State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

research41

  • Closing in on Antarctica

    Closing in on Antarctica

    We are less than a day away from our first study area on the continental shelf in front of the Dibble Glacier. As we approach Antarctica we are starting our science program with a 4500 meter deep CTD and multibeam acquisition.

  • On Our Way: Avoiding the Storm

    On Our Way: Avoiding the Storm

    We are now aboard the R/V Palmer and on our way to East Antarctica. Due to two storms in our direct way we are heading west first to go around the storms and we’ll then head south on their backside.

  • Sampling up a Storm

    Sampling up a Storm

    I’m writing from where L’Atalante is currently parked, 18S 170W, right in the middle of a giant, anomalously high sea surface chlorophyll patch. Such a high concentration of chlorophyll—a pigment that helps photosynthetic organisms harvest energy from sunlight, and the one that’s responsible for the green color of plants—can mean but one thing in the…

  • A Swirling Stew of Trichodesmium

    A Swirling Stew of Trichodesmium

    Greetings from the center of that eddy I mentioned in my last post! We’ve been here for five days so far, but tomorrow we are finally moving on.

  • OUTPACE Cruise: Setting Sail

    OUTPACE Cruise: Setting Sail

    The OUTPACE 2015 cruise has set sail on February 20! We left port in Nouméa at 8:30 a.m. last Friday morning. I lost sight of land around 10 a.m. or so, and I won’t see it again until we return to port in Papeete, Tahiti on April 3.

  • Bonjour de Nouméa!

    Bonjour de Nouméa!

    Scientists from research institutions around the world are participating in a research expedition aboard the R/V L ‘Atalante to study how microorganisms in the South Pacific Ocean influence the carbon cycle. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory graduate student Kyle Frischkorn is among them; this is the first in a series of posts in which Kyle shares what…

  • Student Research Showcase 2014

    Student Research Showcase 2014

    The Earth Institute, Columbia University was proud to support student research in the areas of environment and sustainable development at the annual Student Research Showcase on April 25, 2014. Student interns, research assistants and travel grant recipients, and their Faculty and Research Advisors, were honored for their research contributions that ranged in topics from biodiversity,…

  • A Whole New Way of Seeing…Mantis Shrimp

    A Whole New Way of Seeing…Mantis Shrimp

    Mantis shrimp are marine crustaceans inhabiting the shallow sunlit waters of tropical seas, where they make a living as voracious ambush predators. This week in Science, new research sheds light on their fascinating visual system, and reveals a novel form of color vision, previously unknown in the animal kingdom.

  • The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer

    The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer

    The Marcus G. Langseth, a research vessel operated by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, traverses the world’s oceans conducting marine seismic studies that contribute to new understanding of Earth systems. The ship typically spends half the year or more on research expeditions led by Lamont-Doherty scientists and colleagues from other research institutes.

Colorful banner with city: "MR 2025: Mobility, Adaptation, and Wellbeing in a Changing Climate."
  • Closing in on Antarctica

    Closing in on Antarctica

    We are less than a day away from our first study area on the continental shelf in front of the Dibble Glacier. As we approach Antarctica we are starting our science program with a 4500 meter deep CTD and multibeam acquisition.

  • On Our Way: Avoiding the Storm

    On Our Way: Avoiding the Storm

    We are now aboard the R/V Palmer and on our way to East Antarctica. Due to two storms in our direct way we are heading west first to go around the storms and we’ll then head south on their backside.

  • Sampling up a Storm

    Sampling up a Storm

    I’m writing from where L’Atalante is currently parked, 18S 170W, right in the middle of a giant, anomalously high sea surface chlorophyll patch. Such a high concentration of chlorophyll—a pigment that helps photosynthetic organisms harvest energy from sunlight, and the one that’s responsible for the green color of plants—can mean but one thing in the…

  • A Swirling Stew of Trichodesmium

    A Swirling Stew of Trichodesmium

    Greetings from the center of that eddy I mentioned in my last post! We’ve been here for five days so far, but tomorrow we are finally moving on.

  • OUTPACE Cruise: Setting Sail

    OUTPACE Cruise: Setting Sail

    The OUTPACE 2015 cruise has set sail on February 20! We left port in Nouméa at 8:30 a.m. last Friday morning. I lost sight of land around 10 a.m. or so, and I won’t see it again until we return to port in Papeete, Tahiti on April 3.

  • Bonjour de Nouméa!

    Bonjour de Nouméa!

    Scientists from research institutions around the world are participating in a research expedition aboard the R/V L ‘Atalante to study how microorganisms in the South Pacific Ocean influence the carbon cycle. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory graduate student Kyle Frischkorn is among them; this is the first in a series of posts in which Kyle shares what…

  • Student Research Showcase 2014

    Student Research Showcase 2014

    The Earth Institute, Columbia University was proud to support student research in the areas of environment and sustainable development at the annual Student Research Showcase on April 25, 2014. Student interns, research assistants and travel grant recipients, and their Faculty and Research Advisors, were honored for their research contributions that ranged in topics from biodiversity,…

  • A Whole New Way of Seeing…Mantis Shrimp

    A Whole New Way of Seeing…Mantis Shrimp

    Mantis shrimp are marine crustaceans inhabiting the shallow sunlit waters of tropical seas, where they make a living as voracious ambush predators. This week in Science, new research sheds light on their fascinating visual system, and reveals a novel form of color vision, previously unknown in the animal kingdom.

  • The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer

    The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer

    The Marcus G. Langseth, a research vessel operated by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, traverses the world’s oceans conducting marine seismic studies that contribute to new understanding of Earth systems. The ship typically spends half the year or more on research expeditions led by Lamont-Doherty scientists and colleagues from other research institutes.