State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Earth Sciences65

  • 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

  • In Isolation, Community

    In Isolation, Community

    Being aboard a ship is isolating—but for a scientist, it’s not lonely.

  • The Floor of the Ocean Comes into Better Focus

    The Floor of the Ocean Comes into Better Focus

    The bottom of the ocean just keeps getting better. Or at least more interesting to look at.

  • All I Wanted for Christmas Was for These Pumps to Work

    All I Wanted for Christmas Was for These Pumps to Work

    We’ve just completed our first full station and are remarkably pleased with the results. We collected 8 seawater samples to measure helium isotopes; 20 to measure thorium and protactinium isotopes; 7 in-situ pump filters; 1 box core of the ocean floor; and more.

  • Doing Science When There’s No Science to Be Done

    Doing Science When There’s No Science to Be Done

    With an abundance of time and a dearth of work, we have begun to devise ways of doing science before we can actually do science at sea. Among other things, we set up an imaging system to take pictures of particle filters we bring back from the deep sea.

  • Electoral Politics and Environmental Sustainability

    The political consensus for sustainability that could emerge might be based on increased funding for the science of renewable energy, battery technology, energy efficiency and smart grids. It could also include incentives for private sector investment to commercialize new energy technologies, and tax expenditures that make it easier for consumers to adopt these new technologies.

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“

  • 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

  • In Isolation, Community

    In Isolation, Community

    Being aboard a ship is isolating—but for a scientist, it’s not lonely.

  • The Floor of the Ocean Comes into Better Focus

    The Floor of the Ocean Comes into Better Focus

    The bottom of the ocean just keeps getting better. Or at least more interesting to look at.

  • All I Wanted for Christmas Was for These Pumps to Work

    All I Wanted for Christmas Was for These Pumps to Work

    We’ve just completed our first full station and are remarkably pleased with the results. We collected 8 seawater samples to measure helium isotopes; 20 to measure thorium and protactinium isotopes; 7 in-situ pump filters; 1 box core of the ocean floor; and more.

  • Doing Science When There’s No Science to Be Done

    Doing Science When There’s No Science to Be Done

    With an abundance of time and a dearth of work, we have begun to devise ways of doing science before we can actually do science at sea. Among other things, we set up an imaging system to take pictures of particle filters we bring back from the deep sea.

  • Electoral Politics and Environmental Sustainability

    The political consensus for sustainability that could emerge might be based on increased funding for the science of renewable energy, battery technology, energy efficiency and smart grids. It could also include incentives for private sector investment to commercialize new energy technologies, and tax expenditures that make it easier for consumers to adopt these new technologies.