State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory138

  • Earth’s Climate History, Written in Dust

    Earth’s Climate History, Written in Dust

    Dust blowing onto the oceans can help algae grow and pull CO2 out of the atmosphere. It influences the radiative balance of the planet by reflecting sunlight away. Scientists want to know what role this plays in the coming and going of the ice ages, and how it affects our climate.

  • The Noble Worm

    The Noble Worm

    A poem, first in a series based on what’s been in the news in science, from Katherine Allen, a researcher in geochemistry and paleoclimate at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

  • New Initiative to Focus on Climate and Extreme Weather

    New Initiative to Focus on Climate and Extreme Weather

    Superstorm Sandy expert Adam Sobel is getting ready to launch a new initiative on extreme weather, thanks to a €250,000 two-year AXA Award in Climate and Extreme Weather he has just received from the AXA Research Fund.

  • Lamont-Doherty Dedicates New Geochemistry Facility

    Lamont-Doherty Dedicates New Geochemistry Facility

    In late 2013, the dream of creating a uniquely powerful facility for the Lamont-Doherty Geochemistry Division became a reality upon completion of the Comer Building’s Ultra Clean Laboratory. On the afternoon of November 20th, this new laboratory was dedicated in front of an audience of Observatory Advisory Board members, donors, scientists and other members of…

  • Can Eco-Tourism Lead to an ‘Eco-Civilization’?

    Can Eco-Tourism Lead to an ‘Eco-Civilization’?

    Does blending a group of respected business professionals, academics, spiritual leaders, media, policy specialists and artists in a custom eco-tourism experience provide a pathway to developing a passionate and committed group of individuals?

  • Explore the Arctic Ocean With ‘IceTracker’

    Explore the Arctic Ocean With ‘IceTracker’

    This week, we are launching a test of “IceTracker”—a tool that allows users to see the trajectories of Arctic sea ice forward or backward from any day between 1981 and 2012, as well as sea-ice speed, air temperature, water depth and the age of the sea ice.

  • The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer

    The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer

    The Marcus G. Langseth, a research vessel operated by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, traverses the world’s oceans conducting marine seismic studies that contribute to new understanding of Earth systems. The ship typically spends half the year or more on research expeditions led by Lamont-Doherty scientists and colleagues from other research institutes.

  • Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

    Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

    Understanding the climate history of Mono Lake will help scientists understand the future impact of climate change. This is no esoteric question for Los Angeles, which depends in part on Mono Lake’s watershed for drinking water, green lawns, agriculture and industry.

  • Rising Seas Pose a Growing Threat to Coastlines

    Rising Seas Pose a Growing Threat to Coastlines

    The jury is still out on how tropical storms will change as climate warms, but rising sea levels will almost certainly place more coastal property at risk of flooding, says a team of scientists writing in the journal Nature.

  • Earth’s Climate History, Written in Dust

    Earth’s Climate History, Written in Dust

    Dust blowing onto the oceans can help algae grow and pull CO2 out of the atmosphere. It influences the radiative balance of the planet by reflecting sunlight away. Scientists want to know what role this plays in the coming and going of the ice ages, and how it affects our climate.

  • The Noble Worm

    The Noble Worm

    A poem, first in a series based on what’s been in the news in science, from Katherine Allen, a researcher in geochemistry and paleoclimate at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

  • New Initiative to Focus on Climate and Extreme Weather

    New Initiative to Focus on Climate and Extreme Weather

    Superstorm Sandy expert Adam Sobel is getting ready to launch a new initiative on extreme weather, thanks to a €250,000 two-year AXA Award in Climate and Extreme Weather he has just received from the AXA Research Fund.

  • Lamont-Doherty Dedicates New Geochemistry Facility

    Lamont-Doherty Dedicates New Geochemistry Facility

    In late 2013, the dream of creating a uniquely powerful facility for the Lamont-Doherty Geochemistry Division became a reality upon completion of the Comer Building’s Ultra Clean Laboratory. On the afternoon of November 20th, this new laboratory was dedicated in front of an audience of Observatory Advisory Board members, donors, scientists and other members of…

  • Can Eco-Tourism Lead to an ‘Eco-Civilization’?

    Can Eco-Tourism Lead to an ‘Eco-Civilization’?

    Does blending a group of respected business professionals, academics, spiritual leaders, media, policy specialists and artists in a custom eco-tourism experience provide a pathway to developing a passionate and committed group of individuals?

  • Explore the Arctic Ocean With ‘IceTracker’

    Explore the Arctic Ocean With ‘IceTracker’

    This week, we are launching a test of “IceTracker”—a tool that allows users to see the trajectories of Arctic sea ice forward or backward from any day between 1981 and 2012, as well as sea-ice speed, air temperature, water depth and the age of the sea ice.

  • The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer

    The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer

    The Marcus G. Langseth, a research vessel operated by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, traverses the world’s oceans conducting marine seismic studies that contribute to new understanding of Earth systems. The ship typically spends half the year or more on research expeditions led by Lamont-Doherty scientists and colleagues from other research institutes.

  • Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

    Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

    Understanding the climate history of Mono Lake will help scientists understand the future impact of climate change. This is no esoteric question for Los Angeles, which depends in part on Mono Lake’s watershed for drinking water, green lawns, agriculture and industry.

  • Rising Seas Pose a Growing Threat to Coastlines

    Rising Seas Pose a Growing Threat to Coastlines

    The jury is still out on how tropical storms will change as climate warms, but rising sea levels will almost certainly place more coastal property at risk of flooding, says a team of scientists writing in the journal Nature.