State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Earth Sciences64

  • Climate Change Isn’t Just a 21st Century Problem

    Climate Change Isn’t Just a 21st Century Problem

    Humans have been burning fossil fuels for only about 150 years, yet that has started a cascade of profound changes that at their current pace will still be felt 10,000 years from now, a new study shows.

  • Gearing Up for Our First Cores

    Gearing Up for Our First Cores

    As they get to know their ship, the scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution prepare to drill their first sediment cores along the Natal Valley off the coast of southern Africa.

  • On the Surface, Feeling Further Away from the Ocean than Ever

    On the Surface, Feeling Further Away from the Ocean than Ever

    My German colleague and I could conceptualize five kilometers horizontally—the same as her bike ride to work, the same as the first ever race I ran. Neither of us could quite grasp what flipping 5 kilometers 90 degrees might mean, as our pump continued on its 3-hour vertical journey to that depth.

  • The Earth Shook, but It Wasn’t an Earthquake

    The Earth Shook, but It Wasn’t an Earthquake

    Last Thursday, thousands of people on the Eastern Seaboard felt the earth tremble. Seismologists at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory quickly concluded it was not an earthquake, but a military exercise.

  • Setting Off for Two Months at Sea

    Setting Off for Two Months at Sea

    Sidney Hemming and the scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution conduct the final preparations for their research cruise off southern Africa and introduce a girls’ school group from Mauritius to science at sea.

  • In the Southern Ocean, a Carbon-Dioxide Mystery Comes Clear

    In the Southern Ocean, a Carbon-Dioxide Mystery Comes Clear

    Twenty thousand years ago, low concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere allowed the earth to fall into the grip of an ice age. But despite decades of research, the reasons why levels of the greenhouse gas were so low then have been difficult to piece together. New research, published today in the leading journal…

  • A New Global Team Tracks Temperature Change Through Time

    A New Global Team Tracks Temperature Change Through Time

    A new international consortium of scientists is bringing the history of temperature fluctuations across the entire Northern Hemisphere to life.

  • Uncovering the Stories of Southern Africa’s Climate Past

    Uncovering the Stories of Southern Africa’s Climate Past

    Sidney Hemming is preparing to spend two months at sea studying global ocean circulation and southern Africa’s climate variability over the past 5 million years.

  • In Gulf of Mexico, Microbes Thrive Above Natural Oil Seeps

    New insight into how plankton and oil interact

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

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

  • Climate Change Isn’t Just a 21st Century Problem

    Climate Change Isn’t Just a 21st Century Problem

    Humans have been burning fossil fuels for only about 150 years, yet that has started a cascade of profound changes that at their current pace will still be felt 10,000 years from now, a new study shows.

  • Gearing Up for Our First Cores

    Gearing Up for Our First Cores

    As they get to know their ship, the scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution prepare to drill their first sediment cores along the Natal Valley off the coast of southern Africa.

  • On the Surface, Feeling Further Away from the Ocean than Ever

    On the Surface, Feeling Further Away from the Ocean than Ever

    My German colleague and I could conceptualize five kilometers horizontally—the same as her bike ride to work, the same as the first ever race I ran. Neither of us could quite grasp what flipping 5 kilometers 90 degrees might mean, as our pump continued on its 3-hour vertical journey to that depth.

  • The Earth Shook, but It Wasn’t an Earthquake

    The Earth Shook, but It Wasn’t an Earthquake

    Last Thursday, thousands of people on the Eastern Seaboard felt the earth tremble. Seismologists at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory quickly concluded it was not an earthquake, but a military exercise.

  • Setting Off for Two Months at Sea

    Setting Off for Two Months at Sea

    Sidney Hemming and the scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution conduct the final preparations for their research cruise off southern Africa and introduce a girls’ school group from Mauritius to science at sea.

  • In the Southern Ocean, a Carbon-Dioxide Mystery Comes Clear

    In the Southern Ocean, a Carbon-Dioxide Mystery Comes Clear

    Twenty thousand years ago, low concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere allowed the earth to fall into the grip of an ice age. But despite decades of research, the reasons why levels of the greenhouse gas were so low then have been difficult to piece together. New research, published today in the leading journal…

  • A New Global Team Tracks Temperature Change Through Time

    A New Global Team Tracks Temperature Change Through Time

    A new international consortium of scientists is bringing the history of temperature fluctuations across the entire Northern Hemisphere to life.

  • Uncovering the Stories of Southern Africa’s Climate Past

    Uncovering the Stories of Southern Africa’s Climate Past

    Sidney Hemming is preparing to spend two months at sea studying global ocean circulation and southern Africa’s climate variability over the past 5 million years.

  • In Gulf of Mexico, Microbes Thrive Above Natural Oil Seeps

    New insight into how plankton and oil interact