State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Earth Sciences84

  • Landslide Up Close

    Landslide Up Close

    On their third day on Mount Chirripo, Lamont geologists Max Cunningham and Mike Kaplan discover remnants of a mysterious landslide.

  • Chiseling Away

    Chiseling Away

    Lamont-Doherty geologists Max Cunningham and Mike Kaplan chisel away at glacial moraines on Costa Rica’s Mount Chirripo to understand when ice withdrew during the last ice age.

  • Climbing Mount Chirripó

    Climbing Mount Chirripó

    On the hike up Costa Rica’s Mount Chirripó, Lamont geologists Max Cunningham and Mike Kaplan encounter varied climates and vegetation.

  • Mount Chirripó: Shaped by Glaciers or Tectonic Forces?

    Mount Chirripó: Shaped by Glaciers or Tectonic Forces?

    Lamont-Doherty graduate student Max Cunningham describes his upcoming research objectives on Costa Rica’s Mount Chirripó.

  • The Fracking Facts

    The Fracking Facts

    Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the controversial method for extracting natural gas, has become a hot button issue across the U.S. But let’s try to look objectively at its benefits and risks.

  • Some Do Not Like It Hot

    Some Do Not Like It Hot

    The Great Dying, The Big One — The Permo-Triassic! (In a time machine, not sure if that’s where I’d aim …) As extinctions go, this one’s a blockbuster classic, When most of Earth’s species dropped out of the game.

  • Project Aims to Strengthen Climate Resilience

    Project Aims to Strengthen Climate Resilience

    The Caribbean, Asia’s Indo-Gangetic Plain and West Africa are three regions known to be extremely vulnerable to climate variability and change, particularly to droughts, extreme weather events and stresses on food production, water resources and coastal areas. A new five-year project jointly led by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society and the University…

  • Clock Is Ticking in West Antarctic

    Clock Is Ticking in West Antarctic

    “The high-resolution records that we’re getting and the high-resolution models we’re able to make now are sort of moving the questions a little bit closer into human, understandable time frames.”

  • Climate and the Opal Artisans of the Sea

    Climate and the Opal Artisans of the Sea

    Tiny one-celled organisms called radiolaria are ubiquitous in the oceans, but various species prefer distinct habitats. Thus it aroused considerable intrigue in 2012 when protozoa specialist O. Roger Anderson and colleagues published a study showing that radiolaria normally found near the equator were suddenly floating around in arctic waters above Norway. Was this a sign…

Colorful icons representing nature, sustainable living, and renewable energy with text "Earth Day 2026"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. Today, our scientists and experts are tackling the most pressing challenges to achieve real-world impact. This Earth Day, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • Landslide Up Close

    Landslide Up Close

    On their third day on Mount Chirripo, Lamont geologists Max Cunningham and Mike Kaplan discover remnants of a mysterious landslide.

  • Chiseling Away

    Chiseling Away

    Lamont-Doherty geologists Max Cunningham and Mike Kaplan chisel away at glacial moraines on Costa Rica’s Mount Chirripo to understand when ice withdrew during the last ice age.

  • Climbing Mount Chirripó

    Climbing Mount Chirripó

    On the hike up Costa Rica’s Mount Chirripó, Lamont geologists Max Cunningham and Mike Kaplan encounter varied climates and vegetation.

  • Mount Chirripó: Shaped by Glaciers or Tectonic Forces?

    Mount Chirripó: Shaped by Glaciers or Tectonic Forces?

    Lamont-Doherty graduate student Max Cunningham describes his upcoming research objectives on Costa Rica’s Mount Chirripó.

  • The Fracking Facts

    The Fracking Facts

    Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the controversial method for extracting natural gas, has become a hot button issue across the U.S. But let’s try to look objectively at its benefits and risks.

  • Some Do Not Like It Hot

    Some Do Not Like It Hot

    The Great Dying, The Big One — The Permo-Triassic! (In a time machine, not sure if that’s where I’d aim …) As extinctions go, this one’s a blockbuster classic, When most of Earth’s species dropped out of the game.

  • Project Aims to Strengthen Climate Resilience

    Project Aims to Strengthen Climate Resilience

    The Caribbean, Asia’s Indo-Gangetic Plain and West Africa are three regions known to be extremely vulnerable to climate variability and change, particularly to droughts, extreme weather events and stresses on food production, water resources and coastal areas. A new five-year project jointly led by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society and the University…

  • Clock Is Ticking in West Antarctic

    Clock Is Ticking in West Antarctic

    “The high-resolution records that we’re getting and the high-resolution models we’re able to make now are sort of moving the questions a little bit closer into human, understandable time frames.”

  • Climate and the Opal Artisans of the Sea

    Climate and the Opal Artisans of the Sea

    Tiny one-celled organisms called radiolaria are ubiquitous in the oceans, but various species prefer distinct habitats. Thus it aroused considerable intrigue in 2012 when protozoa specialist O. Roger Anderson and colleagues published a study showing that radiolaria normally found near the equator were suddenly floating around in arctic waters above Norway. Was this a sign…