State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory146

  • Climbing Mount Chirripó

    Climbing Mount Chirripó

    On the hike up Costa Rica’s Mount Chirripó, Lamont geologists Max Cunningham and Mike Kaplan encounter varied climates and vegetation.

  • Mount Chirripó: Shaped by Glaciers or Tectonic Forces?

    Mount Chirripó: Shaped by Glaciers or Tectonic Forces?

    Lamont-Doherty graduate student Max Cunningham describes his upcoming research objectives on Costa Rica’s Mount Chirripó.

  • George Kukla, Contrarian Climate Scientist

    George Kukla, a climate scientist who was among the first to warn of the power of global climate change and inspire government study, died on May 31 at his home in Suffern, N.Y. The cause was an apparent heart attack; he was 84. In a career spanning more than five decades, much of it spent…

  • How High Will Sea Levels Rise?

    How High Will Sea Levels Rise?

    Scientists from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are trying to determine how high sea levels may rise in the future by studying the shorelines of the past. Led by a team of researchers including Lamont climate scientist and marine geologist Maureen Raymo, the goal of Pliomax is to increase the accuracy of global sea level estimates for…

  • Clock Is Ticking in West Antarctic

    Clock Is Ticking in West Antarctic

    “The high-resolution records that we’re getting and the high-resolution models we’re able to make now are sort of moving the questions a little bit closer into human, understandable time frames.”

  • Climate and the Opal Artisans of the Sea

    Climate and the Opal Artisans of the Sea

    Tiny one-celled organisms called radiolaria are ubiquitous in the oceans, but various species prefer distinct habitats. Thus it aroused considerable intrigue in 2012 when protozoa specialist O. Roger Anderson and colleagues published a study showing that radiolaria normally found near the equator were suddenly floating around in arctic waters above Norway. Was this a sign…

  • 3 Reports Bring a Wake-Up Call: Change the Conversation

    3 Reports Bring a Wake-Up Call: Change the Conversation

    Three scientific reports echo the message that climate change and its impacts are here and now, with more to come. So how to change the conversation to reach beyond the already informed and connect to a much larger population?

  • Photo Essay: Norwegian Rocks

    Photo Essay: Norwegian Rocks

    Geologist John Templeton recently spent a year on Norway’s west coast trying to understand how rocks now at the surface made an epic journey deep into Earth’s interior and back during the growth and subsequent collapse of the ancient Caledonian mountains. Check out a photo essay describing his work.

  • Barbados Corals

    Barbados Corals

    A new video, “Flip Flops and Outcrops,” captures good vibrations from a recent Columbia University geology field trip to the Caribbean island of Barbados

Colorful icons representing nature, sustainable living, and renewable energy with text "Earth Day 2026"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. Today, our scientists and experts are tackling the most pressing challenges to achieve real-world impact. This Earth Day, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • Climbing Mount Chirripó

    Climbing Mount Chirripó

    On the hike up Costa Rica’s Mount Chirripó, Lamont geologists Max Cunningham and Mike Kaplan encounter varied climates and vegetation.

  • Mount Chirripó: Shaped by Glaciers or Tectonic Forces?

    Mount Chirripó: Shaped by Glaciers or Tectonic Forces?

    Lamont-Doherty graduate student Max Cunningham describes his upcoming research objectives on Costa Rica’s Mount Chirripó.

  • George Kukla, Contrarian Climate Scientist

    George Kukla, a climate scientist who was among the first to warn of the power of global climate change and inspire government study, died on May 31 at his home in Suffern, N.Y. The cause was an apparent heart attack; he was 84. In a career spanning more than five decades, much of it spent…

  • How High Will Sea Levels Rise?

    How High Will Sea Levels Rise?

    Scientists from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are trying to determine how high sea levels may rise in the future by studying the shorelines of the past. Led by a team of researchers including Lamont climate scientist and marine geologist Maureen Raymo, the goal of Pliomax is to increase the accuracy of global sea level estimates for…

  • Clock Is Ticking in West Antarctic

    Clock Is Ticking in West Antarctic

    “The high-resolution records that we’re getting and the high-resolution models we’re able to make now are sort of moving the questions a little bit closer into human, understandable time frames.”

  • Climate and the Opal Artisans of the Sea

    Climate and the Opal Artisans of the Sea

    Tiny one-celled organisms called radiolaria are ubiquitous in the oceans, but various species prefer distinct habitats. Thus it aroused considerable intrigue in 2012 when protozoa specialist O. Roger Anderson and colleagues published a study showing that radiolaria normally found near the equator were suddenly floating around in arctic waters above Norway. Was this a sign…

  • 3 Reports Bring a Wake-Up Call: Change the Conversation

    3 Reports Bring a Wake-Up Call: Change the Conversation

    Three scientific reports echo the message that climate change and its impacts are here and now, with more to come. So how to change the conversation to reach beyond the already informed and connect to a much larger population?

  • Photo Essay: Norwegian Rocks

    Photo Essay: Norwegian Rocks

    Geologist John Templeton recently spent a year on Norway’s west coast trying to understand how rocks now at the surface made an epic journey deep into Earth’s interior and back during the growth and subsequent collapse of the ancient Caledonian mountains. Check out a photo essay describing his work.

  • Barbados Corals

    Barbados Corals

    A new video, “Flip Flops and Outcrops,” captures good vibrations from a recent Columbia University geology field trip to the Caribbean island of Barbados