State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory138

  • Teen Scientists Team Up with Lamont to Restore an Invaded Marsh

    Teen Scientists Team Up with Lamont to Restore an Invaded Marsh

    “My experience at Lamont has been great and it’s something like no other. Here I was basically being trained to be like a scientist with exposure to lab work, fieldwork and presentation skills.”

  • Dennis E. Hayes, Mapper of the World’s Ocean Beds

    Dennis E. Hayes, Mapper of the World’s Ocean Beds

    Dennis E. Hayes, a marine geophysicist who advanced mapping of the world’s ocean floors, died at his home in New York City on Aug. 6. He was 76.

  • The Disaster Profiteers

    The Disaster Profiteers

    In his new book “The Disaster Profiteers,” Earth Institute professor John Mutter argues that natural disasters are bad for the poor–and can be great for the rich, who often seize resources meant for recovery, when no one is looking.

  • Head for the Hills

    Head for the Hills

    While we spent much of our time examining corals and swamps, studying sea level and storms, we became fascinated by a simple question: How did the hills of Exuma form?

  • Hospitalizations Increase Near Fracking Sites, Study Shows

    Hospitalizations Increase Near Fracking Sites, Study Shows

    People living in areas of Pennsylvania where hydraulic fracturing is booming are suffering increasing rates of hospitalization, a new study says. The study is one of a small but growing number suggesting that the practice could be affecting human health.

  • Battling ‘the Largest Mass Poisoning in History’

    Battling ‘the Largest Mass Poisoning in History’

    As many as one in five deaths in Bangladesh may be tied to naturally occurring arsenic in the drinking water; it is the epicenter of a worldwide problem that is affecting tens of millions of people. For two decades, health specialists and earth scientists from Columbia University have been trying to understand the problem, and…

  • An Algorithm to Investigate Unwelcome Plankton

    An Algorithm to Investigate Unwelcome Plankton

    Computer scientists at Columbia University will work with oceanographers to understand what has caused an unusual plankton-like species to rapidly invade the Arabian Sea food chain, threatening fisheries that sustain more than 100 million people.

  • Vetlesen Science Prize Celebrated at Columbia Gala

    Vetlesen Science Prize Celebrated at Columbia Gala

    Stephen Sparks, one of the world’s foremost experts on volcanoes, received the Vetlesen Prize for his groundbreaking scientific work at a ceremony held June 24 at Columbia University. Two-hundred-fifty people attended the formal gathering in the Low Library Rotunda.

  • Glacial Earthquakes May Help Forecast Sea-Level Rise

    Glacial Earthquakes May Help Forecast Sea-Level Rise

    Glacial earthquakes are produced as massive ice chunks fall off the fronts of advancing glaciers into the ocean. A new study of the quakes’ mechanics may give scientists a way to measure ice loss remotely and refine predictions of sea-level rise.

Banner with images representing environmental issues and text "You Asked: Our Scientists and Experts Answer Your Burning Questions."

You Asked invites you to share your most pressing questions about climate, science, and sustainability. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School experts will respond with clear, evidence-based answers. Pose your questions and story ideas!

  • Teen Scientists Team Up with Lamont to Restore an Invaded Marsh

    Teen Scientists Team Up with Lamont to Restore an Invaded Marsh

    “My experience at Lamont has been great and it’s something like no other. Here I was basically being trained to be like a scientist with exposure to lab work, fieldwork and presentation skills.”

  • Dennis E. Hayes, Mapper of the World’s Ocean Beds

    Dennis E. Hayes, Mapper of the World’s Ocean Beds

    Dennis E. Hayes, a marine geophysicist who advanced mapping of the world’s ocean floors, died at his home in New York City on Aug. 6. He was 76.

  • The Disaster Profiteers

    The Disaster Profiteers

    In his new book “The Disaster Profiteers,” Earth Institute professor John Mutter argues that natural disasters are bad for the poor–and can be great for the rich, who often seize resources meant for recovery, when no one is looking.

  • Head for the Hills

    Head for the Hills

    While we spent much of our time examining corals and swamps, studying sea level and storms, we became fascinated by a simple question: How did the hills of Exuma form?

  • Hospitalizations Increase Near Fracking Sites, Study Shows

    Hospitalizations Increase Near Fracking Sites, Study Shows

    People living in areas of Pennsylvania where hydraulic fracturing is booming are suffering increasing rates of hospitalization, a new study says. The study is one of a small but growing number suggesting that the practice could be affecting human health.

  • Battling ‘the Largest Mass Poisoning in History’

    Battling ‘the Largest Mass Poisoning in History’

    As many as one in five deaths in Bangladesh may be tied to naturally occurring arsenic in the drinking water; it is the epicenter of a worldwide problem that is affecting tens of millions of people. For two decades, health specialists and earth scientists from Columbia University have been trying to understand the problem, and…

  • An Algorithm to Investigate Unwelcome Plankton

    An Algorithm to Investigate Unwelcome Plankton

    Computer scientists at Columbia University will work with oceanographers to understand what has caused an unusual plankton-like species to rapidly invade the Arabian Sea food chain, threatening fisheries that sustain more than 100 million people.

  • Vetlesen Science Prize Celebrated at Columbia Gala

    Vetlesen Science Prize Celebrated at Columbia Gala

    Stephen Sparks, one of the world’s foremost experts on volcanoes, received the Vetlesen Prize for his groundbreaking scientific work at a ceremony held June 24 at Columbia University. Two-hundred-fifty people attended the formal gathering in the Low Library Rotunda.

  • Glacial Earthquakes May Help Forecast Sea-Level Rise

    Glacial Earthquakes May Help Forecast Sea-Level Rise

    Glacial earthquakes are produced as massive ice chunks fall off the fronts of advancing glaciers into the ocean. A new study of the quakes’ mechanics may give scientists a way to measure ice loss remotely and refine predictions of sea-level rise.