State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Earth Sciences92

  • Surface Views of the Southern East Africa Rift Inspire a Look Underground

    Surface Views of the Southern East Africa Rift Inspire a Look Underground

    Driving around the Rungwe volcanic province in the southern East Africa Rift installing seismometers, we have the chance to observe first hand how geological processes in action create the most dramatic forms at Earth’s surface.

  • Tackling an Ice Age Mystery

    Tackling an Ice Age Mystery

    In a new study in Nature, climate scientist Maureen Raymo and her colleagues show that variations in sunlight interact with Earth’s topography and the size of ice sheets to control Earth’s ice ages on 100,000 year cycles. One important finding: as ice sheets grow bigger, they also become more vulnerable to melting.

  • Conservation & Environmental Sustainability – Fall 2013 Courses

    Conservation & Environmental Sustainability – Fall 2013 Courses

    The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability (EICES) at Columbia University provides executive training in environmental sustainability through courses in science, economics and policy. We invite you to join our leading experts and practitioners, strengthen your understanding of human-ecosystem interactions, and become an effective environmental leader and decision-maker.

  • A Moon Holiday to Get Away From It All

    A Moon Holiday to Get Away From It All

    A national park on the moon? Preposterous? Not if the Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act, put forward by Congresswomen Donna Reed (D – Maryland) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D – Texas) passes. We could very well be on our way to having a national park on the Moon protecting sites of historical value – where…

  • ‘Highway from Hell’ Fueled Costa Rican Volcano

    Finding Could Lead to Improved Eruption Forecasting

  • Cicadas Leave Trail of Dead Leaves

    Cicadas Leave Trail of Dead Leaves

    As you travel through our region, you may notice stands of trees with branch tips covered in dead leaves. The damage is not from the hot and humid weather, but rather the aftermath of the cicadas.

  • Distant Quakes Trigger Tremors at U.S. Waste-Injection Sites, Says Study

    Finding Could Help Identify Critically Stressed Faults

  • Photo Essay: High Desert, Deep Earth

    Photo Essay: High Desert, Deep Earth

    In the Arabian peninsula nation of Oman, geologists are studying the Hajar mountains–a range containing rocks that have been thrust up from the deep earth. Accessible to humans in only a few places on earth, these kinds of rocks offer clues to the planet’s deep history–and possible ways that natural processes may be harnessed to…

  • Ancient Rocks, Modern Purpose

    Ancient Rocks, Modern Purpose

    The desert sultanate of Oman is home to some of the weirdest—and possibly most useful—rocks on earth. The stark Hajar mountains, near the border with Saudi Arabia, contain a chunk of earth’s mantle—a zone that makes up most of earth’s mass, but normally lies inaccessible to humans, far below the surface. Here, though, a sliver…

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.

  • Surface Views of the Southern East Africa Rift Inspire a Look Underground

    Surface Views of the Southern East Africa Rift Inspire a Look Underground

    Driving around the Rungwe volcanic province in the southern East Africa Rift installing seismometers, we have the chance to observe first hand how geological processes in action create the most dramatic forms at Earth’s surface.

  • Tackling an Ice Age Mystery

    Tackling an Ice Age Mystery

    In a new study in Nature, climate scientist Maureen Raymo and her colleagues show that variations in sunlight interact with Earth’s topography and the size of ice sheets to control Earth’s ice ages on 100,000 year cycles. One important finding: as ice sheets grow bigger, they also become more vulnerable to melting.

  • Conservation & Environmental Sustainability – Fall 2013 Courses

    Conservation & Environmental Sustainability – Fall 2013 Courses

    The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability (EICES) at Columbia University provides executive training in environmental sustainability through courses in science, economics and policy. We invite you to join our leading experts and practitioners, strengthen your understanding of human-ecosystem interactions, and become an effective environmental leader and decision-maker.

  • A Moon Holiday to Get Away From It All

    A Moon Holiday to Get Away From It All

    A national park on the moon? Preposterous? Not if the Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act, put forward by Congresswomen Donna Reed (D – Maryland) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D – Texas) passes. We could very well be on our way to having a national park on the Moon protecting sites of historical value – where…

  • ‘Highway from Hell’ Fueled Costa Rican Volcano

    Finding Could Lead to Improved Eruption Forecasting

  • Cicadas Leave Trail of Dead Leaves

    Cicadas Leave Trail of Dead Leaves

    As you travel through our region, you may notice stands of trees with branch tips covered in dead leaves. The damage is not from the hot and humid weather, but rather the aftermath of the cicadas.

  • Distant Quakes Trigger Tremors at U.S. Waste-Injection Sites, Says Study

    Finding Could Help Identify Critically Stressed Faults

  • Photo Essay: High Desert, Deep Earth

    Photo Essay: High Desert, Deep Earth

    In the Arabian peninsula nation of Oman, geologists are studying the Hajar mountains–a range containing rocks that have been thrust up from the deep earth. Accessible to humans in only a few places on earth, these kinds of rocks offer clues to the planet’s deep history–and possible ways that natural processes may be harnessed to…

  • Ancient Rocks, Modern Purpose

    Ancient Rocks, Modern Purpose

    The desert sultanate of Oman is home to some of the weirdest—and possibly most useful—rocks on earth. The stark Hajar mountains, near the border with Saudi Arabia, contain a chunk of earth’s mantle—a zone that makes up most of earth’s mass, but normally lies inaccessible to humans, far below the surface. Here, though, a sliver…