State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Ecology33

  • Fragile States Use Geospatial Data and Maps to Better Manage Natural Resources

    Fragile States Use Geospatial Data and Maps to Better Manage Natural Resources

    Some of the world’s poorest nations have an abundance of natural resources, but also have suffered under recent conflicts. Learning how to manage these resources strategically and sustainably can help accelerate growth and development. A new web-based mapping tool may be able to help them do that.

  • Paying to Protect the Environment

    Paying to Protect the Environment

    Ecosystems provide humankind with food, fuel and fiber; they help clean the air and water, control flooding and regulate climate. Now, a group of scientists has laid out guidelines to gauge how effective we are at setting a price on such benefits of nature.

  • Geology and Filming in Mizoram

    Geology and Filming in Mizoram

    In the small town of Kolasib, we stayed in Hotel Cloud 9. I had been told since I was a child that I was always off on Cloud 9 and now I was actually here. However, the electricity wasn’t for the first few hours, so showers were cold, but the dinner was hot.

  • Buzz Kill

    Buzz Kill

    To feed our own species, we race, Wild herbage, corn rows replace…

  • Adapting to the Unexpected

    Adapting to the Unexpected

    I grew up outside of Chicago and I wasn’t a Boy Scout, so sometimes I feel like I missed out on learning the type of practical—albeit rarely used—skills that would have garnered merit badges. Now that I’m nearing the conclusion of my fourth research expedition at sea, I think I have amassed a few badge-worthy…

  • Tiger Footprints and Dhaka

    Tiger Footprints and Dhaka

    We finished our time in the Sundarbans with a silent boat ride in a tidal creek. The highlight was sets of fresh tiger footprints. We then had a long sail back to Dhaka with only one stop at a village. We then had a whirlwind tour of Old Dhaka with enough shopping to send the…

  • Salt Kilns and Landscape Change in the Sundarbans

    Salt Kilns and Landscape Change in the Sundarbans

    Leaving Hiron Point, we headed east through the Sundarbans to Kotka. At Kotka the students had walks through the forest seeing deer, wild boar and monkeys, while a smaller group also sampled near a set of 300 year old salt making kilns for OSL dating. We managed to finish while the tide inundated the site.…

  • Polder 32 and Hiron Point

    Polder 32 and Hiron Point

    We visited Polder 32, an embanked island in the delta that was flooded for almost two years when the embankment failed in several places during Cyclone Aila. In addition to the problem of increased subsidence due to the embankment, the area struggles for fresh water. Then we sailed to Hiron Point, a forest station in…

  • Creating a ‘Safe Space’ for Iconic Ecosystems

    Creating a ‘Safe Space’ for Iconic Ecosystems

    Important global ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest and Great Barrier Reef are in danger of breaking down because of a combination of local pressures and climate change, but better local management could help make these areas more resilient.

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

  • Fragile States Use Geospatial Data and Maps to Better Manage Natural Resources

    Fragile States Use Geospatial Data and Maps to Better Manage Natural Resources

    Some of the world’s poorest nations have an abundance of natural resources, but also have suffered under recent conflicts. Learning how to manage these resources strategically and sustainably can help accelerate growth and development. A new web-based mapping tool may be able to help them do that.

  • Paying to Protect the Environment

    Paying to Protect the Environment

    Ecosystems provide humankind with food, fuel and fiber; they help clean the air and water, control flooding and regulate climate. Now, a group of scientists has laid out guidelines to gauge how effective we are at setting a price on such benefits of nature.

  • Geology and Filming in Mizoram

    Geology and Filming in Mizoram

    In the small town of Kolasib, we stayed in Hotel Cloud 9. I had been told since I was a child that I was always off on Cloud 9 and now I was actually here. However, the electricity wasn’t for the first few hours, so showers were cold, but the dinner was hot.

  • Buzz Kill

    Buzz Kill

    To feed our own species, we race, Wild herbage, corn rows replace…

  • Adapting to the Unexpected

    Adapting to the Unexpected

    I grew up outside of Chicago and I wasn’t a Boy Scout, so sometimes I feel like I missed out on learning the type of practical—albeit rarely used—skills that would have garnered merit badges. Now that I’m nearing the conclusion of my fourth research expedition at sea, I think I have amassed a few badge-worthy…

  • Tiger Footprints and Dhaka

    Tiger Footprints and Dhaka

    We finished our time in the Sundarbans with a silent boat ride in a tidal creek. The highlight was sets of fresh tiger footprints. We then had a long sail back to Dhaka with only one stop at a village. We then had a whirlwind tour of Old Dhaka with enough shopping to send the…

  • Salt Kilns and Landscape Change in the Sundarbans

    Salt Kilns and Landscape Change in the Sundarbans

    Leaving Hiron Point, we headed east through the Sundarbans to Kotka. At Kotka the students had walks through the forest seeing deer, wild boar and monkeys, while a smaller group also sampled near a set of 300 year old salt making kilns for OSL dating. We managed to finish while the tide inundated the site.…

  • Polder 32 and Hiron Point

    Polder 32 and Hiron Point

    We visited Polder 32, an embanked island in the delta that was flooded for almost two years when the embankment failed in several places during Cyclone Aila. In addition to the problem of increased subsidence due to the embankment, the area struggles for fresh water. Then we sailed to Hiron Point, a forest station in…

  • Creating a ‘Safe Space’ for Iconic Ecosystems

    Creating a ‘Safe Space’ for Iconic Ecosystems

    Important global ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest and Great Barrier Reef are in danger of breaking down because of a combination of local pressures and climate change, but better local management could help make these areas more resilient.