State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

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  • Switchyard Project: In Transit…Part 2

    Switchyard Project: In Transit…Part 2

    April 27, 2011: We spent the night in Thule in the North Star Hotel. Before we could leave Thule the crew had to load the cargo back into the C130. Equipment is loaded onto palettes, and these palettes are loaded through the rear door into the plane. A C130 can handle four palettes with two tons of cargo…

  • Switchyard Project: In Transit…Part 1

    Switchyard Project: In Transit…Part 1

    Bags are packed and ready to go. April 25, 2011: We left Lamont in the afternoon to Schenectady, close to Scotia where the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard is located that will fly us up to CFS Alert. That unit provides extensive logistical support for all U.S. science operations in the arctic and…

  • Switchyard Project: Tracking the Arctic Seascape

    Switchyard Project: Tracking the Arctic Seascape

    Arctic summer sea ice is declining rapidly: a trend with enormous implications for global weather and climate. The multi-year Arctic Switchyard project will seek to distinguish the effects of natural climate variability from those of human-induced climate change.

Banner: Climate Week NYC 2025, September 21-28, 2025
  • Switchyard Project: In Transit…Part 2

    Switchyard Project: In Transit…Part 2

    April 27, 2011: We spent the night in Thule in the North Star Hotel. Before we could leave Thule the crew had to load the cargo back into the C130. Equipment is loaded onto palettes, and these palettes are loaded through the rear door into the plane. A C130 can handle four palettes with two tons of cargo…

  • Switchyard Project: In Transit…Part 1

    Switchyard Project: In Transit…Part 1

    Bags are packed and ready to go. April 25, 2011: We left Lamont in the afternoon to Schenectady, close to Scotia where the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard is located that will fly us up to CFS Alert. That unit provides extensive logistical support for all U.S. science operations in the arctic and…

  • Switchyard Project: Tracking the Arctic Seascape

    Switchyard Project: Tracking the Arctic Seascape

    Arctic summer sea ice is declining rapidly: a trend with enormous implications for global weather and climate. The multi-year Arctic Switchyard project will seek to distinguish the effects of natural climate variability from those of human-induced climate change.