State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory125

  • Pump Meltwater Back on Antarctica? Do You Have 850,000 Wind Turbines?

    Pump Meltwater Back on Antarctica? Do You Have 850,000 Wind Turbines?

    A new study that looked at the feasibility of lowering sea levels by pumping water onto icy Antarctica offers a warning about the costs today’s greenhouse gas emissions may be creating for future generations.

  • Scientists Prepare ‘Climate City’ for Take-Off

    Scientists Prepare ‘Climate City’ for Take-Off

    Sometime soon, a flock of “Climate Birds” could be ascending from a former NATO base in northeast France to take the measure of climate change around the world.

  • We’re Headed for Mozambique!

    We’re Headed for Mozambique!

    After weeks of anticipation, permission arrived just in time to core off Mozambique. Sidney Hemming and her team of scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution are excited about what they might learn from the ocean sediment.

  • MESSENGER Data Reveal Evidence of Ancient Carbon-Rich Crust on Mercury

    MESSENGER Data Reveal Evidence of Ancient Carbon-Rich Crust on Mercury

    Mercury’s dark surface is revealing intriguing new clues about the formation of the solar system, including evidence announced today that the planet closest to the Sun may have formed in part from carbon, a key component of life.

  • Bleach Patrol: Turning Surfers into Scientists to Help Coral Reefs

    Bleach Patrol: Turning Surfers into Scientists to Help Coral Reefs

    With coral bleaching spreading, a new project and app called Bleach Patrol is putting surfers, divers and snorkelers to work as citizen scientists, keeping an eye on the world’s coral reefs.

  • Peering into Chile’s Quizapu Volcano

    Peering into Chile’s Quizapu Volcano

    In their quest to unravel the physical and chemical processes controlling volcanic eruptions, Einat Lev and colleagues headed to South America and the volcanoes of Chile.

  • In a Vast Ocean, Studying Impact of the Tiniest Creatures

    In a Vast Ocean, Studying Impact of the Tiniest Creatures

    Vast portions of the oceans contain low levels of the nutrients that normally sustain life. Yet these areas are not devoid of life. Once thought to be biological deserts, recent research has shown that such nutrient-poor marine systems could significantly contribute to the amount of carbon dioxide that is trapped into the deep ocean, influencing…

  • Syria’s Drought Likely Its Most Severe in More than 900 Years

    Syria’s Drought Likely Its Most Severe in More than 900 Years

    “If climate change is having an impact and is making droughts worse, then we should see this in the record over several centuries—and we do,” said the study’s author, Benjamin Cook.

  • Trials & Tribulations of Coring the Agulhas Plateau

    Trials & Tribulations of Coring the Agulhas Plateau

    Trying to drill sediment cores while the ship rides large ocean swells off the coast of Africa isn’t easy, but it’s paying off for science, writes Sidney Hemming.

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

  • Pump Meltwater Back on Antarctica? Do You Have 850,000 Wind Turbines?

    Pump Meltwater Back on Antarctica? Do You Have 850,000 Wind Turbines?

    A new study that looked at the feasibility of lowering sea levels by pumping water onto icy Antarctica offers a warning about the costs today’s greenhouse gas emissions may be creating for future generations.

  • Scientists Prepare ‘Climate City’ for Take-Off

    Scientists Prepare ‘Climate City’ for Take-Off

    Sometime soon, a flock of “Climate Birds” could be ascending from a former NATO base in northeast France to take the measure of climate change around the world.

  • We’re Headed for Mozambique!

    We’re Headed for Mozambique!

    After weeks of anticipation, permission arrived just in time to core off Mozambique. Sidney Hemming and her team of scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution are excited about what they might learn from the ocean sediment.

  • MESSENGER Data Reveal Evidence of Ancient Carbon-Rich Crust on Mercury

    MESSENGER Data Reveal Evidence of Ancient Carbon-Rich Crust on Mercury

    Mercury’s dark surface is revealing intriguing new clues about the formation of the solar system, including evidence announced today that the planet closest to the Sun may have formed in part from carbon, a key component of life.

  • Bleach Patrol: Turning Surfers into Scientists to Help Coral Reefs

    Bleach Patrol: Turning Surfers into Scientists to Help Coral Reefs

    With coral bleaching spreading, a new project and app called Bleach Patrol is putting surfers, divers and snorkelers to work as citizen scientists, keeping an eye on the world’s coral reefs.

  • Peering into Chile’s Quizapu Volcano

    Peering into Chile’s Quizapu Volcano

    In their quest to unravel the physical and chemical processes controlling volcanic eruptions, Einat Lev and colleagues headed to South America and the volcanoes of Chile.

  • In a Vast Ocean, Studying Impact of the Tiniest Creatures

    In a Vast Ocean, Studying Impact of the Tiniest Creatures

    Vast portions of the oceans contain low levels of the nutrients that normally sustain life. Yet these areas are not devoid of life. Once thought to be biological deserts, recent research has shown that such nutrient-poor marine systems could significantly contribute to the amount of carbon dioxide that is trapped into the deep ocean, influencing…

  • Syria’s Drought Likely Its Most Severe in More than 900 Years

    Syria’s Drought Likely Its Most Severe in More than 900 Years

    “If climate change is having an impact and is making droughts worse, then we should see this in the record over several centuries—and we do,” said the study’s author, Benjamin Cook.

  • Trials & Tribulations of Coring the Agulhas Plateau

    Trials & Tribulations of Coring the Agulhas Plateau

    Trying to drill sediment cores while the ship rides large ocean swells off the coast of Africa isn’t easy, but it’s paying off for science, writes Sidney Hemming.