Earth Sciences64
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New Group Takes On Massive Computing Needs of Big Data
The sheer number of observations now streaming from land, sea, air and space has outpaced the ability of most computers to process it. The Data Science Institute’s newest working group —Frontiers in Computing Systems—will try to address some of the bottlenecks facing scientists working with these and other massive data sets.
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New Study Upends a Theory of How Earth’s Mantle Flows
A new study carried out on the floor of Pacific Ocean provides the most detailed view yet of how the earth’s mantle flows beneath the ocean’s tectonic plates.
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Science And Sustainability Management: 20 Years of Columbia’s Earth Institute
This fall, Columbia University’s Earth Institute will mark its 20th anniversary. There were two central ideas that animated the creation of this university-wide institute. The first was to promote basic understanding of earth system science, and the second was to apply that knowledge to decisions made by governments and businesses around the world.
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Massive Landslide Detected in Glacier Bay’s Fragile Mountains
A 4,000-foot-high mountainside collapsed in Glacier Bay National Park this week in a massive landslide that spread debris for miles across the glacier below. Scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are studying it to improve understanding of landslide risks.
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Photo Essay: Seeking Humanity’s Roots
East Africa’s rift valley is considered by many to be the cradle of humanity. In the Turkana region of northwest Kenya, researchers Christopher Lepre and Tanzhuo Liu of Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are cooperating with colleagues to study questions of human evolution, from the creation of the earliest stone tools to climate swings that…
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Seeking Humanity’s Roots
Who were our earliest ancestors? How and when did they evolve into modern humans? And how do we define “human,” anyway? Scientists are exploring Kenya’s Lake Turkana basin to help answer these questions.
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Crushing Ice to Learn About Glaciers & Icy Moons
To understand how quickly ice from glaciers can raise sea level or how moons far across the solar system evolved to hold vast, ice-covered oceans, we need to be able to measure the forces at work. A new instrument designed and built at Lamont does just that.
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New Support For Human Evolution In Grasslands
A 24 Million-Year Record of African Plants Plumbs Deep Past
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‘Dirty Blizzard’ Sent 2010 Gulf Oil Spill Pollution to Seafloor
Study Finds Impacts Lingered Much Longer Than Expected
On Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 4pm, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House—our biggest, best science fun and discovery event of the year—will take place on our beautiful campus in Palisades, NY. Mark your calendar and join us for this free, family-friendly celebration of science! RSVP Today!
