State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

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  • The Greenland Ice Sheet Is Sponging Up Meltwater

    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…

  • Studying Bioluminescent Blooms in the Arabian Sea

    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.

  • Want to Save the World? Start by Eating Less Beef

    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.

  • The Way We Were: Climate and Human Evolution

    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.

  • Internship Opening Spring 2018

    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.

  • Ocean Sediments Off Pacific Coast May Feed Tsunami Danger

    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.

  • NASA Finds New Way to Track Ozone By Satellite

    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…

  • Swapping Where Crops are Grown Could Feed an Extra 825 Million People

    Swapping Where Crops are Grown Could Feed an Extra 825 Million People

    It could also reduce water stress, according to a new study that includes 14 major food crops from around the world.

  • Giant Boulders on Bahamas Coast Are Evidence of Ancient Storms and Sea Level, Says Study

    Giant Boulders on Bahamas Coast Are Evidence of Ancient Storms and Sea Level, Says Study

    A new study says that storms of intensities seen today, combined with a few meters increase in sea level, were enough to transport coastal boulders weighing hundreds of tons more than 100,000 year ago.

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

  • The Greenland Ice Sheet Is Sponging Up Meltwater

    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…

  • Studying Bioluminescent Blooms in the Arabian Sea

    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.

  • Want to Save the World? Start by Eating Less Beef

    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.

  • The Way We Were: Climate and Human Evolution

    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.

  • Internship Opening Spring 2018

    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.

  • Ocean Sediments Off Pacific Coast May Feed Tsunami Danger

    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.

  • NASA Finds New Way to Track Ozone By Satellite

    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…

  • Swapping Where Crops are Grown Could Feed an Extra 825 Million People

    Swapping Where Crops are Grown Could Feed an Extra 825 Million People

    It could also reduce water stress, according to a new study that includes 14 major food crops from around the world.

  • Giant Boulders on Bahamas Coast Are Evidence of Ancient Storms and Sea Level, Says Study

    Giant Boulders on Bahamas Coast Are Evidence of Ancient Storms and Sea Level, Says Study

    A new study says that storms of intensities seen today, combined with a few meters increase in sea level, were enough to transport coastal boulders weighing hundreds of tons more than 100,000 year ago.