State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

New Jersey

  • Within Sight of New York City, an Old-Growth Forest Faces Storms and Sea Level Rise

    Within Sight of New York City, an Old-Growth Forest Faces Storms and Sea Level Rise

    On a peninsula within sight of New York City, researchers are studying trees dating as far back as the early 1800s. Rising seas and more powerful storms, both fueled by climate change, could eventually spell their end.

  • Photo Essay: An Old-Growth Forest Near New York City Faces Storms and Sea-Level Rise

    Photo Essay: An Old-Growth Forest Near New York City Faces Storms and Sea-Level Rise

    Centuries-old trees on a peninsula near New York City could provide an important record of past storms. Researchers recently traveled there to sample the trees before they are wiped out by rising seas and powerful storms.

  • Get the Facts: Arsenic in New Jersey Well Water

    Get the Facts: Arsenic in New Jersey Well Water

    A new initiative aims to help homeowners in New Jersey cope with arsenic contamination in private wells—a problem that has only come to light in recent years, and about which many homeowners are still unaware.

  • The Earth Shook, but It Wasn’t an Earthquake

    The Earth Shook, but It Wasn’t an Earthquake

    Last Thursday, thousands of people on the Eastern Seaboard felt the earth tremble. Seismologists at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory quickly concluded it was not an earthquake, but a military exercise.

  • Make Yourself Count: Sandy Hook ‘BioBlitz’

    Make Yourself Count: Sandy Hook ‘BioBlitz’

    Amateur naturalists will gather this weekend at the Sandy Hook, N.J., unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area to count species of plants and animals.

  • Mapping Land Claimed by Sea Level Rise

    Mapping Land Claimed by Sea Level Rise

    Understanding how coastal areas changed as the ocean rose in the past could help communities protect themselves from storm surge flooding in the future as the oceans warm and sea levels rise.

  • Sandy’s Impact Lingers, Particularly for Children

    Researchers Find Increased Chances of Mental Health Issues

  • Lessons From a Rock Fall

    Lessons From a Rock Fall

    A 500-foot-high sliver of the Palisades Cliff came crashing down May 12 at 7:28 p.m., jiggling our seismometer at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory a few micrometers. Weighing about 10,000 tons, the rock smashed trees along the Hudson River and covered over a hiking trail, but fortunately caused no injuries.

  • The End of Traffic: Goals of an Ecopreneur

    The End of Traffic: Goals of an Ecopreneur

    Savraj Singh Danjal, an ecopreneur based in New Jersey, has some practical solutions for your home energy bill — and for traffic, congestion, your view of the night sky, and how to keep your coffee warm.

  • Within Sight of New York City, an Old-Growth Forest Faces Storms and Sea Level Rise

    Within Sight of New York City, an Old-Growth Forest Faces Storms and Sea Level Rise

    On a peninsula within sight of New York City, researchers are studying trees dating as far back as the early 1800s. Rising seas and more powerful storms, both fueled by climate change, could eventually spell their end.

  • Photo Essay: An Old-Growth Forest Near New York City Faces Storms and Sea-Level Rise

    Photo Essay: An Old-Growth Forest Near New York City Faces Storms and Sea-Level Rise

    Centuries-old trees on a peninsula near New York City could provide an important record of past storms. Researchers recently traveled there to sample the trees before they are wiped out by rising seas and powerful storms.

  • Get the Facts: Arsenic in New Jersey Well Water

    Get the Facts: Arsenic in New Jersey Well Water

    A new initiative aims to help homeowners in New Jersey cope with arsenic contamination in private wells—a problem that has only come to light in recent years, and about which many homeowners are still unaware.

  • The Earth Shook, but It Wasn’t an Earthquake

    The Earth Shook, but It Wasn’t an Earthquake

    Last Thursday, thousands of people on the Eastern Seaboard felt the earth tremble. Seismologists at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory quickly concluded it was not an earthquake, but a military exercise.

  • Make Yourself Count: Sandy Hook ‘BioBlitz’

    Make Yourself Count: Sandy Hook ‘BioBlitz’

    Amateur naturalists will gather this weekend at the Sandy Hook, N.J., unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area to count species of plants and animals.

  • Mapping Land Claimed by Sea Level Rise

    Mapping Land Claimed by Sea Level Rise

    Understanding how coastal areas changed as the ocean rose in the past could help communities protect themselves from storm surge flooding in the future as the oceans warm and sea levels rise.

  • Sandy’s Impact Lingers, Particularly for Children

    Researchers Find Increased Chances of Mental Health Issues

  • Lessons From a Rock Fall

    Lessons From a Rock Fall

    A 500-foot-high sliver of the Palisades Cliff came crashing down May 12 at 7:28 p.m., jiggling our seismometer at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory a few micrometers. Weighing about 10,000 tons, the rock smashed trees along the Hudson River and covered over a hiking trail, but fortunately caused no injuries.

  • The End of Traffic: Goals of an Ecopreneur

    The End of Traffic: Goals of an Ecopreneur

    Savraj Singh Danjal, an ecopreneur based in New Jersey, has some practical solutions for your home energy bill — and for traffic, congestion, your view of the night sky, and how to keep your coffee warm.