State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Earth Sciences54

  • Sampling on the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers

    Sampling on the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers

    The final phase of our revolves around visiting chars, sandy river islands, on the Ganges and Brahmaputra River. Chris and Dan are making measurements of soil salinity and moisture and spectra of the soil reflectance, while Liz and I collected samples for OSL dating and understanding the OSL properties of the river sediments here. This…

  • Project Aims to Map World’s Oceans by 2030

    Project Aims to Map World’s Oceans by 2030

    More than 85 percent of the ocean floor remains unmapped, leaving us in the dark about much of the earth’s topography. A global, non-profit effort will try to remedy that, and influence everything from climate research and weather prediction to mineral resource exploration and fisheries.

  • Scientists Say They Now Know Why Antarctic Meltwater Stays Below Ocean Surface

    Scientists Say They Now Know Why Antarctic Meltwater Stays Below Ocean Surface

    Up to now, it has been a mystery why much of the fresh water resulting from the melting of Antarctic ice shelves ends up in the depths instead of floating above saltier, denser ocean waters. Scientists working along one major ice shelf believe they have found the answer.

  • Side Trip to Hiron Point, Sundarbans

    Side Trip to Hiron Point, Sundarbans

    After helping Chris an Dan with soil salinity and reflectance measurement, Humayun, Liz and I moved onto the smaller M.B. Mewl to sail through the Sundarban Mangrove Forest to service our GPS station at Hiron Point.

  • Equipment Repairs in SW Bangladesh

    Equipment Repairs in SW Bangladesh

    Humayun, Liz and I headed to Khulna in SW Bangladesh a day after Chris and Dan. Along the way, we stopped at our sediment compaction meter for surveying and removing the GPS, and getting feasted by the family that hosts the system.

  • Back to Bangladesh to Date Earthquakes and More

    Back to Bangladesh to Date Earthquakes and More

    I’m back in Bangladesh with a small team after a year and a half away. One different is a police escort as a result of the attacks last year. We start by successfully sampling river sediments to correct the date of an earthquake that caused a river to shift over 3,500 years ago. We also…

  • Columbia, Princeton Scientists Share 2017 Vetlesen Prize

    Columbia, Princeton Scientists Share 2017 Vetlesen Prize

    S. George Philander of Princeton University and Mark A. Cane of Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, who untangled the complex forces that drive El Niño, the world’s most powerful weather cycle, have won the 2017 Vetlesen Prize for achievement in earth sciences.

  • Antarctic Scientists Honor Obama by Collecting Climate Data

    Antarctic Scientists Honor Obama by Collecting Climate Data

    Researchers studying the West Antarctic Peninsula marine ecosystem will recognize President Obama’s efforts to combat global warming by collecting climate data at an oceanographic station they named for the 44th president.

  • Green Sahara’s Ancient Rainfall Regime Revealed

    Green Sahara’s Ancient Rainfall Regime Revealed

    Rainfall patterns in the Sahara during the six-thousand-year “Green Sahara” period have been revealed by analyzing marine sediments, according to new research.

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings

  • Sampling on the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers

    Sampling on the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers

    The final phase of our revolves around visiting chars, sandy river islands, on the Ganges and Brahmaputra River. Chris and Dan are making measurements of soil salinity and moisture and spectra of the soil reflectance, while Liz and I collected samples for OSL dating and understanding the OSL properties of the river sediments here. This…

  • Project Aims to Map World’s Oceans by 2030

    Project Aims to Map World’s Oceans by 2030

    More than 85 percent of the ocean floor remains unmapped, leaving us in the dark about much of the earth’s topography. A global, non-profit effort will try to remedy that, and influence everything from climate research and weather prediction to mineral resource exploration and fisheries.

  • Scientists Say They Now Know Why Antarctic Meltwater Stays Below Ocean Surface

    Scientists Say They Now Know Why Antarctic Meltwater Stays Below Ocean Surface

    Up to now, it has been a mystery why much of the fresh water resulting from the melting of Antarctic ice shelves ends up in the depths instead of floating above saltier, denser ocean waters. Scientists working along one major ice shelf believe they have found the answer.

  • Side Trip to Hiron Point, Sundarbans

    Side Trip to Hiron Point, Sundarbans

    After helping Chris an Dan with soil salinity and reflectance measurement, Humayun, Liz and I moved onto the smaller M.B. Mewl to sail through the Sundarban Mangrove Forest to service our GPS station at Hiron Point.

  • Equipment Repairs in SW Bangladesh

    Equipment Repairs in SW Bangladesh

    Humayun, Liz and I headed to Khulna in SW Bangladesh a day after Chris and Dan. Along the way, we stopped at our sediment compaction meter for surveying and removing the GPS, and getting feasted by the family that hosts the system.

  • Back to Bangladesh to Date Earthquakes and More

    Back to Bangladesh to Date Earthquakes and More

    I’m back in Bangladesh with a small team after a year and a half away. One different is a police escort as a result of the attacks last year. We start by successfully sampling river sediments to correct the date of an earthquake that caused a river to shift over 3,500 years ago. We also…

  • Columbia, Princeton Scientists Share 2017 Vetlesen Prize

    Columbia, Princeton Scientists Share 2017 Vetlesen Prize

    S. George Philander of Princeton University and Mark A. Cane of Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, who untangled the complex forces that drive El Niño, the world’s most powerful weather cycle, have won the 2017 Vetlesen Prize for achievement in earth sciences.

  • Antarctic Scientists Honor Obama by Collecting Climate Data

    Antarctic Scientists Honor Obama by Collecting Climate Data

    Researchers studying the West Antarctic Peninsula marine ecosystem will recognize President Obama’s efforts to combat global warming by collecting climate data at an oceanographic station they named for the 44th president.

  • Green Sahara’s Ancient Rainfall Regime Revealed

    Green Sahara’s Ancient Rainfall Regime Revealed

    Rainfall patterns in the Sahara during the six-thousand-year “Green Sahara” period have been revealed by analyzing marine sediments, according to new research.