State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Earth Sciences113

  • Finding the Right Graduate Program

    “It is important to be present, interested and passionate in a Master’s program.” Taking time off to travel and work helped Meg Sutton to realize that the M.A. Climate and Society program has what she was looking for in a graduate program.

  • Holidays on the High Seas

    Holidays on the High Seas

    With round-the-clock shifts, there are precious opportunities for Santa to slip onto a research ship unseen. But slip in he did, leaving treats and gifts around the R.V. Langseth to brighten our day.

  • Retrieving Instruments from the Deep

    Retrieving Instruments from the Deep

    Over the first 22 days aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth, we’ve zigged and zagged our way over a 360×240 mile region of the Pacific plate, first dropping instruments to the seafloor, and then shooting airguns to them (see previous posts). The final step is to recover a subset of the instruments:  34 ocean-bottom seismometers…

  • Restoring Damaged Ecosystems – The Challenge of Haiti

    Restoring Damaged Ecosystems – The Challenge of Haiti

    In 2010, almost two-thirds of the world’s ecosystems were deemed degraded due to human impacts and mismanagement, but fortunately ecosystems can be restored. The Earth Institute’s work in Haiti illustrates just how complicated ecosystem restoration can be.

  • The Art of Sound in the Ocean

    The Art of Sound in the Ocean

    The NoMelt experiment aims to image the structure of an oceanic plate, including its deepest reaches up to 70 km beneath the seafloor.  One of our primary means to do so is to create sound (acoustic) waves in the ocean from the ship, and record those waves at receivers on the seafloor, after they have…

  • Earth Institute Science in Spotlight

    Earth Institute Science in Spotlight

    Research presented by Earth Institute scientists at the 2011 American Geophysical Union fall conference generated a lot of attention from the media. Much of it came from a press conference held to discuss findings by Steve Goldstein from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and his colleagues on the potential for future drying up of the Dead…

  • Deploying Instruments on the Seafloor in the Deep Ocean

    Deploying Instruments on the Seafloor in the Deep Ocean

    Oceanic plates are born at mid-ocean ridges, where hot mantle rocks are brought very close to the surface, partially melt, and then cool and crystallize. The newly formed rocks move outwards from the mid-ocean ridge, making way for the next batch of hot rock rising from below. Inch by inch, over millions of years, oceanic…

  • From Distant Past, Lessons on Ocean Acidification

    From Distant Past, Lessons on Ocean Acidification

    Oceans turned more acidic during a period of great warming some 56 million years ago, causing an extinction of bottom-dwelling marine species known as foraminifera, a scenario that may be happening again now, only much more quickly.

  • AGU Honors Scientists from Lamont-Doherty

    AGU Honors Scientists from Lamont-Doherty

    A half-dozen Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists were to be honored by the American Geophysical Union at its annual fall conference in San Francisco tonight.

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The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. Today, our scientists and experts are tackling the most pressing challenges to achieve real-world impact. This Earth Day, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • Finding the Right Graduate Program

    “It is important to be present, interested and passionate in a Master’s program.” Taking time off to travel and work helped Meg Sutton to realize that the M.A. Climate and Society program has what she was looking for in a graduate program.

  • Holidays on the High Seas

    Holidays on the High Seas

    With round-the-clock shifts, there are precious opportunities for Santa to slip onto a research ship unseen. But slip in he did, leaving treats and gifts around the R.V. Langseth to brighten our day.

  • Retrieving Instruments from the Deep

    Retrieving Instruments from the Deep

    Over the first 22 days aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth, we’ve zigged and zagged our way over a 360×240 mile region of the Pacific plate, first dropping instruments to the seafloor, and then shooting airguns to them (see previous posts). The final step is to recover a subset of the instruments:  34 ocean-bottom seismometers…

  • Restoring Damaged Ecosystems – The Challenge of Haiti

    Restoring Damaged Ecosystems – The Challenge of Haiti

    In 2010, almost two-thirds of the world’s ecosystems were deemed degraded due to human impacts and mismanagement, but fortunately ecosystems can be restored. The Earth Institute’s work in Haiti illustrates just how complicated ecosystem restoration can be.

  • The Art of Sound in the Ocean

    The Art of Sound in the Ocean

    The NoMelt experiment aims to image the structure of an oceanic plate, including its deepest reaches up to 70 km beneath the seafloor.  One of our primary means to do so is to create sound (acoustic) waves in the ocean from the ship, and record those waves at receivers on the seafloor, after they have…

  • Earth Institute Science in Spotlight

    Earth Institute Science in Spotlight

    Research presented by Earth Institute scientists at the 2011 American Geophysical Union fall conference generated a lot of attention from the media. Much of it came from a press conference held to discuss findings by Steve Goldstein from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and his colleagues on the potential for future drying up of the Dead…

  • Deploying Instruments on the Seafloor in the Deep Ocean

    Deploying Instruments on the Seafloor in the Deep Ocean

    Oceanic plates are born at mid-ocean ridges, where hot mantle rocks are brought very close to the surface, partially melt, and then cool and crystallize. The newly formed rocks move outwards from the mid-ocean ridge, making way for the next batch of hot rock rising from below. Inch by inch, over millions of years, oceanic…

  • From Distant Past, Lessons on Ocean Acidification

    From Distant Past, Lessons on Ocean Acidification

    Oceans turned more acidic during a period of great warming some 56 million years ago, causing an extinction of bottom-dwelling marine species known as foraminifera, a scenario that may be happening again now, only much more quickly.

  • AGU Honors Scientists from Lamont-Doherty

    AGU Honors Scientists from Lamont-Doherty

    A half-dozen Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists were to be honored by the American Geophysical Union at its annual fall conference in San Francisco tonight.