State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory107

  • Antarctic Ice-Mapping Project Will Fly for the Last Time in October

    Antarctic Ice-Mapping Project Will Fly for the Last Time in October

    With its mission complete, the Rosetta-Ice Project will give scientists an unprecedented look at the Ross Ice Shelf and how it’s changing with the climate.

  • New York’s Waterways Are Swimming in Plastic Microbeads

    New York’s Waterways Are Swimming in Plastic Microbeads

    Plastic microbeads, common in soap, toothpaste and other consumer products, are flooding waters. A team from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory is doing the first large-scale assessment of their impact on New York’s waterways.

  • How Will Climate Change Impact Shelter?

    How Will Climate Change Impact Shelter?

    In this video, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory researchers Robin Bell, Radley Horton, and Adam Sobel explain their research and how it can help improve adaptation practices and make our homes, livelihoods, and the systems we rely on more resilient to extreme weather and sea level rise.

  • Fighting Ivory Trafficking with Forensic Science

    Fighting Ivory Trafficking with Forensic Science

    Last week, just days before Central Park’s big Ivory Crush, a Lamont-Doherty geochemist and his colleague sawed off samples of the confiscated ivory for DNA testing and radiocarbon dating. Their results could determine where and when each elephant was killed—which could help catch the poachers responsible.

  • Fall 2017 Earth Institute Research Assistant Opportunities

    Fall 2017 Earth Institute Research Assistant Opportunities

    The Earth Institute, Columbia University, is offering undergraduate students with research assistant opportunities during the fall 2017 semester. Undergraduates from Columbia and Barnard will be able to serve as research assistants on research projects related to sustainable development and the environment with distinguished faculty and researchers at the cutting edge of this burgeoning field.

  • Fall 2017 Earth Institute Internship Opportunities

    Fall 2017 Earth Institute Internship Opportunities

    The Earth Institute is offering undergraduate, graduate and PhD students with opportunities to intern in various departments and research centers in a variety of administration, communications and research roles. Interns work on a variety of sustainability-focused projects across The Earth Institute. These projects provide interns with hands-on workplace experience, allowing them to grow professionally while…

  • New Images From Under Alaska Seafloor Suggest High Tsunami Danger

    New Images From Under Alaska Seafloor Suggest High Tsunami Danger

    Scientists probing under the seafloor off Alaska have mapped a geologic structure that they say signals potential for a major tsunami in an area that normally would be considered benign.

  • Developing Carbon Management Solutions

    Developing Carbon Management Solutions

    David Goldberg and Peter Kelemen, scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, are at the forefront of carbon capture and storage research. In this video, they discuss their work and how it will contribute to carbon management solutions and strengthen society’s resilience to climate change.

  • Eavesdropping on the Ocean’s Mighty Microorganisms

    Eavesdropping on the Ocean’s Mighty Microorganisms

    Now, nearing the end of our three-week cruise of the North Pacific off Hawaii, we are working to understand how these tiny bacteria connect and communicate with one another.

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

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

  • Antarctic Ice-Mapping Project Will Fly for the Last Time in October

    Antarctic Ice-Mapping Project Will Fly for the Last Time in October

    With its mission complete, the Rosetta-Ice Project will give scientists an unprecedented look at the Ross Ice Shelf and how it’s changing with the climate.

  • New York’s Waterways Are Swimming in Plastic Microbeads

    New York’s Waterways Are Swimming in Plastic Microbeads

    Plastic microbeads, common in soap, toothpaste and other consumer products, are flooding waters. A team from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory is doing the first large-scale assessment of their impact on New York’s waterways.

  • How Will Climate Change Impact Shelter?

    How Will Climate Change Impact Shelter?

    In this video, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory researchers Robin Bell, Radley Horton, and Adam Sobel explain their research and how it can help improve adaptation practices and make our homes, livelihoods, and the systems we rely on more resilient to extreme weather and sea level rise.

  • Fighting Ivory Trafficking with Forensic Science

    Fighting Ivory Trafficking with Forensic Science

    Last week, just days before Central Park’s big Ivory Crush, a Lamont-Doherty geochemist and his colleague sawed off samples of the confiscated ivory for DNA testing and radiocarbon dating. Their results could determine where and when each elephant was killed—which could help catch the poachers responsible.

  • Fall 2017 Earth Institute Research Assistant Opportunities

    Fall 2017 Earth Institute Research Assistant Opportunities

    The Earth Institute, Columbia University, is offering undergraduate students with research assistant opportunities during the fall 2017 semester. Undergraduates from Columbia and Barnard will be able to serve as research assistants on research projects related to sustainable development and the environment with distinguished faculty and researchers at the cutting edge of this burgeoning field.

  • Fall 2017 Earth Institute Internship Opportunities

    Fall 2017 Earth Institute Internship Opportunities

    The Earth Institute is offering undergraduate, graduate and PhD students with opportunities to intern in various departments and research centers in a variety of administration, communications and research roles. Interns work on a variety of sustainability-focused projects across The Earth Institute. These projects provide interns with hands-on workplace experience, allowing them to grow professionally while…

  • New Images From Under Alaska Seafloor Suggest High Tsunami Danger

    New Images From Under Alaska Seafloor Suggest High Tsunami Danger

    Scientists probing under the seafloor off Alaska have mapped a geologic structure that they say signals potential for a major tsunami in an area that normally would be considered benign.

  • Developing Carbon Management Solutions

    Developing Carbon Management Solutions

    David Goldberg and Peter Kelemen, scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, are at the forefront of carbon capture and storage research. In this video, they discuss their work and how it will contribute to carbon management solutions and strengthen society’s resilience to climate change.

  • Eavesdropping on the Ocean’s Mighty Microorganisms

    Eavesdropping on the Ocean’s Mighty Microorganisms

    Now, nearing the end of our three-week cruise of the North Pacific off Hawaii, we are working to understand how these tiny bacteria connect and communicate with one another.