Press Release12
-

In a Lamentable Year, Finland Again is the Happiest Country in the World
The 2021 World Happiness Report marks a somber moment as COVID-19 continues to rage on a little more than a year since it was declared a pandemic by the WHO.
-

Fossil Plants at Bottom of the Greenland Ice Sheet Warn of Future Melting
The discovery of fossil plants below a mile of Greenland ice indicates that the ice sheet completely melted in the past, and suggests it could rapidly do so again.
-

Volcanoes May Have Large, Lasting Impacts on Global Precipitation
A new study employs natural climate archives such as tree rings to better understand volcanoes’ impacts on global rainfall patterns.
-

Yes, These Flesh-Eating Algae Are Real. And They Like Their Prey Alive.
New research suggests that photosynthetic green algae also eat bacteria on a previously unsuspected scale.
-

CO2 Dip May Have Helped Dinosaurs Walk From South America to Greenland
A new study identifies a climate phenomenon that may have helped sauropodomorphs spread northward across the Pangea supercontinent.
-

Fast-Growing Parts of Africa See a Surprise: Less Air Pollution From Seasonal Fires
Unfortunately, growing urban emissions mean that the reprieve may only be temporary.
-

Future COVID-19 Relief Should Focus More on Children
A new report points out some of the ways children are getting left behind during COVID-19 and other disasters — and how we can do better.
-

2020 Tied With 2016 as the Hottest Year on Record
Scientists at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies find that 2020 was statistically equal with 2016, continuing a long-term trend.
-

Will Global Warming Bring a Change in the Winds? Dust from the Deep Sea Provides a Clue.
A new study traces three-million-year-old winds to help predict future circulation patterns.

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
