El Niño Begins to Dissipate
Though weak El Niño conditions still exist, it appears that the climatic phenomenon that developed over the course of last summer has finally begun to dissipate. As reported earlier, El Niño is the name given to sustained sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies greater than 0.5°C across the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is the warm…
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Wally Broecker: 50 Years of Climate Science Innovation
Since arriving at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in 1952, for a college summer internship, Wally Broecker has come up with some of the most important ideas in modern climate science. He was one of the first researchers to recognize the potential for human-influenced climate change, and to testify before Congress about its dangers. He helped pioneer…
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New Book Explores Link Between Climate and Ocean Currents
Wallace Broecker is a climate scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory who has helped shape our understanding of how the ocean moves heat around the globe, and how this so-called “great ocean conveyor” can switch the climate to a radically different state. Many scientists used to think that only periodic changes in earth’s orbit—so-called Milankovitch cycles–…
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New Program Tackles Climate Threats to Food Security
A new multimillion dollar research program by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research aims to alleviate climate-related threats to the food security, livelihoods and environment of people living in the developing world. One of the key intellectual forces behind this initiative has been the IRI‘s Jim Hansen. He’ll be leading efforts within the program…
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Studying the Impacts of Climate on High-Altitude Ecosystems
Columbia University researchers Laia Andreu Hayles and Daniel Ruiz Carrascal traveled to Colombia last month to investigate the impact of climate on high-altitude ecosystems in the Andes. Supported by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Climate Center, Andreu and Ruiz are exploring the potential of several high-altitude tree species to reveal information about past climate variability and…
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Did Climate Influence Angkor’s Collapse?
Evidence Suggests Changing Environment Can Bring Down a Civilization
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Scientific Realism and Climate Change: Seminar with Martin Skrydstrup
Martin Skrydstrup is looking at science from a different perspective. By studying the scientific process anthropologically, he hopes to help reduce public confusion and mistrust around Climate Change science.
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Ideas for the Sustainable City: Green Buildings
On March 23, the Environmental Protection Agency released a list of the 40 cities with the highest percentage of energy-efficient buildings. While Los Angeles, Washington and San Francisco made the top three, NYC came in at number ten. When we think about carbon emissions, we often think of cars, trucks, factories, and power plants. We think…
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Looking Back on Winter: Part I
The arrival of spring in temperate climates means more hours of daylight, showers and flowers. Despite the general mood improvement from the dark days of winter, we should not be quick to forget the controversies surrounding this past season. Winter 2010, deemed by media outlets as Snowmaggedon and Snowpocalypse, was the snowiest season on record…
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