State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Earth Sciences69

  • Signs Of Ancient Megatsunami Could Portend Modern Hazard

    Evidence of an 800-Foot Wave in the Cape Verde Islands

  • Arctic Magic: One Research Vessel Multiplies to Hundreds

    Arctic Magic: One Research Vessel Multiplies to Hundreds

    The Arctic is magical, that we know, but when one ship multiplies to hundreds of small boats we really see the effect that Arctic magic can bring.

  • Translating Nature’s Historians: The Tree Ring Lab Turns 40

    Translating Nature’s Historians: The Tree Ring Lab Turns 40

    In its first 40 years, the Lamont Tree Ring Lab tracked changing climates around the world, building an international reputation as a global leader in research, training and technology.

  • A Week of Firsts for This Arctic Nation

    A Week of Firsts for This Arctic Nation

    We are closing in on a week of intense focus and excitement for GEOTRACES and for the United States around the Arctic. President Obama became the first sitting president to visit Alaska, the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy with US GEOTRACES scientists completed the first unaccompanied US surface vessel transit to the North Pole, and…

  • The Southern Ocean Is Breathing in Carbon Dioxide at a Healthy Rate

    The Southern Ocean Is Breathing in Carbon Dioxide at a Healthy Rate

    “In the last 10 years, we were afraid that the Southern Ocean was going to quit giving us a break from climate change. This study shows that it’s recovered its ability to take up carbon dioxide, and that’s good news.”

  • From the Field: Mapping Lava Flows in Iceland

    From the Field: Mapping Lava Flows in Iceland

    Lamont’s Einat Lev and Elise Rumpf write about their expedition to the lava fields of Iceland, where the two volcanologists and a drone named Buzz studied how lava flows and what happens to rivers, rocks and old lava in its path.

  • It’s as Clear as Mud

    It’s as Clear as Mud

    For the sampling GEOTRACES is doing in the Arctic there is a specific goal of collecting just the top few dozen centimeters of sediment and the water just above it. Although the plan was good, things don’t always go perfectly.

  • Scouring Arctic for Traces of Fukushima and Cosmic Rays

    Scouring Arctic for Traces of Fukushima and Cosmic Rays

    Sounds like the basis for a great scifi thriller…”scientists scour Arctic, hunting for traces of nuclear fallout and ejections from cosmic ray impacts”. In reality this thriller theme is the actual core of the GEOTRACES mission.

  • Moving into the Realm of the Polar Bear

    Moving into the Realm of the Polar Bear

    When we venture into the Arctic for research for most of us there is the lingering hope that a polar bear will appear on our watch; at least as long as we are safely outside of its reach.

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

  • Signs Of Ancient Megatsunami Could Portend Modern Hazard

    Evidence of an 800-Foot Wave in the Cape Verde Islands

  • Arctic Magic: One Research Vessel Multiplies to Hundreds

    Arctic Magic: One Research Vessel Multiplies to Hundreds

    The Arctic is magical, that we know, but when one ship multiplies to hundreds of small boats we really see the effect that Arctic magic can bring.

  • Translating Nature’s Historians: The Tree Ring Lab Turns 40

    Translating Nature’s Historians: The Tree Ring Lab Turns 40

    In its first 40 years, the Lamont Tree Ring Lab tracked changing climates around the world, building an international reputation as a global leader in research, training and technology.

  • A Week of Firsts for This Arctic Nation

    A Week of Firsts for This Arctic Nation

    We are closing in on a week of intense focus and excitement for GEOTRACES and for the United States around the Arctic. President Obama became the first sitting president to visit Alaska, the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy with US GEOTRACES scientists completed the first unaccompanied US surface vessel transit to the North Pole, and…

  • The Southern Ocean Is Breathing in Carbon Dioxide at a Healthy Rate

    The Southern Ocean Is Breathing in Carbon Dioxide at a Healthy Rate

    “In the last 10 years, we were afraid that the Southern Ocean was going to quit giving us a break from climate change. This study shows that it’s recovered its ability to take up carbon dioxide, and that’s good news.”

  • From the Field: Mapping Lava Flows in Iceland

    From the Field: Mapping Lava Flows in Iceland

    Lamont’s Einat Lev and Elise Rumpf write about their expedition to the lava fields of Iceland, where the two volcanologists and a drone named Buzz studied how lava flows and what happens to rivers, rocks and old lava in its path.

  • It’s as Clear as Mud

    It’s as Clear as Mud

    For the sampling GEOTRACES is doing in the Arctic there is a specific goal of collecting just the top few dozen centimeters of sediment and the water just above it. Although the plan was good, things don’t always go perfectly.

  • Scouring Arctic for Traces of Fukushima and Cosmic Rays

    Scouring Arctic for Traces of Fukushima and Cosmic Rays

    Sounds like the basis for a great scifi thriller…”scientists scour Arctic, hunting for traces of nuclear fallout and ejections from cosmic ray impacts”. In reality this thriller theme is the actual core of the GEOTRACES mission.

  • Moving into the Realm of the Polar Bear

    Moving into the Realm of the Polar Bear

    When we venture into the Arctic for research for most of us there is the lingering hope that a polar bear will appear on our watch; at least as long as we are safely outside of its reach.