State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

climate science32

  • We Don’t Know All About Hurricanes–But We Know Enough to Act

    We Don’t Know All About Hurricanes–But We Know Enough to Act

    Sandy instantly brought a new kind of national media attention to the influence of global warming on weather disasters. After several years of near-silence on climate from our political leaders and the mainstream media, the renewed attention is profoundly welcome.

  • The ‘Skinny’ on Antarctic Sea Ice

    The ‘Skinny’ on Antarctic Sea Ice

    One piece of our IceBridge mission focuses on sea ice here in the south. Sea ice in the northern regions has been reducing at dramatic rates over the last decade, setting a new record just this year, but the story in the south is not so clear. In fact, there has been a buzz that…

  • Socially Speaking, the State of the Planet

    Socially Speaking, the State of the Planet

    If you wanted to get a sense of the State of the Planet, you didn’t need to be at the Columbia University conference on Oct. 11. You just needed to follow #SOP2012. Six hundred people gathered at the event to think about the future of sustainable development, while 476 people sent 1,300 tweets, making about…

  • The Science and the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy

    The Science and the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy

    Reports and studies have been imagining events like Sandy for years now; so why were so few people ready to listen? And will this lead to a serious conversation about climate change in the halls of power?

  • A Talk with Sean Solomon, Lamont-Doherty’s New Director

    A Talk with Sean Solomon, Lamont-Doherty’s New Director

    “The Observatory has remained a powerhouse in Earth science research and a very special place. The scientists here are true explorers—creative and fiercely independent.”

  • Epic Wetness in Greater NYC, and What Broadleaf Trees Have to Say About It

    Epic Wetness in Greater NYC, and What Broadleaf Trees Have to Say About It

    2012 is turning out to be an exceptional year in the eastern US. Starting out with what was essentially a #YearWithoutaWinter, followed by a heat wave in March, a hot summer, Macoun and Cortland apples coming in 2-3 weeks early, and the continuation of a severe drought in the Southern US that expanded into the Midwest…

  • Polar Climate Change Education Partnership Receives $5.6 Million Grant

    Polar Climate Change Education Partnership Receives $5.6 Million Grant

    The Columbia Climate Center led PoLAR Climate Change Education Partnership receives a $5.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), one of six awards under the Climate Change Education Partnership-Phase II program.

  • The New Climate Dice: The Odds Have Shifted to Hot

    The New Climate Dice: The Odds Have Shifted to Hot

    This year’s Midwest heat wave and some other recent extreme weather events are no fluke of nature, but a consequence of a warming planet, according to an analysis of climate data by NASA scientists.

  • Investigating the World’s Oceans, Pole to Pole and Deep Below the Bottom

    Investigating the World’s Oceans, Pole to Pole and Deep Below the Bottom

    Watch a slide show featuring ongoing research by scientists at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, whose work around the globe is key to understanding past changes in the oceans and what is going on today.

  • We Don’t Know All About Hurricanes–But We Know Enough to Act

    We Don’t Know All About Hurricanes–But We Know Enough to Act

    Sandy instantly brought a new kind of national media attention to the influence of global warming on weather disasters. After several years of near-silence on climate from our political leaders and the mainstream media, the renewed attention is profoundly welcome.

  • The ‘Skinny’ on Antarctic Sea Ice

    The ‘Skinny’ on Antarctic Sea Ice

    One piece of our IceBridge mission focuses on sea ice here in the south. Sea ice in the northern regions has been reducing at dramatic rates over the last decade, setting a new record just this year, but the story in the south is not so clear. In fact, there has been a buzz that…

  • Socially Speaking, the State of the Planet

    Socially Speaking, the State of the Planet

    If you wanted to get a sense of the State of the Planet, you didn’t need to be at the Columbia University conference on Oct. 11. You just needed to follow #SOP2012. Six hundred people gathered at the event to think about the future of sustainable development, while 476 people sent 1,300 tweets, making about…

  • The Science and the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy

    The Science and the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy

    Reports and studies have been imagining events like Sandy for years now; so why were so few people ready to listen? And will this lead to a serious conversation about climate change in the halls of power?

  • A Talk with Sean Solomon, Lamont-Doherty’s New Director

    A Talk with Sean Solomon, Lamont-Doherty’s New Director

    “The Observatory has remained a powerhouse in Earth science research and a very special place. The scientists here are true explorers—creative and fiercely independent.”

  • Epic Wetness in Greater NYC, and What Broadleaf Trees Have to Say About It

    Epic Wetness in Greater NYC, and What Broadleaf Trees Have to Say About It

    2012 is turning out to be an exceptional year in the eastern US. Starting out with what was essentially a #YearWithoutaWinter, followed by a heat wave in March, a hot summer, Macoun and Cortland apples coming in 2-3 weeks early, and the continuation of a severe drought in the Southern US that expanded into the Midwest…

  • Polar Climate Change Education Partnership Receives $5.6 Million Grant

    Polar Climate Change Education Partnership Receives $5.6 Million Grant

    The Columbia Climate Center led PoLAR Climate Change Education Partnership receives a $5.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), one of six awards under the Climate Change Education Partnership-Phase II program.

  • The New Climate Dice: The Odds Have Shifted to Hot

    The New Climate Dice: The Odds Have Shifted to Hot

    This year’s Midwest heat wave and some other recent extreme weather events are no fluke of nature, but a consequence of a warming planet, according to an analysis of climate data by NASA scientists.

  • Investigating the World’s Oceans, Pole to Pole and Deep Below the Bottom

    Investigating the World’s Oceans, Pole to Pole and Deep Below the Bottom

    Watch a slide show featuring ongoing research by scientists at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, whose work around the globe is key to understanding past changes in the oceans and what is going on today.