State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Ecology66

  • Apply Now for Summer Ecosystem Experience for Undergraduates (SEE-U)

    Apply Now for Summer Ecosystem Experience for Undergraduates (SEE-U)

    The Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates (SEE-U) program provides undergraduate students of all majors from all accredited colleges or universities with a global understanding of ecology and environmental sustainability. It provides students with the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in unique natural settings in addition to participation in a combination of classroom lectures and lab work.

  • Still Time to Apply for Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Program

    Still Time to Apply for Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Program

    There is still time to apply for classes in Module 3 of the Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Program.

  • Lend me a Helping Trunk

    Lend me a Helping Trunk

    Researchers at the University of Cambridge recently found that elephants understand and can display complex levels of cooperation to reach a common goal.

  • Conservation in Alaska: If It Sounds Familiar…

    Conservation in Alaska: If It Sounds Familiar…

    It occurred to me while reading noted historian Douglas Brinkley’s new book The Quiet World: Saving Alaska’s Wilderness Kingdom 1879-1960 that some things don’t seem to change. Brinkley’s book chronicles the efforts of the Federal government to save wild Alaska from the extraction industries, mining, timber and fisheries primarily. The notion over one hundred years…

  • Biodiversity and Health Extinction by Infection: Biodiversity makes a difference.

    Biodiversity and Health Extinction by Infection: Biodiversity makes a difference.

    Throughout the past several decades, countless species have been infected by non-native deadly diseases and ultimately crashed in numbers. A survey of important case studies highlight the importance of mitigating the virulence of the planet’s pathogens.

  • A Natural Wonder Rediscovered

    A Natural Wonder Rediscovered

    Scientists using underwater sensors to explore Lake Rotomahana in New Zealand have uncovered remnants of the “Pink Terraces,” once considered the eighth natural wonder of the world. Lamont-Doherty scientist Vicki Ferrini was working with colleagues from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and GNS Science of New Zealand at the site, near Rotorua, to map the…

  • CERC Symposium – Live Coverage on Twitter

    CERC Symposium – Live Coverage on Twitter

    On March 1st, 2011, CERC will host Sustaining Life, Securing Our Future, a day-long symposium that brings together leaders in biodiversity research, conservation, and education to present on the extraordinary diversity of the natural world and its role in securing a sustainable future. CERC will be tweeting live information as the conference unfolds!

  • Dead Baby Dolphins and The Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

    Dead Baby Dolphins and The Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

    Researchers report that dead baby dolphins emerged along the shores of the Gulf, potentially an important finding in light of the spill.

  • A Tentative Year for REDD+: Placing Value on Forests

    A Tentative Year for REDD+: Placing Value on Forests

    Forests, particularly tropical forests, are economically valuable for their biodiversity and, especially relevant for climate change, their ability to store carbon within their vegetation and soil. Alternately, destruction of forests releases carbon into the atmosphere. Deforestation and forest degradation account for 12-20% of GHG emissions. REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is a…

  • Apply Now for Summer Ecosystem Experience for Undergraduates (SEE-U)

    Apply Now for Summer Ecosystem Experience for Undergraduates (SEE-U)

    The Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates (SEE-U) program provides undergraduate students of all majors from all accredited colleges or universities with a global understanding of ecology and environmental sustainability. It provides students with the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in unique natural settings in addition to participation in a combination of classroom lectures and lab work.

  • Still Time to Apply for Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Program

    Still Time to Apply for Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Program

    There is still time to apply for classes in Module 3 of the Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Program.

  • Lend me a Helping Trunk

    Lend me a Helping Trunk

    Researchers at the University of Cambridge recently found that elephants understand and can display complex levels of cooperation to reach a common goal.

  • Conservation in Alaska: If It Sounds Familiar…

    Conservation in Alaska: If It Sounds Familiar…

    It occurred to me while reading noted historian Douglas Brinkley’s new book The Quiet World: Saving Alaska’s Wilderness Kingdom 1879-1960 that some things don’t seem to change. Brinkley’s book chronicles the efforts of the Federal government to save wild Alaska from the extraction industries, mining, timber and fisheries primarily. The notion over one hundred years…

  • Biodiversity and Health Extinction by Infection: Biodiversity makes a difference.

    Biodiversity and Health Extinction by Infection: Biodiversity makes a difference.

    Throughout the past several decades, countless species have been infected by non-native deadly diseases and ultimately crashed in numbers. A survey of important case studies highlight the importance of mitigating the virulence of the planet’s pathogens.

  • A Natural Wonder Rediscovered

    A Natural Wonder Rediscovered

    Scientists using underwater sensors to explore Lake Rotomahana in New Zealand have uncovered remnants of the “Pink Terraces,” once considered the eighth natural wonder of the world. Lamont-Doherty scientist Vicki Ferrini was working with colleagues from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and GNS Science of New Zealand at the site, near Rotorua, to map the…

  • CERC Symposium – Live Coverage on Twitter

    CERC Symposium – Live Coverage on Twitter

    On March 1st, 2011, CERC will host Sustaining Life, Securing Our Future, a day-long symposium that brings together leaders in biodiversity research, conservation, and education to present on the extraordinary diversity of the natural world and its role in securing a sustainable future. CERC will be tweeting live information as the conference unfolds!

  • Dead Baby Dolphins and The Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

    Dead Baby Dolphins and The Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

    Researchers report that dead baby dolphins emerged along the shores of the Gulf, potentially an important finding in light of the spill.

  • A Tentative Year for REDD+: Placing Value on Forests

    A Tentative Year for REDD+: Placing Value on Forests

    Forests, particularly tropical forests, are economically valuable for their biodiversity and, especially relevant for climate change, their ability to store carbon within their vegetation and soil. Alternately, destruction of forests releases carbon into the atmosphere. Deforestation and forest degradation account for 12-20% of GHG emissions. REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is a…