State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

climate science26

  • Q&A: Park Williams on Drought, Climate and ‘Cracking the Code’

    Q&A: Park Williams on Drought, Climate and ‘Cracking the Code’

    “Future extremes are going to occur more and more frequently. In planning, we don’t need to plan for the 2 degree warming that we are aiming for as a globe, we need to plan for the 10 degree increase in a day, or the year when there’s no water. We need to plan for worst-case…

  • Internships: Work with NASA Scientists on Climate Change

    Internships: Work with NASA Scientists on Climate Change

    An internship program at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York is offering graduate students a chance to work with NASA scientists on climate change research.

  • Moving into the Realm of the Polar Bear

    Moving into the Realm of the Polar Bear

    When we venture into the Arctic for research for most of us there is the lingering hope that a polar bear will appear on our watch; at least as long as we are safely outside of its reach.

  • Tree Rings on Hawai’i Could Hold New Knowledge About El Niño

    Tree Rings on Hawai’i Could Hold New Knowledge About El Niño

    Annual tree rings are a rare find in the tropical islands of the eastern Pacific. The new discovery of trees with annual rings on a Hawaiian volcano could provide new climate data from a part of the world where much of the variability of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation originates.

  • Tracing the Arctic

    Tracing the Arctic

    The land surrounding the Arctic Ocean is like a set of cradling arms, holding the ocean and the sea ice in a circular grasp. Within that cradle is a unique mix of waters, including freshwater from melting glacial ice and large rivers, and a salty mix of relatively warm Atlantic water and the cooler Pacific…

  • The Extreme Pacific Climate Now

    The Extreme Pacific Climate Now

    The climate over the tropical Pacific is in an extreme state at the moment. That explains some of the extreme anomalies affecting the United States right now. It also gives us a window through which we can glimpse how even more dramatic and long-term climates of the distant past might have worked.

  • Hurricane Histories and Carbon Mysteries

    Hurricane Histories and Carbon Mysteries

    The Bahamas might be a vacation destination for most people. But for us, they represent an excellent site to study several different questions about past, present and future climates.

  • Forecast Sees a Stronger El Niño

    Forecast Sees a Stronger El Niño

    El Niño is back, and it looks like it will be getting stronger. While it’s difficult to predict the impact precisely, El Niño can alter patterns of drought and rainfall around the world.

  • Global Warming’s ‘Missing’ Heat: It May Be in the Indian Ocean

    Global Warming’s ‘Missing’ Heat: It May Be in the Indian Ocean

    Since the late 1990s, global warming has stabilized, even as greenhouse gases have risen. That defies simple models that say the temperature should keep going up. A team of oceanographers now says they know where the missing heat has gone.

Colorful icons representing nature, sustainable living, and renewable energy with text "Earth Day 2026"

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.

  • Q&A: Park Williams on Drought, Climate and ‘Cracking the Code’

    Q&A: Park Williams on Drought, Climate and ‘Cracking the Code’

    “Future extremes are going to occur more and more frequently. In planning, we don’t need to plan for the 2 degree warming that we are aiming for as a globe, we need to plan for the 10 degree increase in a day, or the year when there’s no water. We need to plan for worst-case…

  • Internships: Work with NASA Scientists on Climate Change

    Internships: Work with NASA Scientists on Climate Change

    An internship program at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York is offering graduate students a chance to work with NASA scientists on climate change research.

  • Moving into the Realm of the Polar Bear

    Moving into the Realm of the Polar Bear

    When we venture into the Arctic for research for most of us there is the lingering hope that a polar bear will appear on our watch; at least as long as we are safely outside of its reach.

  • Tree Rings on Hawai’i Could Hold New Knowledge About El Niño

    Tree Rings on Hawai’i Could Hold New Knowledge About El Niño

    Annual tree rings are a rare find in the tropical islands of the eastern Pacific. The new discovery of trees with annual rings on a Hawaiian volcano could provide new climate data from a part of the world where much of the variability of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation originates.

  • Tracing the Arctic

    Tracing the Arctic

    The land surrounding the Arctic Ocean is like a set of cradling arms, holding the ocean and the sea ice in a circular grasp. Within that cradle is a unique mix of waters, including freshwater from melting glacial ice and large rivers, and a salty mix of relatively warm Atlantic water and the cooler Pacific…

  • The Extreme Pacific Climate Now

    The Extreme Pacific Climate Now

    The climate over the tropical Pacific is in an extreme state at the moment. That explains some of the extreme anomalies affecting the United States right now. It also gives us a window through which we can glimpse how even more dramatic and long-term climates of the distant past might have worked.

  • Hurricane Histories and Carbon Mysteries

    Hurricane Histories and Carbon Mysteries

    The Bahamas might be a vacation destination for most people. But for us, they represent an excellent site to study several different questions about past, present and future climates.

  • Forecast Sees a Stronger El Niño

    Forecast Sees a Stronger El Niño

    El Niño is back, and it looks like it will be getting stronger. While it’s difficult to predict the impact precisely, El Niño can alter patterns of drought and rainfall around the world.

  • Global Warming’s ‘Missing’ Heat: It May Be in the Indian Ocean

    Global Warming’s ‘Missing’ Heat: It May Be in the Indian Ocean

    Since the late 1990s, global warming has stabilized, even as greenhouse gases have risen. That defies simple models that say the temperature should keep going up. A team of oceanographers now says they know where the missing heat has gone.