State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

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  • The Zen of Sanding

    The Zen of Sanding

    By Ana Camila Gonzalez “But can’t you see the rings already?” I ask, wondering why I’ve been asked to sand a sample- it sounds to me like one would damage a sample by subjecting it to the mechanical screech of a sander.   “Yes, but under the microscope they look foggy if you don’t sand…

  • Dipping your feet in the water (A first year’s experience with fieldwork)

    Dipping your feet in the water (A first year’s experience with fieldwork)

    My feet are soaking wet and I’m playing a game of Marco Polo, but I’m nowhere near a pool. It’s my second day on the job. It’s my second week of college. I have no idea what to expect.

  • Epic Wetness in Greater NYC, and What Broadleaf Trees Have to Say About It

    Epic Wetness in Greater NYC, and What Broadleaf Trees Have to Say About It

    2012 is turning out to be an exceptional year in the eastern US. Starting out with what was essentially a #YearWithoutaWinter, followed by a heat wave in March, a hot summer, Macoun and Cortland apples coming in 2-3 weeks early, and the continuation of a severe drought in the Southern US that expanded into the Midwest…

  • Brief Broadleaf Forest Happenings: tulip goodness, delighted about Turkey, and drought

    Brief Broadleaf Forest Happenings: tulip goodness, delighted about Turkey, and drought

    I have to call myself out. Earlier I had professed to being a former coniferphile. That was, of course, silly. I like coniferous trees very much. Half of my business is made from this lovely branch of the tree family. This introduction is a lead in to say that this blog will be quieter while…

  • Chasing Ghengis Khan

    Chasing Ghengis Khan

    Once you, as an outsider, spend considerable time in Mongolia, especially during Naadam and especially in the open Gobi steppe with people who still live as their ancestors did centuries ago, you will also begin to chase Chinggis Khaan.

  • Finally – Some true Turkish Delight! Discovery of some tasty oaks

    Finally – Some true Turkish Delight! Discovery of some tasty oaks

    After a few days of mild frustration, the sampling of potentially old umbrella pine lifted our spirits and put us in a good frame of mind to conduct our last day of research in the temperate rainforest region of northeastern Turkey. We headed out of Borçka and met with a forest officer in charge of forests…

  • What’s a tree like you doing in a place like this? Or West meets East

    What’s a tree like you doing in a place like this? Or West meets East

    In the northeastern part of Turkey, the highest Pontic Mountains meet the Black Sea. Here altitude drops from more than 3900m to sea level in a less than 30 miles. Both the orographic effect of mountains and the lake effect (well, better sea effect) cause very high precipitation allowing for rich and productive temperate forest…

  • Tree-Ring Science in a Log Yard?

    Tree-Ring Science in a Log Yard?

    The cool, snowy weather really put a crimp in our plans. Dario, Tuncay, Cengis, and others spent two days trying to find potential sampling locations before Nesibe and I arrived. Even though it had been well above freezing during the day and above freezing at night, the snow had only retreated so far in the…

  • Maybe not the Turkey you imagine

    Maybe not the Turkey you imagine

    Despite reading about these temperate rainforests, this is not the Turkey I imagined. This might not be the Turkey most people imagine. I’m really not sure what you envision when you think about Turkey. A dry, open landscape? That is what I thought.

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 Zen of Sanding

    The Zen of Sanding

    By Ana Camila Gonzalez “But can’t you see the rings already?” I ask, wondering why I’ve been asked to sand a sample- it sounds to me like one would damage a sample by subjecting it to the mechanical screech of a sander.   “Yes, but under the microscope they look foggy if you don’t sand…

  • Dipping your feet in the water (A first year’s experience with fieldwork)

    Dipping your feet in the water (A first year’s experience with fieldwork)

    My feet are soaking wet and I’m playing a game of Marco Polo, but I’m nowhere near a pool. It’s my second day on the job. It’s my second week of college. I have no idea what to expect.

  • Epic Wetness in Greater NYC, and What Broadleaf Trees Have to Say About It

    Epic Wetness in Greater NYC, and What Broadleaf Trees Have to Say About It

    2012 is turning out to be an exceptional year in the eastern US. Starting out with what was essentially a #YearWithoutaWinter, followed by a heat wave in March, a hot summer, Macoun and Cortland apples coming in 2-3 weeks early, and the continuation of a severe drought in the Southern US that expanded into the Midwest…

  • Brief Broadleaf Forest Happenings: tulip goodness, delighted about Turkey, and drought

    Brief Broadleaf Forest Happenings: tulip goodness, delighted about Turkey, and drought

    I have to call myself out. Earlier I had professed to being a former coniferphile. That was, of course, silly. I like coniferous trees very much. Half of my business is made from this lovely branch of the tree family. This introduction is a lead in to say that this blog will be quieter while…

  • Chasing Ghengis Khan

    Chasing Ghengis Khan

    Once you, as an outsider, spend considerable time in Mongolia, especially during Naadam and especially in the open Gobi steppe with people who still live as their ancestors did centuries ago, you will also begin to chase Chinggis Khaan.

  • Finally – Some true Turkish Delight! Discovery of some tasty oaks

    Finally – Some true Turkish Delight! Discovery of some tasty oaks

    After a few days of mild frustration, the sampling of potentially old umbrella pine lifted our spirits and put us in a good frame of mind to conduct our last day of research in the temperate rainforest region of northeastern Turkey. We headed out of Borçka and met with a forest officer in charge of forests…

  • What’s a tree like you doing in a place like this? Or West meets East

    What’s a tree like you doing in a place like this? Or West meets East

    In the northeastern part of Turkey, the highest Pontic Mountains meet the Black Sea. Here altitude drops from more than 3900m to sea level in a less than 30 miles. Both the orographic effect of mountains and the lake effect (well, better sea effect) cause very high precipitation allowing for rich and productive temperate forest…

  • Tree-Ring Science in a Log Yard?

    Tree-Ring Science in a Log Yard?

    The cool, snowy weather really put a crimp in our plans. Dario, Tuncay, Cengis, and others spent two days trying to find potential sampling locations before Nesibe and I arrived. Even though it had been well above freezing during the day and above freezing at night, the snow had only retreated so far in the…

  • Maybe not the Turkey you imagine

    Maybe not the Turkey you imagine

    Despite reading about these temperate rainforests, this is not the Turkey I imagined. This might not be the Turkey most people imagine. I’m really not sure what you envision when you think about Turkey. A dry, open landscape? That is what I thought.