State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Antarctica7

  • American Geophysical Union 2017: Key Events From the Earth Institute

    American Geophysical Union 2017: Key Events From the Earth Institute

    A chronological guide to key talks and other events presented by Columbia University’s Earth Institute at the American Geophysical Union 2017 meeting. 

  • A Bit of Sun on an Antarctic Thanksgiving

    A Bit of Sun on an Antarctic Thanksgiving

    The Rosetta team made two big accomplishments this week: Our lidar returned some beautiful 3D images of the sea ice topography, which can be used to study small details of the ice. And our own Chloe Gustafson won first place in the Antarctic Turkey Trot. She now holds the honor of being the first woman…

  • Wind, Snow and Ice: Summer in Antarctica

    Wind, Snow and Ice: Summer in Antarctica

    The theme of the past week has been the weather. Weather is of course always happening, but in the lingo of McMurdo Station, ‘weather’ means ‘bad weather.’

  • Let’s Talk About Crevasses—Deep Fractures in Antarctica’s Ice

    Let’s Talk About Crevasses—Deep Fractures in Antarctica’s Ice

    The word “crevasse” sends shivers down the spine of anyone who works on a glacier. Sometimes hundreds of feet deep and hidden beneath a thin layer of snow, these cracks have claimed the lives of many polar explorers and scientists. They also appear quite frequently in our sensors as we fly our survey flights for…

  • Flying is Easy, Just Think Happy Thoughts…

    Flying is Easy, Just Think Happy Thoughts…

    For scientists mapping Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf, data collection flights require a demanding schedule: The day starts at 4am and sometimes continues throughout the night.

  • Settling in at McMurdo Station in Antarctica

    Settling in at McMurdo Station in Antarctica

    Even though our tent is within a short drive of McMurdo (a small town with most of the safety and logistical equipment on the entire continent), we still need to prepare ourselves for sudden, extreme weather. Every time we leave the relative safety of McMurdo, we carry our Extreme Cold Weather equipment and our tent…

  • What’s a Few Days’ Delay When Preparing to Visit a 33 Million-Year-Old Ice Sheet?

    What’s a Few Days’ Delay When Preparing to Visit a 33 Million-Year-Old Ice Sheet?

    With the Rosetta-Ice team delayed in New Zealand, let’s take a minute to discuss why Antarctica’s weather is so forbidding.

  • Final Stop: Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf

    Final Stop: Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf

    We have embarked! Our third Antarctic field season is underway, putting us only 18 flights away from completing our mission to map the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest ice shelf in Antarctica.

  • East Antarctic Ice Sheet Should Remain Stable Even if the West Melts

    East Antarctic Ice Sheet Should Remain Stable Even if the West Melts

    A new look inside the ice sheet validates predictions that it probably won’t melt as quickly as its neighbor—good news, since East Antarctica contains enough water to raise sea levels by 200 feet.

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

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

  • American Geophysical Union 2017: Key Events From the Earth Institute

    American Geophysical Union 2017: Key Events From the Earth Institute

    A chronological guide to key talks and other events presented by Columbia University’s Earth Institute at the American Geophysical Union 2017 meeting. 

  • A Bit of Sun on an Antarctic Thanksgiving

    A Bit of Sun on an Antarctic Thanksgiving

    The Rosetta team made two big accomplishments this week: Our lidar returned some beautiful 3D images of the sea ice topography, which can be used to study small details of the ice. And our own Chloe Gustafson won first place in the Antarctic Turkey Trot. She now holds the honor of being the first woman…

  • Wind, Snow and Ice: Summer in Antarctica

    Wind, Snow and Ice: Summer in Antarctica

    The theme of the past week has been the weather. Weather is of course always happening, but in the lingo of McMurdo Station, ‘weather’ means ‘bad weather.’

  • Let’s Talk About Crevasses—Deep Fractures in Antarctica’s Ice

    Let’s Talk About Crevasses—Deep Fractures in Antarctica’s Ice

    The word “crevasse” sends shivers down the spine of anyone who works on a glacier. Sometimes hundreds of feet deep and hidden beneath a thin layer of snow, these cracks have claimed the lives of many polar explorers and scientists. They also appear quite frequently in our sensors as we fly our survey flights for…

  • Flying is Easy, Just Think Happy Thoughts…

    Flying is Easy, Just Think Happy Thoughts…

    For scientists mapping Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf, data collection flights require a demanding schedule: The day starts at 4am and sometimes continues throughout the night.

  • Settling in at McMurdo Station in Antarctica

    Settling in at McMurdo Station in Antarctica

    Even though our tent is within a short drive of McMurdo (a small town with most of the safety and logistical equipment on the entire continent), we still need to prepare ourselves for sudden, extreme weather. Every time we leave the relative safety of McMurdo, we carry our Extreme Cold Weather equipment and our tent…

  • What’s a Few Days’ Delay When Preparing to Visit a 33 Million-Year-Old Ice Sheet?

    What’s a Few Days’ Delay When Preparing to Visit a 33 Million-Year-Old Ice Sheet?

    With the Rosetta-Ice team delayed in New Zealand, let’s take a minute to discuss why Antarctica’s weather is so forbidding.

  • Final Stop: Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf

    Final Stop: Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf

    We have embarked! Our third Antarctic field season is underway, putting us only 18 flights away from completing our mission to map the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest ice shelf in Antarctica.

  • East Antarctic Ice Sheet Should Remain Stable Even if the West Melts

    East Antarctic Ice Sheet Should Remain Stable Even if the West Melts

    A new look inside the ice sheet validates predictions that it probably won’t melt as quickly as its neighbor—good news, since East Antarctica contains enough water to raise sea levels by 200 feet.