State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory127

  • Setting Sail? Plan for the Unexpected

    Setting Sail? Plan for the Unexpected

    In the weeks before departing for my first scientific cruise, everyone I knew who had ever been to sea gave me some form of the same advice: Nothing ever works the way you expect it to work at sea.

  • Testing the Speed of Lava: What It Says about Escape Times & Mars

    Testing the Speed of Lava: What It Says about Escape Times & Mars

    Elise Rumpf’s lava flow simulations are yielding new details about the velocity of lava over different surfaces. They may also hold clues about the surfaces of other planets.

  • Catch Up on the Latest in Earth Science with AGU Sessions Live Online

    Catch Up on the Latest in Earth Science with AGU Sessions Live Online

    The American Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting opens in San Francisco this week. Catch up on your interests through AGU’s On-Demand live stream.

  • What Is Ocean Acidification & Why Does It Matter?

    What Is Ocean Acidification & Why Does It Matter?

    Excess carbon dioxide absorbed into the oceans is starting to have profound effects on marine life, from oysters to tiny snails at the base of the food chain. Our scientists explain the changes and what they are learning about ocean acidification in the past.

  • MPA-ESP Alum Serves as Earth Institute Postdoctoral Fellow

    MPA-ESP Alum Serves as Earth Institute Postdoctoral Fellow

    For Justin Mankin, the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program helped expose his passion for environmental science. Mankin is currently serving as an Earth Institute postdoctoral fellow and research scientist, where he is focusing on climate variability.

  • Partnering Best Minds in Science & Business to Take on Climate Change

    Partnering Best Minds in Science & Business to Take on Climate Change

    While national governments can set goals for combating climate change, many of the decisions that lead to action will come from business leaders. The new Columbia Center for Climate and Life helps them build from a foundation of science.

  • Antarctica’s Ice: the Big Picture

    Antarctica’s Ice: the Big Picture

    The impacts of climate change are being felt around the world, but the changes in the polar regions have been more pronounced. The world began to take notice to these changes when an ice shelf roughly the size of Rhode Island collapsed into the ocean in 2002.

  • Using LiDAR to Shine a Light on Ross Ice Shelf

    Using LiDAR to Shine a Light on Ross Ice Shelf

    LiDar (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing technique that uses light to develop an elevation image of the surface of the Earth. It is sensitive enough to image small items such as seals lying on the ice surface.

  • Greenland Glaciers Retreating Faster than Any Time in Past 9,500 Years

    Greenland Glaciers Retreating Faster than Any Time in Past 9,500 Years

    A new study uses sediment cores to track the expansion and retreat of glaciers through time, and finds that they are retreating quickly and are more sensitive to temperature change than previously realized.

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

  • Setting Sail? Plan for the Unexpected

    Setting Sail? Plan for the Unexpected

    In the weeks before departing for my first scientific cruise, everyone I knew who had ever been to sea gave me some form of the same advice: Nothing ever works the way you expect it to work at sea.

  • Testing the Speed of Lava: What It Says about Escape Times & Mars

    Testing the Speed of Lava: What It Says about Escape Times & Mars

    Elise Rumpf’s lava flow simulations are yielding new details about the velocity of lava over different surfaces. They may also hold clues about the surfaces of other planets.

  • Catch Up on the Latest in Earth Science with AGU Sessions Live Online

    Catch Up on the Latest in Earth Science with AGU Sessions Live Online

    The American Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting opens in San Francisco this week. Catch up on your interests through AGU’s On-Demand live stream.

  • What Is Ocean Acidification & Why Does It Matter?

    What Is Ocean Acidification & Why Does It Matter?

    Excess carbon dioxide absorbed into the oceans is starting to have profound effects on marine life, from oysters to tiny snails at the base of the food chain. Our scientists explain the changes and what they are learning about ocean acidification in the past.

  • MPA-ESP Alum Serves as Earth Institute Postdoctoral Fellow

    MPA-ESP Alum Serves as Earth Institute Postdoctoral Fellow

    For Justin Mankin, the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program helped expose his passion for environmental science. Mankin is currently serving as an Earth Institute postdoctoral fellow and research scientist, where he is focusing on climate variability.

  • Partnering Best Minds in Science & Business to Take on Climate Change

    Partnering Best Minds in Science & Business to Take on Climate Change

    While national governments can set goals for combating climate change, many of the decisions that lead to action will come from business leaders. The new Columbia Center for Climate and Life helps them build from a foundation of science.

  • Antarctica’s Ice: the Big Picture

    Antarctica’s Ice: the Big Picture

    The impacts of climate change are being felt around the world, but the changes in the polar regions have been more pronounced. The world began to take notice to these changes when an ice shelf roughly the size of Rhode Island collapsed into the ocean in 2002.

  • Using LiDAR to Shine a Light on Ross Ice Shelf

    Using LiDAR to Shine a Light on Ross Ice Shelf

    LiDar (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing technique that uses light to develop an elevation image of the surface of the Earth. It is sensitive enough to image small items such as seals lying on the ice surface.

  • Greenland Glaciers Retreating Faster than Any Time in Past 9,500 Years

    Greenland Glaciers Retreating Faster than Any Time in Past 9,500 Years

    A new study uses sediment cores to track the expansion and retreat of glaciers through time, and finds that they are retreating quickly and are more sensitive to temperature change than previously realized.