State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General139

  • Passing Ships in the Night

    Passing Ships in the Night

    By Helene Carton As part of our study of the Juan de Fuca plate from its birth at the mid-ocean ridge to its recycling at the Cascadia subduction zone, the R/V Oceanus has the task of conducting Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) operations and oceanographic measurements: this is done in close coordination with the R/V Langseth,…

  • MPA Students Present Initial Research Findings at Midterm Presentations

    MPA Students Present Initial Research Findings at Midterm Presentations

    On Wednesday, June 27, students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (ESP) program presented their midterm Workshop briefings for fellow students, staff, and invited guests at the School of International and Public Affairs. This summer’s Workshop projects, intended for ESP students to gain experience tackling tough environmental problems by working…

  • A Major Legal Victory for Climate Science

    A Major Legal Victory for Climate Science

         Though most attention last week focused on the Supreme Court ruling upholding federal reform of the health-care system, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued the most important judicial decision on climate change in five years.  That decision upholds the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to regulate greenhouse gases, and it…

  • Water Center, PepsiCo Foundation Present Sustainable Water Successes at Rio+20

    Water Center, PepsiCo Foundation Present Sustainable Water Successes at Rio+20

    The rural communities of Ceará, Brazil, had long been accustomed to drought and the problems that result: food insecurity, death of livestock, and conflict over scarce water resources. While Ceara’s problems may have been typical of a water scarce region in the developing world, the work of the Columbia Water Center and PepsiCo Foundation has…

  • Studying Cutting-Edge Carbon Storage Technologies

    Studying Cutting-Edge Carbon Storage Technologies

    This past June, PhD candidates from Earth Institute’s Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy Miriam Okun and Yinghuang Ji traveled to Alabama to attend Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS), an intensive 10-day program hosted by Southern Company and sponsored by the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory.  The program allowed participants to study cutting-edge…

  • MS Student Presents Sustainable Solutions for NYC Public High School

    MS Student Presents Sustainable Solutions for NYC Public High School

    Prior to completing the MS in Sustainability Management program in December 2011, Sarah Bacon conducted a sustainability assessment of a public school in New York City for her independent capstone thesis. Bacon used the CO2 conversion factors of PlaNYC, the agenda created by Mayor Bloomberg to create a greener New York City and in doing…

  • MPA Students Apply Classroom Knowledge at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    MPA Students Apply Classroom Knowledge at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    On Monday, June 25, the students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program took a field trip to Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, NY. The trip was organized and led by Lamont Associate Research Professors Jason Smerdon and Juerg Matter, who teach Climatology and Environmental Chemistry respectively during…

  • Mapping Water Circulation Within Cascadia Basin

    Heading west from coastal Oregon we are able to make our initial seismic images beneath the seafloor continuously as we go. Where once our data would have been recorded on magnetic tapes only to be analyzed long after the expedition was over, thanks to the wonders of modern signal processing, we can now make images…

  • X-Ray Vision Beneath the Seafloor

    X-Ray Vision Beneath the Seafloor

    Yesterday we deployed one of the Langseth’s long cables equipped with listening devices and began the second phase of our survey which we have been awaiting with much anticipation.

Blue banner with kids and Earth photos. Text: "Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House, Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10am-4pm.

On Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 4pm, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House—our biggest, best science fun and discovery event of the year—will take place on our beautiful campus in Palisades, NY. Mark your calendar and join us for this free, family-friendly celebration of science! RSVP Today!

  • Passing Ships in the Night

    Passing Ships in the Night

    By Helene Carton As part of our study of the Juan de Fuca plate from its birth at the mid-ocean ridge to its recycling at the Cascadia subduction zone, the R/V Oceanus has the task of conducting Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) operations and oceanographic measurements: this is done in close coordination with the R/V Langseth,…

  • MPA Students Present Initial Research Findings at Midterm Presentations

    MPA Students Present Initial Research Findings at Midterm Presentations

    On Wednesday, June 27, students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (ESP) program presented their midterm Workshop briefings for fellow students, staff, and invited guests at the School of International and Public Affairs. This summer’s Workshop projects, intended for ESP students to gain experience tackling tough environmental problems by working…

  • A Major Legal Victory for Climate Science

    A Major Legal Victory for Climate Science

         Though most attention last week focused on the Supreme Court ruling upholding federal reform of the health-care system, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued the most important judicial decision on climate change in five years.  That decision upholds the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to regulate greenhouse gases, and it…

  • Water Center, PepsiCo Foundation Present Sustainable Water Successes at Rio+20

    Water Center, PepsiCo Foundation Present Sustainable Water Successes at Rio+20

    The rural communities of Ceará, Brazil, had long been accustomed to drought and the problems that result: food insecurity, death of livestock, and conflict over scarce water resources. While Ceara’s problems may have been typical of a water scarce region in the developing world, the work of the Columbia Water Center and PepsiCo Foundation has…

  • Studying Cutting-Edge Carbon Storage Technologies

    Studying Cutting-Edge Carbon Storage Technologies

    This past June, PhD candidates from Earth Institute’s Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy Miriam Okun and Yinghuang Ji traveled to Alabama to attend Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS), an intensive 10-day program hosted by Southern Company and sponsored by the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory.  The program allowed participants to study cutting-edge…

  • MS Student Presents Sustainable Solutions for NYC Public High School

    MS Student Presents Sustainable Solutions for NYC Public High School

    Prior to completing the MS in Sustainability Management program in December 2011, Sarah Bacon conducted a sustainability assessment of a public school in New York City for her independent capstone thesis. Bacon used the CO2 conversion factors of PlaNYC, the agenda created by Mayor Bloomberg to create a greener New York City and in doing…

  • MPA Students Apply Classroom Knowledge at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    MPA Students Apply Classroom Knowledge at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    On Monday, June 25, the students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program took a field trip to Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, NY. The trip was organized and led by Lamont Associate Research Professors Jason Smerdon and Juerg Matter, who teach Climatology and Environmental Chemistry respectively during…

  • Mapping Water Circulation Within Cascadia Basin

    Heading west from coastal Oregon we are able to make our initial seismic images beneath the seafloor continuously as we go. Where once our data would have been recorded on magnetic tapes only to be analyzed long after the expedition was over, thanks to the wonders of modern signal processing, we can now make images…

  • X-Ray Vision Beneath the Seafloor

    X-Ray Vision Beneath the Seafloor

    Yesterday we deployed one of the Langseth’s long cables equipped with listening devices and began the second phase of our survey which we have been awaiting with much anticipation.