State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Earth Sciences59

  • Ancient Leaves Link Loss of Antarctic Ice to a CO2 Spike

    Ancient Leaves Link Loss of Antarctic Ice to a CO2 Spike

    Twenty-three million years ago, the Antarctic Ice Sheet began to shrink, going from an expanse larger than today’s to one about half its modern size. Ancient fossilized leaves retrieved from a lake bed in New Zealand now show for the first time that carbon dioxide levels increased dramatically over a relatively short period of time…

  • Red Flags Over the Arctic’s Future

    Red Flags Over the Arctic’s Future

    A new white paper reviews climate impacts already underway in the Arctic, and examines further changes expected to take place even if the world meets the goals of the Paris Agreement. It will be presented today at a meeting at the White House of national-level science ministers and advisors from around the world.

  • Listening to Earthquakes – From Inside the Earth

    Listening to Earthquakes – From Inside the Earth

    Lamont scientist Ben Holtzman and the Seismic Sound Lab take viewers on an entirely new sensory experience to see, hear and feel earthquakes from inside the planet.

  • Exploring Obama’s Seafloor Canyons by Mini Submarine

    Exploring Obama’s Seafloor Canyons by Mini Submarine

    Only a few people have ever explored deep inside the seafloor canyons that President Obama just designated a national marine monument. Bill Ryan is one of them. In this podcast he describes what his team saw and learned.

  • Climate Denial and Sea Level Rise

    Climate Denial and Sea Level Rise

    The need to adapt to the current impact of climate change is already obvious in many cities and work is already underway to make cities more resilient to extreme weather events. New York City has begun to implement a resiliency plan that will cost at least $20 billion over the next decade.

  • Some Islands Started in Diamond-Bearing Regions Under Continents, Geochemists Say

    Journeys Spanning Thousands of Miles, Billions of Years

  • The (Somewhat Less Fast) Growing Human Footprint

    The (Somewhat Less Fast) Growing Human Footprint

    The human footprint continues to expand, with three quarters of earth’s land surface now experiencing measurable pressures from buildings, roads, crops, pastures and other human structures and activities, according to a new report. But the report also finds an encouraging trend: In recent years, growth in the footprint has lagged far behind population and economic…

  • Construction in the Swamp

    Construction in the Swamp

    Despite the miserable weather and ongoing rain, we constructed a wooden structure to hold the GPS receivers, solar panels and other electronic equipment between the three wells. We worked out how and where to mount the antennas and had parts made to accomplish it. Although I had to leave before it was completed, the team…

  • Visit to a Different Delta: the Mississippi

    Visit to a Different Delta: the Mississippi

    This summer I am in the Mississippi Delta in southern Louisiana helping to install an updated version of the compaction meters that we have in Bangladesh. The environment is quite different and we have arrived in the midst of an historic storm. Luckily for us the brunt of the storm is NW of us. So…

Colorful icons representing nature, sustainable living, and renewable energy with text "Earth Day 2026"

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.

  • Ancient Leaves Link Loss of Antarctic Ice to a CO2 Spike

    Ancient Leaves Link Loss of Antarctic Ice to a CO2 Spike

    Twenty-three million years ago, the Antarctic Ice Sheet began to shrink, going from an expanse larger than today’s to one about half its modern size. Ancient fossilized leaves retrieved from a lake bed in New Zealand now show for the first time that carbon dioxide levels increased dramatically over a relatively short period of time…

  • Red Flags Over the Arctic’s Future

    Red Flags Over the Arctic’s Future

    A new white paper reviews climate impacts already underway in the Arctic, and examines further changes expected to take place even if the world meets the goals of the Paris Agreement. It will be presented today at a meeting at the White House of national-level science ministers and advisors from around the world.

  • Listening to Earthquakes – From Inside the Earth

    Listening to Earthquakes – From Inside the Earth

    Lamont scientist Ben Holtzman and the Seismic Sound Lab take viewers on an entirely new sensory experience to see, hear and feel earthquakes from inside the planet.

  • Exploring Obama’s Seafloor Canyons by Mini Submarine

    Exploring Obama’s Seafloor Canyons by Mini Submarine

    Only a few people have ever explored deep inside the seafloor canyons that President Obama just designated a national marine monument. Bill Ryan is one of them. In this podcast he describes what his team saw and learned.

  • Climate Denial and Sea Level Rise

    Climate Denial and Sea Level Rise

    The need to adapt to the current impact of climate change is already obvious in many cities and work is already underway to make cities more resilient to extreme weather events. New York City has begun to implement a resiliency plan that will cost at least $20 billion over the next decade.

  • Some Islands Started in Diamond-Bearing Regions Under Continents, Geochemists Say

    Journeys Spanning Thousands of Miles, Billions of Years

  • The (Somewhat Less Fast) Growing Human Footprint

    The (Somewhat Less Fast) Growing Human Footprint

    The human footprint continues to expand, with three quarters of earth’s land surface now experiencing measurable pressures from buildings, roads, crops, pastures and other human structures and activities, according to a new report. But the report also finds an encouraging trend: In recent years, growth in the footprint has lagged far behind population and economic…

  • Construction in the Swamp

    Construction in the Swamp

    Despite the miserable weather and ongoing rain, we constructed a wooden structure to hold the GPS receivers, solar panels and other electronic equipment between the three wells. We worked out how and where to mount the antennas and had parts made to accomplish it. Although I had to leave before it was completed, the team…

  • Visit to a Different Delta: the Mississippi

    Visit to a Different Delta: the Mississippi

    This summer I am in the Mississippi Delta in southern Louisiana helping to install an updated version of the compaction meters that we have in Bangladesh. The environment is quite different and we have arrived in the midst of an historic storm. Luckily for us the brunt of the storm is NW of us. So…