State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory150

  • ‘Lipreading’ the Icesheet

    ‘Lipreading’ the Icesheet

    Even the most skilled of English language lipreaders are only able to tease apart about 30 percent of the information being shared, I read in a recent article. The author, herself deaf, noted that in some transmissions, the information capture is higher, while in others, nothing is collected. An average of 30 percent information transfer…most…

  • Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Widespread in Hudson River, Study Finds

    Ongoing Risks Come From Sewage

  • Distant Quakes Trigger Tremors at U.S. Waste-Injection Sites, Says Study

    Finding Could Help Identify Critically Stressed Faults

  • In Ethiopian Desert, a Window into Rifting of Africa

    In Ethiopian Desert, a Window into Rifting of Africa

    A new study in the journal Nature provides fresh insight into deep-earth processes driving apart huge sections of the earth’s crust. This rifting mostly takes place on seabeds, but can be seen in a few places on land—nowhere more visibly than in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia.

  • Tides Play a Role in Triggering Undersea Earthquakes

    Tides Play a Role in Triggering Undersea Earthquakes

    Can shifting tides trigger earthquakes? Research done by Maya Tolstoy, a geophysicist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, suggests they do.

  • 400 ppm World, Part 1: Large Changes Still to Come

    400 ppm World, Part 1: Large Changes Still to Come

    Why should society care that CO2 is now as high as 400 ppm? The reasons are multiple, but all trace back to the relationship between CO2 and temperature.

  • Climate in the Peruvian Andes:  From Early Humans to Modern Challenges

    Climate in the Peruvian Andes: From Early Humans to Modern Challenges

    Twice humans have witnessed the wasting of snow and ice from Peru’s tallest volcano, Nevado Coropuna—In the waning of the last ice age, some 12,000 years ago, and today, as industrial carbon dioxide in the air raises temperatures again. As in the past, Coropuna’s retreating glaciers figure prominently in the lives of people below. In…

  • Lamont Scientist Featured in Antarctic Climate Change Documentary

    Lamont Scientist Featured in Antarctic Climate Change Documentary

    Lamont-Doherty scientist Hugh Ducklow is featured in a documentary due out next summer on climate change and the West Antarctic Peninsula. Catch a preview in this newly-released trailer.

  • A Tale of Sea Ice, Algae and the Arctic

    A Tale of Sea Ice, Algae and the Arctic

    I returned to New York on Monday, but Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists Andy Juhl and Craig Aumack remain working in Barrow, Alaska for another week. They’ll continue to collect data and samples in a race against deteriorating Arctic sea ice conditions as the onset of summer causes the ice to thin and break up.

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

  • ‘Lipreading’ the Icesheet

    ‘Lipreading’ the Icesheet

    Even the most skilled of English language lipreaders are only able to tease apart about 30 percent of the information being shared, I read in a recent article. The author, herself deaf, noted that in some transmissions, the information capture is higher, while in others, nothing is collected. An average of 30 percent information transfer…most…

  • Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Widespread in Hudson River, Study Finds

    Ongoing Risks Come From Sewage

  • Distant Quakes Trigger Tremors at U.S. Waste-Injection Sites, Says Study

    Finding Could Help Identify Critically Stressed Faults

  • In Ethiopian Desert, a Window into Rifting of Africa

    In Ethiopian Desert, a Window into Rifting of Africa

    A new study in the journal Nature provides fresh insight into deep-earth processes driving apart huge sections of the earth’s crust. This rifting mostly takes place on seabeds, but can be seen in a few places on land—nowhere more visibly than in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia.

  • Tides Play a Role in Triggering Undersea Earthquakes

    Tides Play a Role in Triggering Undersea Earthquakes

    Can shifting tides trigger earthquakes? Research done by Maya Tolstoy, a geophysicist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, suggests they do.

  • 400 ppm World, Part 1: Large Changes Still to Come

    400 ppm World, Part 1: Large Changes Still to Come

    Why should society care that CO2 is now as high as 400 ppm? The reasons are multiple, but all trace back to the relationship between CO2 and temperature.

  • Climate in the Peruvian Andes:  From Early Humans to Modern Challenges

    Climate in the Peruvian Andes: From Early Humans to Modern Challenges

    Twice humans have witnessed the wasting of snow and ice from Peru’s tallest volcano, Nevado Coropuna—In the waning of the last ice age, some 12,000 years ago, and today, as industrial carbon dioxide in the air raises temperatures again. As in the past, Coropuna’s retreating glaciers figure prominently in the lives of people below. In…

  • Lamont Scientist Featured in Antarctic Climate Change Documentary

    Lamont Scientist Featured in Antarctic Climate Change Documentary

    Lamont-Doherty scientist Hugh Ducklow is featured in a documentary due out next summer on climate change and the West Antarctic Peninsula. Catch a preview in this newly-released trailer.

  • A Tale of Sea Ice, Algae and the Arctic

    A Tale of Sea Ice, Algae and the Arctic

    I returned to New York on Monday, but Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists Andy Juhl and Craig Aumack remain working in Barrow, Alaska for another week. They’ll continue to collect data and samples in a race against deteriorating Arctic sea ice conditions as the onset of summer causes the ice to thin and break up.