State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory148

  • 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.

  • China’s Great Wall Station, Antarctica

    China’s Great Wall Station, Antarctica

    The most anticipated event of the Antarctic Forum was the visit to China’s oldest Antarctic Station. Named for one of China’s most incredible human achievements, the station has grown to 15 buildings from its original handful of structures.

  • West Meets East – Antarctic Forum

    West Meets East – Antarctic Forum

    Remove outside distractions. Place participants in close proximity. Provide opportunities for intellectual stimulation and open dialogue. Promote group activities that are unique and extreme in nature to build common references between the participants. These are the ingredients for structuring an environment for creative group dynamics and problem solving. This is the structure of the Antarctic…

  • Can an Expedition to Antarctica Promote Widespread Change?

    Can an Expedition to Antarctica Promote Widespread Change?

    If you want to excite and inspire people about committing to environmental conservation and harmonious social development, why not load them onto a ship and take them to the ends of the Earth?

  • The Dinosaurs’ Demise Up Close

    The Dinosaurs’ Demise Up Close

    Tourists flock to Italy to see Michelangelo’s David and other iconic hunks of Renaissance stone, but in a trip over spring break, a group of Columbia students got to visit rocks that have shaped the world in even more profound ways.

  • When the Sahara Turned to Sand

    When the Sahara Turned to Sand

    The Sahara wasn’t always a desert. Trees and grasslands dominated the landscape from roughly 10,000 to 5,000 years ago. Then, abruptly, the climate changed. A study by Lamont-Doherty’s Peter deMenocal says it took just a few hundred years to happen.

  • On Nov. 12, Meet Climate Models in New York City

    On Nov. 12, Meet Climate Models in New York City

    Who’s studying Earth’s climate? Why? Where? How? And what are they learning? Panelists will explore these questions and discuss creative methods that can be used to better communicate climate science to the public.

  • The Hottest Thing Since the Hadean Eon

    The Hottest Thing Since the Hadean Eon

    Presenting the 2014 Climate Models wall calendar: the only calendar on Earth that shares the planet’s hottest climate science and the people behind it.

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

  • 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.

  • China’s Great Wall Station, Antarctica

    China’s Great Wall Station, Antarctica

    The most anticipated event of the Antarctic Forum was the visit to China’s oldest Antarctic Station. Named for one of China’s most incredible human achievements, the station has grown to 15 buildings from its original handful of structures.

  • West Meets East – Antarctic Forum

    West Meets East – Antarctic Forum

    Remove outside distractions. Place participants in close proximity. Provide opportunities for intellectual stimulation and open dialogue. Promote group activities that are unique and extreme in nature to build common references between the participants. These are the ingredients for structuring an environment for creative group dynamics and problem solving. This is the structure of the Antarctic…

  • Can an Expedition to Antarctica Promote Widespread Change?

    Can an Expedition to Antarctica Promote Widespread Change?

    If you want to excite and inspire people about committing to environmental conservation and harmonious social development, why not load them onto a ship and take them to the ends of the Earth?

  • The Dinosaurs’ Demise Up Close

    The Dinosaurs’ Demise Up Close

    Tourists flock to Italy to see Michelangelo’s David and other iconic hunks of Renaissance stone, but in a trip over spring break, a group of Columbia students got to visit rocks that have shaped the world in even more profound ways.

  • When the Sahara Turned to Sand

    When the Sahara Turned to Sand

    The Sahara wasn’t always a desert. Trees and grasslands dominated the landscape from roughly 10,000 to 5,000 years ago. Then, abruptly, the climate changed. A study by Lamont-Doherty’s Peter deMenocal says it took just a few hundred years to happen.

  • On Nov. 12, Meet Climate Models in New York City

    On Nov. 12, Meet Climate Models in New York City

    Who’s studying Earth’s climate? Why? Where? How? And what are they learning? Panelists will explore these questions and discuss creative methods that can be used to better communicate climate science to the public.

  • The Hottest Thing Since the Hadean Eon

    The Hottest Thing Since the Hadean Eon

    Presenting the 2014 Climate Models wall calendar: the only calendar on Earth that shares the planet’s hottest climate science and the people behind it.