State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Earth Sciences59

  • 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…

  • Project Maps the Chemistry of the World’s Oceans

    Project Maps the Chemistry of the World’s Oceans

    Until recently, too little data existed about the distribution of trace elements and nutrients in the oceans to provide a global picture. In 2002, a group of scientists connected with Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory set out to fill those gaps.

  • NSF Joins Early Career Scientists aboard a Training Cruise

    NSF Joins Early Career Scientists aboard a Training Cruise

    Rose Dufour, NSF’s Program Director of Ship Operations, joined the cruise to talk with early career scientists about writing scientific proposals and loving what you do.

  • Shipboard Science: It’s All About Collaboration This Week

    Shipboard Science: It’s All About Collaboration This Week

    Early-career scientists aboard the UNOLS training cruise are getting to try new techniques and technologies, and collaborations are springing up everywhere.

  • The Magic of Exploring Under the Sea

    The Magic of Exploring Under the Sea

    It’s midnight on the ship, and the labs are filled with scientists busy examining samples. Two of them just got back from a trip to the seafloor, and the excitement is palpable.

  • Life Aboard a Research Cruise: 24-Hour Workdays, Amazing Discoveries

    Life Aboard a Research Cruise: 24-Hour Workdays, Amazing Discoveries

    When scientists say “research cruise,” they aren’t talking about sunny afternoons of shuffleboard and margaritas on deck. Life aboard a research vessel means tight spaces, few amenities, and long workdays.

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

  • 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…

  • Project Maps the Chemistry of the World’s Oceans

    Project Maps the Chemistry of the World’s Oceans

    Until recently, too little data existed about the distribution of trace elements and nutrients in the oceans to provide a global picture. In 2002, a group of scientists connected with Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory set out to fill those gaps.

  • NSF Joins Early Career Scientists aboard a Training Cruise

    NSF Joins Early Career Scientists aboard a Training Cruise

    Rose Dufour, NSF’s Program Director of Ship Operations, joined the cruise to talk with early career scientists about writing scientific proposals and loving what you do.

  • Shipboard Science: It’s All About Collaboration This Week

    Shipboard Science: It’s All About Collaboration This Week

    Early-career scientists aboard the UNOLS training cruise are getting to try new techniques and technologies, and collaborations are springing up everywhere.

  • The Magic of Exploring Under the Sea

    The Magic of Exploring Under the Sea

    It’s midnight on the ship, and the labs are filled with scientists busy examining samples. Two of them just got back from a trip to the seafloor, and the excitement is palpable.

  • Life Aboard a Research Cruise: 24-Hour Workdays, Amazing Discoveries

    Life Aboard a Research Cruise: 24-Hour Workdays, Amazing Discoveries

    When scientists say “research cruise,” they aren’t talking about sunny afternoons of shuffleboard and margaritas on deck. Life aboard a research vessel means tight spaces, few amenities, and long workdays.