Earth Sciences2
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Where Soil Meets Data: Yushu Xia’s Mission To Support a Healthier Planet
Xia discusses her research projects, mentorship goals, and the importance of staying ahead in a changing scientific landscape.
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Mercury Rising: Why Emissions of This Deadly Neurotoxin May Soon Increase
The EPA is proposing changes to the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS), which would weaken mercury emissions limits from U.S. fossil fuel power plants by 70 percent.
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Earth’s Crust Is Tearing Apart off the Pacific Northwest—and That’s Not Necessarily Bad News
Using seismic reflection imaging—essentially an ultrasound of the Earth’s subsurface—and detailed earthquake records, researchers captured a subduction zone in the process of tearing itself apart.
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Columbia Will Co-Lead Major Project To Study Global Carbon Cycle
Awarded by Schmidt Sciences, a new grant will provide up to $45 million to four interdisciplinary teams of researchers who will seek to improve climate modeling across land, air and sea.
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Why Is Modeling Climate More Complex Than Forecasting Weather?
Climate models must simulate many overlapping systems to predict or project future climate.
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Taking Science Education to the Seas With the 2025 School of Rock
Aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth, 13 teachers traveled from San Diego to the Galápagos Islands this summer, learning about oceanography and collaboration along the way.
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The Ocean Carbon Sink Is Ailing
Measurements analyzed by an international research team indicate the global ocean absorbed significantly less CO₂ than anticipated during the unprecedented marine heatwave in 2023.
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Leveraging Next-Generation Tsunami Early Warning Systems to Save Lives
Tsunami early warning systems save lives not just when they are fast or accurate, but when they are trusted, understood and acted upon.
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Happy Birthday, Marie Tharp!
State of the Planet celebrates the legacy of this history-making cartographer on what would be her 105th birthday.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More
