State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

climate change135

  • Petermann Glacier: At a glacial pace?

    Petermann Glacier: At a glacial pace?

    We are beginning our focus on the land based ice of northern Greenland. Flying out of Thule places us close to Petermann Glacier situated in Greenland’s northwest corner. The focus of our first flight of this phase of the project (the overall 29th flight of the season!) is Petermann Glacier. Perhaps Greenland’s most newsworthy glacier…

  • Can Big Earthquakes Disrupt World Weather?

    Can Big Earthquakes Disrupt World Weather?

    The recent earthquake in Japan shifted the earth’s axis by half a foot. You may be wondering if that’s enough to change earth’s weather. No, not really, says Jerry McManus, a climate scientist at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Earthquakes unleash a tremendous amount of energy, but not enough to upset the energy balance of earth’s…

  • A 30 year history of measuring Greenland’s Breathtaking Vistas

    A 30 year history of measuring Greenland’s Breathtaking Vistas

    We flew our last science flight out of Kangerlussuaq Base (western Greenland) over the Geikie Peninsula, on the east coast of Greenland. This high priority mission had not been completed prior to this because of difficult weather in the peninsula area. The mission focus was to determine how the surface ice elevation and ice thickness…

  • Study Links Ozone Hole to Weather Shifts

    Depletion Said to Increase Rainfall in Subtropics

  • Growing Up: Water Efficiency and Sunless Farming

    Growing Up: Water Efficiency and Sunless Farming

    As Earth’s population continues to grow and a dynamic global climate shifts our expectations of where and when food can be grown, scientists are trying to find new ways to get more from less.

  • Communicating with the Six Americas of Climate Change

    Communicating with the Six Americas of Climate Change

    The 2009 study by the Yale Project on Climate Change and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, “Global Warming’s Six Americas: An Audience Segmentation Analysis,” classified Americans based on their views on climate change into six groups (Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, Dismissive). This report helped climate communicators distinguish and better attune…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 4/03

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 4/03

    Glaciers in Chile ‘melt at fastest rate in 350 years,’ BBC, Apr. 3 According to new research by the Universities of Aberystwyth, Exeter, and Stockholm, mountain glaciers of the Patagonian icefield are melting and causing sea level rise at the fastest rate in the past 350 years.  Using remote-sensing technology, the scientists were able to…

  • A Flood at Home More Motivational Than a Flood of Information

    A Flood at Home More Motivational Than a Flood of Information

    Is it necessary for your house to be flooded for you to feel personally threatened by climate change? Maybe not – but according to a March behavior study, a soggy basement will probably make you more inclined to take action to mitigate climate change. Despite the consensus within the scientific community that immediate action is…

  • Some People’s Climate Beliefs Shift With Weather

    Study Shows Daily Malleability on a Long-Term Question

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The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. Today, our scientists and experts are tackling the most pressing challenges to achieve real-world impact. This Earth Day, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • Petermann Glacier: At a glacial pace?

    Petermann Glacier: At a glacial pace?

    We are beginning our focus on the land based ice of northern Greenland. Flying out of Thule places us close to Petermann Glacier situated in Greenland’s northwest corner. The focus of our first flight of this phase of the project (the overall 29th flight of the season!) is Petermann Glacier. Perhaps Greenland’s most newsworthy glacier…

  • Can Big Earthquakes Disrupt World Weather?

    Can Big Earthquakes Disrupt World Weather?

    The recent earthquake in Japan shifted the earth’s axis by half a foot. You may be wondering if that’s enough to change earth’s weather. No, not really, says Jerry McManus, a climate scientist at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Earthquakes unleash a tremendous amount of energy, but not enough to upset the energy balance of earth’s…

  • A 30 year history of measuring Greenland’s Breathtaking Vistas

    A 30 year history of measuring Greenland’s Breathtaking Vistas

    We flew our last science flight out of Kangerlussuaq Base (western Greenland) over the Geikie Peninsula, on the east coast of Greenland. This high priority mission had not been completed prior to this because of difficult weather in the peninsula area. The mission focus was to determine how the surface ice elevation and ice thickness…

  • Study Links Ozone Hole to Weather Shifts

    Depletion Said to Increase Rainfall in Subtropics

  • Growing Up: Water Efficiency and Sunless Farming

    Growing Up: Water Efficiency and Sunless Farming

    As Earth’s population continues to grow and a dynamic global climate shifts our expectations of where and when food can be grown, scientists are trying to find new ways to get more from less.

  • Communicating with the Six Americas of Climate Change

    Communicating with the Six Americas of Climate Change

    The 2009 study by the Yale Project on Climate Change and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, “Global Warming’s Six Americas: An Audience Segmentation Analysis,” classified Americans based on their views on climate change into six groups (Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, Dismissive). This report helped climate communicators distinguish and better attune…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 4/03

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 4/03

    Glaciers in Chile ‘melt at fastest rate in 350 years,’ BBC, Apr. 3 According to new research by the Universities of Aberystwyth, Exeter, and Stockholm, mountain glaciers of the Patagonian icefield are melting and causing sea level rise at the fastest rate in the past 350 years.  Using remote-sensing technology, the scientists were able to…

  • A Flood at Home More Motivational Than a Flood of Information

    A Flood at Home More Motivational Than a Flood of Information

    Is it necessary for your house to be flooded for you to feel personally threatened by climate change? Maybe not – but according to a March behavior study, a soggy basement will probably make you more inclined to take action to mitigate climate change. Despite the consensus within the scientific community that immediate action is…

  • Some People’s Climate Beliefs Shift With Weather

    Study Shows Daily Malleability on a Long-Term Question