Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory104
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In Biblical Land, Searching for Droughts Past and Future
Human-influenced climate warming has already reduced rainfall and increased evaporation in the Mideast, worsening water shortages. Up to now, climate scientists had projected that rainfall could decline another 20 percent by 2100. But the Dead Sea cores suggest that things could become much worse, much faster.
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Photo Essay: The Dead Sea, Living Waters and Megadrought
Thousands of years before Biblical times, during a period when temperatures were unusually high, the lands around the Dead Sea now occupied by Israel, Jordan and surrounding nations suffered megadroughts far worse than any recorded by humans. Warming climate now threatens to return such conditions to this already hard-pressed region.
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Improving Tools for Predicting Wildfires
During a conference at Columbia University, scientists pinpointed areas where advances in fire prediction can be made within the next decade.
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What’s a Few Days’ Delay When Preparing to Visit a 33 Million-Year-Old Ice Sheet?
With the Rosetta-Ice team delayed in New Zealand, let’s take a minute to discuss why Antarctica’s weather is so forbidding.
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Under the Sea Ice, Behold the Ancient Arctic Jellyfish
A video reveals mature jellyfish under the Arctic sea ice, where they aren’t supposed to be.
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New York Is Still Feeling the Effects of Hurricane Sandy, Five Years Later
In October 2012, Sandy devastated large swaths of the city with floods and fire. How well have we recovered? And will we be ready for the next big storm?
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Final Stop: Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf
We have embarked! Our third Antarctic field season is underway, putting us only 18 flights away from completing our mission to map the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest ice shelf in Antarctica.
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Expedition Explores Undersea Rift off Greece
The Corinth rift is one of the most seismically active areas in Europe. Starting this month, researchers will drill into the rift to discover its past and future.
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What Is a Supervolcano, and Should You Really Be Worried About the One at Yellowstone?
Despite recent media reports, there’s no imminent threat, says Columbia geologist Einat Lev.

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings“
