State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General81

  • Tale of a Carbon Atom

    Tale of a Carbon Atom

    I am a wild carbon atom, To others I’ve sometimes been bound, Not locked in some hard, rocky stratum, I’m telling you: I get around!

  • ‘Thumbs Up’ for Travel to Kullorsuaq

    ‘Thumbs Up’ for Travel to Kullorsuaq

    At the small airport a smiling woman approaches us asking our plans in one word “Kullorsuaq?” We smile and nod and she grins broadly motioning that she and her daughter are going there too – it is their home she manages to convey.

  • The Changing Upernavik Waterfront

    The Changing Upernavik Waterfront

    Project Background: Changing conditions in Greenland’s northwest glaciers over the last decade have led to a range of questions about water temperature and circulation patterns in the fjords where ocean water meets the glacial fronts.

  • Iron Fingerprints

    Iron Fingerprints

    Metals galore in deep Earth, But at the sea surface, a dearth. Iron is key For greening the sea … To planktic cells, gold has less worth.

  • MPA Students Discover the Gowanus Canal and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    MPA Students Discover the Gowanus Canal and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    The students in the newest MPA in Environmental Science and Policy cohort have spent the summer semester focusing on climatology, environmental chemistry, and ecology while supplementing classroom learning with field trips around New York. The field trips allow the 60 students to look at classroom topics in a real-world context.

  • Glacier Marks on Mount Chirripó

    Glacier Marks on Mount Chirripó

    On his sixth day on Mount Chirripo, Lamont’s Max Cunningham finds clues of the mountain’s origins and evolution.

  • Back to Mount Chirripó

    Back to Mount Chirripó

    On their fifth day of fieldwork on Mount Chirripo, Lamont’s Max Cunningham and Mike Kaplan encounter some deeply weathered boulders.

  • El Niño: The Basics

    El Niño: The Basics

    Forecasts suggest we’re looking ahead to an El Niño event this year—a warming of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean around the equator that can affect weather patterns around the globe. But what exactly is an El Niño event, how strong do forecasters think it’s likely to be, and just how will it affect our…

  • Australopithecene Dental Calculus

    Australopithecene Dental Calculus

    Across a mixed landscape, Au. sediba plods Sometimes on two feet, and sometimes on four, Munching on fruits and leguminous pods, Nuts and some seeds … C3 foods galore!

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings

  • Tale of a Carbon Atom

    Tale of a Carbon Atom

    I am a wild carbon atom, To others I’ve sometimes been bound, Not locked in some hard, rocky stratum, I’m telling you: I get around!

  • ‘Thumbs Up’ for Travel to Kullorsuaq

    ‘Thumbs Up’ for Travel to Kullorsuaq

    At the small airport a smiling woman approaches us asking our plans in one word “Kullorsuaq?” We smile and nod and she grins broadly motioning that she and her daughter are going there too – it is their home she manages to convey.

  • The Changing Upernavik Waterfront

    The Changing Upernavik Waterfront

    Project Background: Changing conditions in Greenland’s northwest glaciers over the last decade have led to a range of questions about water temperature and circulation patterns in the fjords where ocean water meets the glacial fronts.

  • Iron Fingerprints

    Iron Fingerprints

    Metals galore in deep Earth, But at the sea surface, a dearth. Iron is key For greening the sea … To planktic cells, gold has less worth.

  • MPA Students Discover the Gowanus Canal and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    MPA Students Discover the Gowanus Canal and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    The students in the newest MPA in Environmental Science and Policy cohort have spent the summer semester focusing on climatology, environmental chemistry, and ecology while supplementing classroom learning with field trips around New York. The field trips allow the 60 students to look at classroom topics in a real-world context.

  • Glacier Marks on Mount Chirripó

    Glacier Marks on Mount Chirripó

    On his sixth day on Mount Chirripo, Lamont’s Max Cunningham finds clues of the mountain’s origins and evolution.

  • Back to Mount Chirripó

    Back to Mount Chirripó

    On their fifth day of fieldwork on Mount Chirripo, Lamont’s Max Cunningham and Mike Kaplan encounter some deeply weathered boulders.

  • El Niño: The Basics

    El Niño: The Basics

    Forecasts suggest we’re looking ahead to an El Niño event this year—a warming of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean around the equator that can affect weather patterns around the globe. But what exactly is an El Niño event, how strong do forecasters think it’s likely to be, and just how will it affect our…

  • Australopithecene Dental Calculus

    Australopithecene Dental Calculus

    Across a mixed landscape, Au. sediba plods Sometimes on two feet, and sometimes on four, Munching on fruits and leguminous pods, Nuts and some seeds … C3 foods galore!