State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Earth Sciences14

  • Into the Sundarban Mangrove Forest and Back

    Into the Sundarban Mangrove Forest and Back

    For the last week of our trip, we traveled by boat to reach the sites where we are measuring subsidence in the Sundarban Mangrove Forest and nearby embanked islands.

  • The R/V Pelican Sets Sail, and Data Collection Begins

    The R/V Pelican Sets Sail, and Data Collection Begins

    Researchers are mapping the seafloor and subseafloor between Haiti and Jamaica, to evaluate the potential for earthquakes.

  • Marco Tedesco: Snow Man

    Marco Tedesco: Snow Man

    Although his parents wanted him to become an electrical engineer, Tedesco felt drawn to a life of research. Then he fell in love with snow. Now he is among the most well-respected and quoted polar experts in the world.

  • From Barisal to Khulna

    From Barisal to Khulna

    We continued to service our GNSS and RSET-MH equipment measuring land subsidence in coastal Bangladesh. Long distances, poor roads and slow ferries made for very long days, but we were able to complete the work at the sites.

  • Dhaka and Beyond

    Dhaka and Beyond

    After a week of meetings and a wedding in Dhaka, we headed back to the field to service equipment measuring land subsidence in Bangladesh.

  • Back to Bangladesh at Last

    Back to Bangladesh at Last

    I am finally back in Bangladesh after a pandemic hiatus. I need to repair precision GPSs that failed over the last few years. They are measuring tectonic movements for earthquake hazard and land subsidence, which exacerbates sea level rise.

  • Humans Reached Remote North Atlantic Islands Centuries Earlier Than Thought

    Humans Reached Remote North Atlantic Islands Centuries Earlier Than Thought

    It was long accepted that the Vikings were the first people to settle the Faroe Islands, around 850 A.D. until traces of earlier occupation were announced in 2013. But not everyone was convinced. New probes of lake sediments clinch the case that others were there first.

  • American Geophysical Union 2021: Key Events From the Columbia Climate School

    American Geophysical Union 2021: Key Events From the Columbia Climate School

    A guide to some of the most provocative talks at the world’s largest gathering of earth and space scientists.

  • Collect Our Scientist Cards

    Collect Our Scientist Cards

    These baseball-style cards highlight a few of our amazing scientists, and can now be downloaded for free.

Earth Month Graphic Collage: "Our Power, Our Planet - April 2025"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. This Earth Month, 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.

  • Into the Sundarban Mangrove Forest and Back

    Into the Sundarban Mangrove Forest and Back

    For the last week of our trip, we traveled by boat to reach the sites where we are measuring subsidence in the Sundarban Mangrove Forest and nearby embanked islands.

  • The R/V Pelican Sets Sail, and Data Collection Begins

    The R/V Pelican Sets Sail, and Data Collection Begins

    Researchers are mapping the seafloor and subseafloor between Haiti and Jamaica, to evaluate the potential for earthquakes.

  • Marco Tedesco: Snow Man

    Marco Tedesco: Snow Man

    Although his parents wanted him to become an electrical engineer, Tedesco felt drawn to a life of research. Then he fell in love with snow. Now he is among the most well-respected and quoted polar experts in the world.

  • From Barisal to Khulna

    From Barisal to Khulna

    We continued to service our GNSS and RSET-MH equipment measuring land subsidence in coastal Bangladesh. Long distances, poor roads and slow ferries made for very long days, but we were able to complete the work at the sites.

  • Dhaka and Beyond

    Dhaka and Beyond

    After a week of meetings and a wedding in Dhaka, we headed back to the field to service equipment measuring land subsidence in Bangladesh.

  • Back to Bangladesh at Last

    Back to Bangladesh at Last

    I am finally back in Bangladesh after a pandemic hiatus. I need to repair precision GPSs that failed over the last few years. They are measuring tectonic movements for earthquake hazard and land subsidence, which exacerbates sea level rise.

  • Humans Reached Remote North Atlantic Islands Centuries Earlier Than Thought

    Humans Reached Remote North Atlantic Islands Centuries Earlier Than Thought

    It was long accepted that the Vikings were the first people to settle the Faroe Islands, around 850 A.D. until traces of earlier occupation were announced in 2013. But not everyone was convinced. New probes of lake sediments clinch the case that others were there first.

  • American Geophysical Union 2021: Key Events From the Columbia Climate School

    American Geophysical Union 2021: Key Events From the Columbia Climate School

    A guide to some of the most provocative talks at the world’s largest gathering of earth and space scientists.

  • Collect Our Scientist Cards

    Collect Our Scientist Cards

    These baseball-style cards highlight a few of our amazing scientists, and can now be downloaded for free.