State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory174

  • Nature & Naturalists, an Ode to Adirondack Color

    Nature & Naturalists, an Ode to Adirondack Color

    There was a nice article in the NY Times on the Adirondack State Park whose title initially focused readers on how climate change could alter the park’s ecosystems. However, by the time you get to the end of the article, and luckily for us, you get to know Jerry Jenkins, one of the best naturalists…

  • From Distant Past, Lessons on Ocean Acidification

    From Distant Past, Lessons on Ocean Acidification

    Oceans turned more acidic during a period of great warming some 56 million years ago, causing an extinction of bottom-dwelling marine species known as foraminifera, a scenario that may be happening again now, only much more quickly.

  • AGU Honors Scientists from Lamont-Doherty

    AGU Honors Scientists from Lamont-Doherty

    A half-dozen Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists were to be honored by the American Geophysical Union at its annual fall conference in San Francisco tonight.

  • Where Continents Divide, and Rocks Rise from the Deep

    Where Continents Divide, and Rocks Rise from the Deep

    Along the Woodlark Rift in eastern Papua New Guinea, continents are breaking apart, “like a snake opening its mouth.” Geologic processes that are still a mystery are actively stretching the crust and pushing huge masses of rock, formed under immense pressures as deep as 100 kilometers below, to the surface.

  • Ancient Dry Spells, Future Risk?

    Ancient Dry Spells, Future Risk?

    The last major drought to hit the northeastern U.S. lasted three years and shrunk New York City’s reservoirs by nearly three quarters. But as bad as that drought was, the region has seen at least three dry spells in the last 6,000 years that were far worse, says Dorothy Peteet, a climate scientist at Columbia…

  • Under the Dead Sea, Warnings on Climate and Earthquakes

    Under the Dead Sea, Warnings on Climate and Earthquakes

          An international team of scientists drilling deep under the bed of the Dead Sea has found evidence that the sea may have dried up during a past warm period analogous to scenarios for climate change in coming decades. With nations in the volatile region already running short on water, the finding could be a…

  • Seismometer Puts Earthquakes Online at Kent School

    Seismometer Puts Earthquakes Online at Kent School

    A well-traveled seismometer sits tucked inside a concrete chamber behind the Kent School chapel in Northwest Connecticut, recording earthquakes. It got here by chance.

  • Probing an Oceanic Plate

    Probing an Oceanic Plate

    Everything that we understand about the rhythms of the Earth’s surface – the slow growth of mountain chains, the creeping expansion of the ocean basins, the abrupt upheaval of a major earthquake, the explosive eruption of a volcano – is viewed through the context of plate tectonics.  This simple yet highly successful model for describing…

  • Confessions from a Former Coniferphile

    Confessions from a Former Coniferphile

    The first time I felt truly fanatical about coniferous trees was while walking among the great eastern white pine trees in the Adirondack State Park as an undergraduate research assistant and student.

Collage of Turkiye beach scene and Columbia University Campus with text: UN Climate Change Conference COP31, Antalya, Turkiye, Nov 9-20, 2026

COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More

  • Nature & Naturalists, an Ode to Adirondack Color

    Nature & Naturalists, an Ode to Adirondack Color

    There was a nice article in the NY Times on the Adirondack State Park whose title initially focused readers on how climate change could alter the park’s ecosystems. However, by the time you get to the end of the article, and luckily for us, you get to know Jerry Jenkins, one of the best naturalists…

  • From Distant Past, Lessons on Ocean Acidification

    From Distant Past, Lessons on Ocean Acidification

    Oceans turned more acidic during a period of great warming some 56 million years ago, causing an extinction of bottom-dwelling marine species known as foraminifera, a scenario that may be happening again now, only much more quickly.

  • AGU Honors Scientists from Lamont-Doherty

    AGU Honors Scientists from Lamont-Doherty

    A half-dozen Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists were to be honored by the American Geophysical Union at its annual fall conference in San Francisco tonight.

  • Where Continents Divide, and Rocks Rise from the Deep

    Where Continents Divide, and Rocks Rise from the Deep

    Along the Woodlark Rift in eastern Papua New Guinea, continents are breaking apart, “like a snake opening its mouth.” Geologic processes that are still a mystery are actively stretching the crust and pushing huge masses of rock, formed under immense pressures as deep as 100 kilometers below, to the surface.

  • Ancient Dry Spells, Future Risk?

    Ancient Dry Spells, Future Risk?

    The last major drought to hit the northeastern U.S. lasted three years and shrunk New York City’s reservoirs by nearly three quarters. But as bad as that drought was, the region has seen at least three dry spells in the last 6,000 years that were far worse, says Dorothy Peteet, a climate scientist at Columbia…

  • Under the Dead Sea, Warnings on Climate and Earthquakes

    Under the Dead Sea, Warnings on Climate and Earthquakes

          An international team of scientists drilling deep under the bed of the Dead Sea has found evidence that the sea may have dried up during a past warm period analogous to scenarios for climate change in coming decades. With nations in the volatile region already running short on water, the finding could be a…

  • Seismometer Puts Earthquakes Online at Kent School

    Seismometer Puts Earthquakes Online at Kent School

    A well-traveled seismometer sits tucked inside a concrete chamber behind the Kent School chapel in Northwest Connecticut, recording earthquakes. It got here by chance.

  • Probing an Oceanic Plate

    Probing an Oceanic Plate

    Everything that we understand about the rhythms of the Earth’s surface – the slow growth of mountain chains, the creeping expansion of the ocean basins, the abrupt upheaval of a major earthquake, the explosive eruption of a volcano – is viewed through the context of plate tectonics.  This simple yet highly successful model for describing…

  • Confessions from a Former Coniferphile

    Confessions from a Former Coniferphile

    The first time I felt truly fanatical about coniferous trees was while walking among the great eastern white pine trees in the Adirondack State Park as an undergraduate research assistant and student.