State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

American Southwest

  • Megadrought in Southwest Is Now the Worst in at Least 1,200 Years, Study Confirms

    Megadrought in Southwest Is Now the Worst in at Least 1,200 Years, Study Confirms

    The continuation of dry conditions across a wide region has broken records going back to the year 800. Researchers believe climate change is largely to blame.

  • Climate-Driven Megadrought Is Emerging in Western U.S., Says Study

    Climate-Driven Megadrought Is Emerging in Western U.S., Says Study

    Scientists say a long-feared megadrought, worse than anything in recorded history, seems to be starting up in southwestern North America.

  • Richard Seager Sees Hand of Climate Change in Drought

    Richard Seager Sees Hand of Climate Change in Drought

    California’s wet and snowy winter brings welcome relief from a years-long drought that has challenged the state’s water supply and agricultural system. But climate scientist Richard Seager of Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory offers words of caution: Remember what happened, because it will happen again.

  • Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future

    Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future

    “One of the ways that climate change is going to manifest is through warmer temperatures. … What we are seeing, in line with our projections, is that even if you assume constant precipitation, the temperature effects are so large that it is going to dry things out. This is going to have really big impacts…

Colorful banner image over Earth with text "Open House Discover Science, October 19, 2024, 10am to 4pm

Join us on Saturday, October 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House! Celebrate 75 years of science with us at our beautiful Palisades, NY campus. The event is free and open to everyone, with a suggested $5 donation. Learn More and RSVP

  • Megadrought in Southwest Is Now the Worst in at Least 1,200 Years, Study Confirms

    Megadrought in Southwest Is Now the Worst in at Least 1,200 Years, Study Confirms

    The continuation of dry conditions across a wide region has broken records going back to the year 800. Researchers believe climate change is largely to blame.

  • Climate-Driven Megadrought Is Emerging in Western U.S., Says Study

    Climate-Driven Megadrought Is Emerging in Western U.S., Says Study

    Scientists say a long-feared megadrought, worse than anything in recorded history, seems to be starting up in southwestern North America.

  • Richard Seager Sees Hand of Climate Change in Drought

    Richard Seager Sees Hand of Climate Change in Drought

    California’s wet and snowy winter brings welcome relief from a years-long drought that has challenged the state’s water supply and agricultural system. But climate scientist Richard Seager of Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory offers words of caution: Remember what happened, because it will happen again.

  • Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future

    Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future

    “One of the ways that climate change is going to manifest is through warmer temperatures. … What we are seeing, in line with our projections, is that even if you assume constant precipitation, the temperature effects are so large that it is going to dry things out. This is going to have really big impacts…