State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory76

  • You Asked: If CO2 Is Only 0.04% of the Atmosphere, How Does it Drive Global Warming?

    You Asked: If CO2 Is Only 0.04% of the Atmosphere, How Does it Drive Global Warming?

    Short answer: A little bit goes a long way.

  • Finishing on the Boat

    Finishing on the Boat

    Silting rivers and bad roads made it difficult to find a last site. After a successful installation and an upgrade to an existing GPS site, we left the boat for land. We then discovered the local river had washed away some of our equipment.

  • Where Science Meets Policy: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Hosts Environmental Policy Students

    Where Science Meets Policy: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Hosts Environmental Policy Students

    As part of the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy, students undertake science courses that will serve as a foundational basis for tackling policy issues. Who better to learn from than the individuals who dominate earth science research?

  • Photo Essay: Living on the Ice in Juneau, Alaska

    Photo Essay: Living on the Ice in Juneau, Alaska

    We’re developing a technique that uses ice-penetrating radar to measure how quickly snow turns to ice. To take our measurements, we needed to camp out in the Juneau icefields for a few weeks.

  • Hiron Point Once More

    Hiron Point Once More

    We sailed to Hiron Point in the Sundarban Mangrove Forest to upgrade old and install new equipment. I have been to this beautiful remote site several times before. After competing the work, we sailed for over a day to reach our next site on a primary school roof.

  • The Climate Epochs That Weren’t

    The Climate Epochs That Weren’t

    Climate scientists often invoke the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age as natural worldwide climate swings predating human influences. They may not have worked the way we think.

  • Climate Change Could Revive Medieval Megadroughts in U.S. Southwest

    Climate Change Could Revive Medieval Megadroughts in U.S. Southwest

    Study picks apart factors that caused severe, long-lasting droughts and suggests increased risk for future.

  • From Sonatola to the Sundarbans

    From Sonatola to the Sundarbans

    By working a 16-hour day, we managed to get both GPS and SETs completed at our first field site. We then sailed into the Sundarban Mangrove Forest, the world’s largest, to visit an existing site and make measurements.

  • Delays in Dhaka

    Delays in Dhaka

    I am back in Bangladesh for a new project examining the balance between sea level rise, land subsidence and sedimentation. We will be installing, repairing or upgrading equipment to measure changes to the landscape.

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

  • You Asked: If CO2 Is Only 0.04% of the Atmosphere, How Does it Drive Global Warming?

    You Asked: If CO2 Is Only 0.04% of the Atmosphere, How Does it Drive Global Warming?

    Short answer: A little bit goes a long way.

  • Finishing on the Boat

    Finishing on the Boat

    Silting rivers and bad roads made it difficult to find a last site. After a successful installation and an upgrade to an existing GPS site, we left the boat for land. We then discovered the local river had washed away some of our equipment.

  • Where Science Meets Policy: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Hosts Environmental Policy Students

    Where Science Meets Policy: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Hosts Environmental Policy Students

    As part of the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy, students undertake science courses that will serve as a foundational basis for tackling policy issues. Who better to learn from than the individuals who dominate earth science research?

  • Photo Essay: Living on the Ice in Juneau, Alaska

    Photo Essay: Living on the Ice in Juneau, Alaska

    We’re developing a technique that uses ice-penetrating radar to measure how quickly snow turns to ice. To take our measurements, we needed to camp out in the Juneau icefields for a few weeks.

  • Hiron Point Once More

    Hiron Point Once More

    We sailed to Hiron Point in the Sundarban Mangrove Forest to upgrade old and install new equipment. I have been to this beautiful remote site several times before. After competing the work, we sailed for over a day to reach our next site on a primary school roof.

  • The Climate Epochs That Weren’t

    The Climate Epochs That Weren’t

    Climate scientists often invoke the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age as natural worldwide climate swings predating human influences. They may not have worked the way we think.

  • Climate Change Could Revive Medieval Megadroughts in U.S. Southwest

    Climate Change Could Revive Medieval Megadroughts in U.S. Southwest

    Study picks apart factors that caused severe, long-lasting droughts and suggests increased risk for future.

  • From Sonatola to the Sundarbans

    From Sonatola to the Sundarbans

    By working a 16-hour day, we managed to get both GPS and SETs completed at our first field site. We then sailed into the Sundarban Mangrove Forest, the world’s largest, to visit an existing site and make measurements.

  • Delays in Dhaka

    Delays in Dhaka

    I am back in Bangladesh for a new project examining the balance between sea level rise, land subsidence and sedimentation. We will be installing, repairing or upgrading equipment to measure changes to the landscape.