research36
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What Caused the Great Famine?
Scientists are unraveling the driving forces of one of the worst environmental disasters in human history, in hopes of predicting and preparing for the next global drought.
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Tiny Losses of Ice at Antarctica’s Fringes May Hasten Declines in Interior
A new study shows that even minor deterioration of ice shelves can instantaneously hasten the decline of ice hundreds of miles landward.
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The Greenland Ice Sheet Is Sponging Up Meltwater
As climate warms, the surface of the Greenland ice sheet is melting, and all that meltwater ends up in seasonal rivers that flow to the sea. At least that is what scientists have assumed until now. A new study has shown that some of the meltwater is actually being soaked into porous subsurface ice and…
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Studying Bioluminescent Blooms in the Arabian Sea
A plankton-like species is attacking the base of the food chain in the Arabian sea, disrupting water quality and killing fish. Researchers at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are learning how to fight back.
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Want to Save the World? Start by Eating Less Beef
If we ate half as many burgers and steaks each week, a new study calculates that it could have a profound effect on carbon emissions and the environment.
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The Way We Were: Climate and Human Evolution
In a remote desert region around Kenya’s Lake Turkana, paleoecologist and geochemist Kevin Uno collects fossils and sediments, searching for evidence about past climate, vegetation, animals, and water. His goal: to understand how climate affected our ancestors millions of years ago.
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Internship Opening Spring 2018
Are you a Columbia or Barnard student interested in interning at the Earth Institute? Apply by December 11 to work in the Executive Director’s office in 2018.
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Ocean Sediments Off Pacific Coast May Feed Tsunami Danger
Tightly packed sediments help the Cascadia Subduction Zone generate large earthquakes, and could boost its ability to trigger a large tsunami.
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NASA Finds New Way to Track Ozone By Satellite
Ozone pollution near Earth’s surface is one of the main ingredients of summertime smog. But it not directly measurable from space, due to the abundance of ozone higher in the atmosphere, which masks the surface. Now, researchers have devised a way to use satellite measurements of the precursor gases that contribute to ozone formation to…
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
