ice ages
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Climate Change Stopped the Next Ice Age
New research shows that 2,000 years ago, remnants of an Arctic ice sheet began growing again, marking the start of a new glacial period—what we commonly call an ice age. But by the 1960s, global warming had raised summer temperatures enough to reverse that growth.
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Why Did Glacial Cycles Intensify a Million Years Ago?
A new study suggests that a million years ago, glaciers began sticking more persistently to their beds, triggering cycles of longer ice ages.
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Tackling a 40 Million-Year-Old Conundrum
A new study bolsters the idea that the uplifts of the Himalayas and Andes that began tens of millions years ago helped trigger the many ice ages that followed.
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The ‘Zealandia Switch’: Missing Link in Big Natural Climate Shifts?
Movements of winds in the Southern Hemisphere may be the key to waxing and waning of ice ages, says a new study.
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Maureen Raymo Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Maureen Raymo, a marine geologist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory whose name is connected with key theories about how ice ages wax and wane and how sea levels change, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors awarded to scientists in the United States.
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Study Tracks an Abrupt Climate Shift as Ice Age Glaciers Began to Retreat
That change would have affected the monsoons, today relied on to feed over half the world’s population, and could have helped tip the climate system over the threshold for deglaciation.
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Ancient Ocean Currents May Have Changed Pacing and Intensity of Ice Ages
Slowing of Currents May Have Flipped Switch, Says Study
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Did New Zealand Dust Influence the Last Ice Age?
Bess Koffman, a postdoctoral researcher at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, recently traveled to New Zealand to collect dust ground-up by glaciers during the last ice age. In this photo essay, she explains how she collected the dust, what analysis looks like in the lab and what she hopes to learn.
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Climate Scientist Is First Woman to Win Geology’s Storied Wollaston Medal
A climate scientist who has suggested how mountain building can lower Earth’s thermostat and why ice ages sometimes wax and wane at different speeds has been awarded one of geology’s oldest and most coveted prizes: the British Wollaston Medal. The first woman to win a Wollaston in the prize’s 183-year history, Maureen Raymo, a researcher…
COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More
