Earth Sciences Archives - Page 2 of 119 - State of the Planet

David Kohlstedt of the University of Minnesota has won the 2023 Vetlesen Prize for achievement in the earth sciences. (Courtesy David Kohlstedt)

Explorer of Deep Earth Wins Vetlesen Prize

Using sophisticated equipment, David Kohlstedt has recreated the pressure, temperature and chemical conditions in the Earth’s mantle, which humans cannot observe directly. His findings have laid the basis for understanding many of the processes that drive the planet’s dynamics.

by |January 24, 2023

With Major Prize, a Project to Turn Carbon Emissions to Stone Gains Momentum

With the award of a 2022 Earthshot prize, new technology to remove carbon from the air by speeding up natural underground chemical reactions moves closer to reality.

by |December 12, 2022

American Geophysical Union 2022: Key Research From the Columbia Climate School

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

by |November 29, 2022
drawing of marie tharp with topography profile

Google Doodle Celebrates Marie Tharp, Who Mapped the Ocean Floor

Tharp co-published the first world map of the ocean floors and helped prove the theory of continental drift.

by |November 28, 2022

A Study Offers New Insights Into the Record 2021 Western North America Heat Wave

Several weeks during summer 2021 saw heat records in the western United States and Canada broken not just by increments, but by tens of degrees, an event of unprecedented extremity. To what degree was it climate change, bad luck, or a combination?

by |November 24, 2022

Iron-Rich Dust From South America Played Role in Last Two Glacial Periods, Says Study

Dust from the land that gets blown into the ocean appears to influence natural climate swings. A new study looks into where much of that dust came from in the past 260,000 years.

by |November 22, 2022

Permafrost Emissions Must Be Factored Into Global Climate Targets, Says Study

As the Arctic melts, permafrost there has the potential to send huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, but exactly how much is up for grabs, depending on what we do to stem climate change in coming years.

by |October 17, 2022

Study Upsets Models of How Lake Drainage Within Glaciers May Influence Sea Level

Sudden plunges of lake waters from glacial surfaces to ice-sheet beds may not speed up the movement of Greenland’s tidewater glaciers, as previously thought.

by |October 14, 2022

Highlights From the 2022 Lamont Open House

Visitors played with glacial goo, watched trash cans erupt with water and ping pong balls, and performed hands-on science experiments — all while learning how Lamont researchers help us understand our planet.

by |October 10, 2022

Preparing for Volcanic Eruptions at Okmok Volcano, Alaska

Researchers are working at a remote ranch in the Aleutians, commuting by helicopter to the brim of a volcano to perform maintenance on their monitoring equipment.

by |October 3, 2022