Climate290
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Cosmic Dust in Ice Cores Sheds Light on Earth’s Past Climate
Each year nearly 40,000 tons of cosmic dust fall to Earth from outer space. Now, the first successful chronological study of extraterrestrial dust in Antarctic ice has shown that this amount has remained largely constant over the past 30,000 years, a finding that could help refine efforts to understand the timing and effects of changes…
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It’s 2025. Where Do Most People Live?
Researchers at the Center for Climate Systems Research (CCSR), a part of The Earth Institute, have developed a high-resolution map of projected population change for the year 2025. The innovative map shows a world with large areas of population loss in parts of Eastern Europe and Asia, but significant gains elsewhere. The work, Mapping the…
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The Earth Institute and the University of Iceland Sign Agreement to Promote Research Cooperation and Academic Exchange
The Earth Institute at Columbia University and the University of Iceland signed an agreement on June 13, 2006 endorsing increased academic exchange, scholarly collaboration and research between the two institutions. The agreement sets the stage for future cooperation on global climate change, sustainable development and technological responses to climate change. The Memorandum of Understanding was…
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Researchers Assess Risks Associated with Living in Low-Lying Coastal Areas
For many, sea-level rise is a remote and distant threat faced by people like the residents of the Tuvalu Islands in the South Pacific, where the highest point of land is only 5 meters (15 feet) above sea level and tidal floods occasionally cover their crops in seawater. Now, however, a recently published study by…
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Tough Environmental Policy Question? Bring in the MPAs
One hundred million personal computers were disposed of in 2004, and they are not benign — computers contain hazardous materials harmful to human health and the environment, and no policy exists to manage this e-waste. Is anyone working on this problem? Bring in the MPAs. This semester, a group studying to get their Masters’ in…
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Could Reducing Global Dimming Mean a Hotter, Dryer World?
Despite concerns over global warming, scientists have discovered something that may have actually limited the impact of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in recent years by reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the surface of the Earth. In research they published last year in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, a team led by Beate Liepert…
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Reining in Carbon Dioxide Levels Imperative but Possible
Business-as-usual approach threatens world energy supplies and environment, but affordable, effective solutions appear within reach
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Climate Forecasting Systems Help Predict Malaria Risk in Africa
A recent study published in Nature shows that climate forecasts can help predict malaria epidemics many months in advance. These predictions can alert health service managers to changes in epidemic risk five months before the peak malaria season and four months earlier than predictions based on actual rainfall. The study appears in the February 2…
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Researchers Confirm Role of Massive Flood in Climate Change
Flood of fresh water disrupted ocean circulation and Earth’s climate; simulations validated by climate proxy record