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November 2017
We welcome November with a sense of gratitude and exhilaration following our October activities. Our Open House drew the largest crowd in the more than 30 years since the first such event was staged. Our participation in Columbia University’s annual Giving Day (10/18/17) brought out generous donors. We are deeply grateful to all of our friends and supporters.
Last month we drew a “viral level” of social media with a story and video about a resilient jellyfish species thriving beneath Arctic sea ice. Lamont geochemists Yael Kiro and Steven Goldstein unearthed sediments from the Dead Sea floor demonstrating that droughts far worse than any in recorded history have struck this region. Our scientists reflected on lessons learned five years after Superstorm Sandy. Postdoctoral research scientist Gwenn Hennon published new findings about the impact of climate change on the base of the marine food web, and graduate student Julian Spergel filed reports from the final expedition of the Rosetta-Ice Project.
Ice Sheets May Melt Rapidly in Response to Distant Volcanoes
Volcanic eruptions have been known to cool global climate, but they can also accelerate melting of ice sheets by changing the surface reflectance of the ice.
Under the Sea Ice, Behold the Ancient Arctic Jellyfish
Lamont scientists have spotted mature jellyfish under sea ice in the wintertime Arctic, implying lifetimes far longer than previously thought.
By 2100, Climate Change Could Alter Key Microbial Interactions in the Ocean
The warmer, more acidic waters caused by climate change will affect the health of tiny marine organisms essential to the marine food web and important to the marine carbon cycle.
In Biblical Lands, Searching for Droughts Past and Future
Perched on a cliff face in Israel’s Negev Desert, close to where the book of Genesis says the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were burned by divine fire, geochemists Yael Kiro and Steven Goldstein uncovered evidence of events even more ancient.
New York Is Still Feeling the Effects of Hurricane Sandy, Five Years Later
In October 2012, Sandy devastated large swaths of New York City with floods and fire. How well have we recovered? And will we be ready for the next big storm?
Highlights from the 2017 Lamont-Doherty Open House
Through interactive exhibits, games, goo, and a few explosions, people of all ages learned about geology, the oceans, the atmosphere, and climate change.
What is the Columbia commitment to climate response?
If you live on the planet, we’re with you. Responding to the climate challenge requires all the expertise we can muster across our campuses and around the world. Columbia’s researchers have led the way for decades, and we are more
committed than ever to uncover the scientific answers to address urgently needed solutions, from energy to extreme weather prediction. We created this short video so that you can learn more and help this Columbia Commitment become a reality.
From the Field
Decoding the Mysteries of the Ross Ice Shelf - Follow Lamont graduate student Julian Spergel’s “on the ground” report as he and the Rosetta Ice team undertake an important expedition to Antarctica.
Lamont in the News
5 Years After Sandy, New York Rebuilds with the Next Flood in Mind - NPR Weekend Edition
The Problem with Puerto Rico's Death Toll - CNN
2.1 Million Americans Use Wells with Hazardous Levels of Arsenic - PBS News Hour
Surprising Footage Captures Arctic Jellyfish Lurking under Ice - Smithsonian
5 Years After Sandy: Are NYC’s Preparations Amid Climate Change Enough? - NBC News
Volcano Eruptions Could Melt Ice Rapidly 1,000 Miles Away - International Business Times
Seismologists Stumped by Mystery Shock after North Korea Nuclear Test - Nature
Future Flooding Will Be Deeper and More Frequent, and Cities Aren’t Prepared - Newsweek
After Six Tests, the Mountain Hosting North Korea's Nuclear Blasts May Be Exhausted - Washington Post
California's Wildfires Have Become Bigger, Deadlier, and More Costly. Here's Why - Time
