State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Geohazards in Bangladesh6

  • To Kale for the First GPS Station

    To Kale for the First GPS Station

    We drove 15 hours over two days to get to Kale, our new home base. Here, we managed to build a monument and install our first GPS station in only one day. Our homemade post-driver worked amazingly well.

  • Installing GPS in Myanmar

    Installing GPS in Myanmar

    We believe the IndoBurman subduction zone is active and that there is a significant earthquake hazard in this densely populated region. We are installing GPS stations to monitor it.

  • Finishing Up in Bangladesh

    Finishing Up in Bangladesh

    In the final push, we split into multiple teams, and caught up and completed all the seismometer installations on time.

  • Installing the seismometer array

    Installing the seismometer array

    Helping Jim’s team, I assisted in installing stations and scouting locations. While some stations go quickly, others took multiple trips to find a good site. Time is growing short for getting all the seismometer installations done on time.

  • Transition to Seismology Scouting

    Transition to Seismology Scouting

    As we finished scouting and installing the GPS stations, we started to assist the seismology team in getting permission to install there instruments in Tea Estates.

  • Finishing the GPS Scouting

    Finishing the GPS Scouting

    We drove through the hills of Sylhet passed rice fields and tea plantations, and through woods looking for appropriate spots to install our GPS systems.

  • Primary Schools to the Rescue

    Primary Schools to the Rescue

    Up ahead was a school, perfect for a GPS installation. Schools proved to be the best sites in the hills, which we covered in either tea plantations or woods.

  • Installing the First Two GPS Sites

    Installing the First Two GPS Sites

    From our base in Srimongal, now came the challenging work of finding appropriate locations to install the GPS. It requires a combination of the right tectonic setting and reinforced concrete buildings.

  • Fellowship of the Seismometers

    Fellowship of the Seismometers

    I am back in Bangladesh to start deployment of seismometers and GPS for a large new project that crosses 3 countries: Bangladesh, India and Myanmar.

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

  • To Kale for the First GPS Station

    To Kale for the First GPS Station

    We drove 15 hours over two days to get to Kale, our new home base. Here, we managed to build a monument and install our first GPS station in only one day. Our homemade post-driver worked amazingly well.

  • Installing GPS in Myanmar

    Installing GPS in Myanmar

    We believe the IndoBurman subduction zone is active and that there is a significant earthquake hazard in this densely populated region. We are installing GPS stations to monitor it.

  • Finishing Up in Bangladesh

    Finishing Up in Bangladesh

    In the final push, we split into multiple teams, and caught up and completed all the seismometer installations on time.

  • Installing the seismometer array

    Installing the seismometer array

    Helping Jim’s team, I assisted in installing stations and scouting locations. While some stations go quickly, others took multiple trips to find a good site. Time is growing short for getting all the seismometer installations done on time.

  • Transition to Seismology Scouting

    Transition to Seismology Scouting

    As we finished scouting and installing the GPS stations, we started to assist the seismology team in getting permission to install there instruments in Tea Estates.

  • Finishing the GPS Scouting

    Finishing the GPS Scouting

    We drove through the hills of Sylhet passed rice fields and tea plantations, and through woods looking for appropriate spots to install our GPS systems.

  • Primary Schools to the Rescue

    Primary Schools to the Rescue

    Up ahead was a school, perfect for a GPS installation. Schools proved to be the best sites in the hills, which we covered in either tea plantations or woods.

  • Installing the First Two GPS Sites

    Installing the First Two GPS Sites

    From our base in Srimongal, now came the challenging work of finding appropriate locations to install the GPS. It requires a combination of the right tectonic setting and reinforced concrete buildings.

  • Fellowship of the Seismometers

    Fellowship of the Seismometers

    I am back in Bangladesh to start deployment of seismometers and GPS for a large new project that crosses 3 countries: Bangladesh, India and Myanmar.