LDEO Jan 2022 Newsletter: Earth Science News
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Expecting the Unexpected
Fractured sea ice in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Credit: Martin Wearing
Spring 2022 Internship Opportunities
The Earth Institute is offering undergraduate, graduate and PhD students with opportunities to intern in various departments and research centers.
Spring 2022 Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunities
Undergraduates from Columbia will be able to serve as research assistants on projects related to sustainable development and the environment.
Crucial Antarctic Glacier Likely to Collapse Much Earlier than Expected
Thwaites Glacier, dubbed Antarctica’s ‘doomsday glacier,’ has been predicted to undergo dramatic changes, with its ice shelf likely to break apart in as little as five years.
Humans Reached Remote North Atlantic Islands Centuries Earlier Than Thought
It was long accepted that the Vikings were the first people to settle the Faroe Islands, around 850 A.D. until traces of earlier occupation were announced in 2013. But not everyone was convinced. New probes of lake sediments clinch the case that others were there first.
Study of West Antarctica’s Deep Past Reinforces Vulnerability to Melting
The continent’s western ice sheet turns out to once have been much bigger than previously thought. This implies that the now smaller version could waste quickly.
Reactions That Store Carbon Underground Can Cause Cracking. That’s Good News.
A laboratory experiment found that as carbon dioxide solidified, it caused the rock around it to crack. In real reservoirs, this process could open up space to pump in more carbon dioxide.
Three Questions About the Devastating Tornado Outbreak
Natural hazards expert Chiara Lepore explains some of the factors that contributed to making the outbreak uncommonly dangerous.
American Geophysical Union 2021: Key Events From the Columbia Climate School
A guide to some of the most provocative talks at the world’s largest gathering of Earth and space scientists.
Annual Report
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory seeks fundamental knowledge about the origin, evolution, and future of the natural world. In our 2021 Annual Report, we highlight our accomplishments from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.
Hudson River Field Station
Above: Gabriel Pedersen from Kullorsuaq Greenland lowering his 1000 meters of fishing line (l). Native oyster shell remnants at Piermont Pier (r).
New 2022 Science Research at the Field Station
Two new Climate Center grants will be part of the 2022 Field Station Science Research Portfolio. Both link local testing and observations to large-scale change and impacts from climate.
Tides & temperatures: testing and deploying community-led hydrographic observations near and far (Porter, Turrin, Tinto) expands research and community work currently being done in Greenland Rising. The grant supports local Hudson
deployment and testing of small, inexpensive instrumentation measuring water column temperature and tides prior to installation in Greenland. Temperature loggers deployed down the water column will collect temperature depth profiles. In Greenland’s fjords, loggers will be attached down fishers’ lines. To expand Greenland’s limited tidal data, simple satellite reflectometry-based tide gauges will first be installed and tested at the Field Station before deployment by locals in Greenland communities. Data from both sets of instruments are critical for predicting future ice sheet change and resulting impacts.
Linking laboratory and natural oyster performance (Telesca, McGillis, Linsley) focuses on linking controlled laboratory testing and natural field-based observations of respiration and calcification of the eastern oyster under current changing conditions from a warming climate. Oysters are recognized worldwide as key ecosystem engineers, yet they respond negatively to environmental stressors like a lowering of pH (ocean acidification) and oxygen (hypoxia). Both conditions occur during seasonal cycles at Piermont Pier as reported by our HRECOS real-time water monitoring system. Running simultaneous testing by our HRECOS water quality sensors in our Field Station river water tank and at a
field installation will provide critical data on how oysters will handle rapidly changing climates.
Education
Earth Institute LIVE K12
K-12 students, educators, and parents, join us as our online learning series Earth Institute LIVE K12 continues, featuring live lectures and interactive activities with our scientists and experts.
See the full line-up through June 2022 and RSVP for January sessions with Lamont scientists:
Jan 13 4pm – Using Tools to Explore the Changes of the Polar Regions with Lamont director of educational field programs Margie Turrin and education and outreach coordinator Laurel Zaima (Grades 6-12) – RSVP
Jan 27 4pm – Coral Chemistry and Paleohydrology with Lamont paleoclimatologist and paleoceanographer Brad Linsley (Grades 9-12 + undergraduates) – RSVP
In our next Earth Series Lecture, The Air Pollution Puzzle: Measuring the Risk, Mitigating the Hazard, Columbia Engineering's Faye McNeil and Lamont climate scientist Dan Westervelt join Columbia Climate School founding dean Alex Halliday to discuss a project that aims to equip local communities in Africa, India, and Indonesia with tools to protect their health by measuring and reducing air pollution risk.
Save the date—Wed, Jan 26, 2022 6pm—and stay tuned for registration details.
Lamont in the Media (Selected Stories)
Year in Climate: Extreme Weather Events Prove Climate Change Is Already Here
ABC News
Drilling Into the Climate of Human Origins
American Scientist
Ancient Eruptions Reveal Earliest Settlers of Faroe Islands
Eos
The Meridian Chaser: Ricocheting Between Climate Divides Old and New
Sierra
Deadly Tornadoes Bring Heartbreak and Questions on Resiliency and Climate Change
NPR
Giant Cracks Push Imperiled Antarctic Glacier Closer to Collapse
Nature
Rising From the Antarctic, a Climate Alarm
The New York Times
Do Environmental Protection Laws Only Work When the Economy Is Doing Well?
Forbes
Hurricane Season 2021 Is Over. Could Future Ones See More Storms Rapidly Intensify?
Miami Herald
Princess Cruises Names Godmothers of Latest Cruise Ship
Cruise Radio
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