State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory179

  • Study Affirms Gulf Oil Spill’s Vastness

    First Independent Measure of Well Employs New Imaging Method

  • Study Adds New Clue to How Last Ice Age Ended

    New Zealand Glaciers Melted as European Glaciers Briefly Expanded

  • Earth Institute Scientists Drill Into the Oil Spill

    Earth Institute Scientists Drill Into the Oil Spill

    Earth Institute scientists have begun research into the Gulf oil spill’s physical and ecological impacts, both on land at sea. While much attention has focused on surface oil washing up along the shores of Gulf coast states, one cruise starting in mid-August will study the location and magnitude of subsurface oil plumes, and their effects…

  • Core of the Matter

    Core of the Matter

    A final note (for now) on the expedition to recover ice cores from the top of Puncak Jaya in Papua, Indonesia: the cores arrived safely on Thursday, July 22, at Ohio State University’s Byrd Polar Research Center, and are now in a special freezer. In coming months, the team hopes to extract and interpret climatic…

  • Converging Weather Patterns Caused Last Winter’s Huge Snows

    A Warming World Can Still See Severe Storms

  • Ice on Ice

    Ice on Ice

    I have reached Jakarta, and so have the ice cores, which are being kept frozen while awaiting air shipment to the United States. The rest of the team has already returned to their homes. Next for me: back to sea level, on two research cruises that will add oceanographic information to the data we gathered on Puncak Jaya.…

  • John Diebold, 1944-2010

    Advanced the Use of Sound Waves to Explore the Seabed

  • Connecting Young and Old

    Nano and I took the train to Rome to meet a colleague for lunch, and after we explored the old city. I have been through Rome a number of times, making my way to and from Calabria, but this was my first time really seeing the city. Nano was a fantastic tour guide. He was…

  • Hiking Monte Pollino

    I grew up in a family that drove on vacations, be it six hours to the beach, eight hours to see relatives, or three days to Idaho. So the seven hour drive from Calabria to Rome is no big deal, although the lack of air conditioning does make it undesirable. When I tell my friends…

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings“

  • Study Affirms Gulf Oil Spill’s Vastness

    First Independent Measure of Well Employs New Imaging Method

  • Study Adds New Clue to How Last Ice Age Ended

    New Zealand Glaciers Melted as European Glaciers Briefly Expanded

  • Earth Institute Scientists Drill Into the Oil Spill

    Earth Institute Scientists Drill Into the Oil Spill

    Earth Institute scientists have begun research into the Gulf oil spill’s physical and ecological impacts, both on land at sea. While much attention has focused on surface oil washing up along the shores of Gulf coast states, one cruise starting in mid-August will study the location and magnitude of subsurface oil plumes, and their effects…

  • Core of the Matter

    Core of the Matter

    A final note (for now) on the expedition to recover ice cores from the top of Puncak Jaya in Papua, Indonesia: the cores arrived safely on Thursday, July 22, at Ohio State University’s Byrd Polar Research Center, and are now in a special freezer. In coming months, the team hopes to extract and interpret climatic…

  • Converging Weather Patterns Caused Last Winter’s Huge Snows

    A Warming World Can Still See Severe Storms

  • Ice on Ice

    Ice on Ice

    I have reached Jakarta, and so have the ice cores, which are being kept frozen while awaiting air shipment to the United States. The rest of the team has already returned to their homes. Next for me: back to sea level, on two research cruises that will add oceanographic information to the data we gathered on Puncak Jaya.…

  • John Diebold, 1944-2010

    Advanced the Use of Sound Waves to Explore the Seabed

  • Connecting Young and Old

    Nano and I took the train to Rome to meet a colleague for lunch, and after we explored the old city. I have been through Rome a number of times, making my way to and from Calabria, but this was my first time really seeing the city. Nano was a fantastic tour guide. He was…

  • Hiking Monte Pollino

    I grew up in a family that drove on vacations, be it six hours to the beach, eight hours to see relatives, or three days to Idaho. So the seven hour drive from Calabria to Rome is no big deal, although the lack of air conditioning does make it undesirable. When I tell my friends…