LDEO December 2022 Newsletter: Earth Science News
No images? Click here
Revealing Earth’s Mysteries
Lamont geologist Marie Tharp's pioneering contributions to seafloor mapping helped reveal Earth's submarine landscape in unprecedented detail. Her work played an essential role in the acceptance of the theory of plate tectonics, and revolutionized our understanding of how nearly everything on the planet works. On November 21, an interactive Google Doodle celebrated Marie Tharp's life and work. Photo: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the Estate of Marie Tharp.
American Geophysical Union 2022: Key Events From the Columbia Climate School
A guide to some of the most provocative and groundbreaking talks at the world’s largest gathering of earth and space scientists.
Google Doodle Celebrates Marie Tharp, Who Mapped the Ocean Floor
Tharp co-published the first world map of the ocean floors and helped prove the theory of continental drift.
A Study Offers New Insights Into the Record 2021 Western North America Heat Wave
Several weeks during summer 2021 saw heat records in the western United States and Canada broken not just by increments, but by tens of degrees, an event of unprecedented extremity. To what degree was it climate change, bad luck, or a combination?
What Did COP27 Accomplish?
Delegates from Columbia Climate School discuss the achievements and shortfalls of COP27, as well as what took place outside the negotiation room.
Iron-Rich Dust From South America Played Role in Last Two Glacial Periods, Says Study
Dust from the land that gets blown into the ocean appears to influence natural climate swings. A new study looks into where much of that dust came from in the past 260,000 years.
Building Green Energy Facilities May Produce Substantial Carbon Emissions, Says Study
Moving from fossil fuels to solar panels, wind turbines and other renewable energy sources will by itself create a new stream of carbon emissions with the construction of so much new infrastructure. The good news: Speeding the transition would greatly reduce this effect.
A Warming World Makes Soccer More Challenging
With the World Cup nearly upon us, professional soccer player Samantha Mewis spoke with Climate School experts in an event focusing on how climate change is impacting sports.
Learn more about how Columbia Climate School has been advancing the conversation at the world’s most important climate change summit.
Hudson River Field Station
Pearl River High School teacher Tom Mullane works with students as part of the Annual Day in the Life of the Hudson & Harbor program.
The Hudson River Is the Best Teacher!
For the past 20 years, Lamont has been hosting students and their teachers at the Field Station to learn about the Hudson River as part of the Day in the Life of the Hudson & Harbor. This year, the large project brought over 4,200 participants to the river to explore and collect data at 82 sites, providing new insights into the estuary as well as meaningful education experiences.
The collected data helped us locate the leading edge of the salt well upriver in Poughkeepsie, a result of the very dry conditions throughout the watershed for much of the summer and fall. We also found a rise in the number of Atlantic Mendaden in our nets, which mirrored data collected by the DEC Fisheries team over the season. Students expressed their enthusiasm for learning in the field, holding their first fish, collecting data rather than just working with tables of data, understanding the dynamic conditions in the estuary, and looking at the Hudson as an integrated system of biology, chemistry and physical processes.
Pearl River High School teacher Tom Mullane noted that even after 20 years, the river is still teaching him new things!
Education
Climate LIVE K12 features live lectures and interactive activities with our scientists and experts for K-12 students, educators, families, and the public! Check out our line-up of upcoming sessions (free but registration is required!) as well as our rich archive of past sessions.
Events
Check out our guide to notable events involving our researchers at the December 12-16, 2022 meeting of the American Geophysical Union, the world’s largest gathering of Earth and space scientists, taking place in Chicago and online.
On November 15 , Peter B. Kelemen, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s Arthur D. Storke Memorial Professor, presented Can We Mimic Nature to Remove CO2 from the Atmosphere? Listen to the talk here.
Lamont in the Media (Selected Stories)
Predicting the Earthquake that Could Wreck New York
The New Yorker
Climate Change Is Increasing the Frequency and Temperature of Extreme Heat Waves
Los Angeles Times
A Climate Scientist’s Personal Reckoning
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
World Cup Warming Up
Climate Central
Check out apparel, tote bags, reusable water bottles, and more from Columbia Climate School. Great for everyone on your gift list. Shop now!
