LDEO August 2026 Newsletter: Earth & Environmental Science News
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Filling Tall Orders
Measuring 14 feet tall, the bronze Equestrian Lincoln (Lincoln the Itinerant Lawyer) by prominent American sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973) graces the lawn outside Lamont Hall on our beautiful campus in Palisades, NY. Hyatt Huntington depicts the young President reading while his horse is grazing to evoke Lincoln's lifelong commitment to learning.
The work of art was a gift from Hyatt Huntington to Columbia, intentionally placed on the Earth sciences campus in memory of her father Alpheus Hyatt, a Harvard and MIT paleontologist and naturalist, and her husband Archer Milton Huntington, an active member of the American Geographical Society. Learn more via Columbia University Libraries.
📷 Brandon Vallejo, Columbia University
As American science faces cuts in research funding, your support is more important than ever. By making a gift to Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory today, you help advance our mission, strengthen our community of researchers, and expand our education and outreach initiatives—ensuring that Lamont continues to push the boundaries of scientific discovery. At a time when research funding is increasingly uncertain, your support is more important than ever. Every dollar donated stays at Lamont, supporting Lamont science and scientists.
Study Reveals How Gas Bubbles Shaped Kīlauea’s 2018 Lava Flow
New research shows that gas bubbles played a central role in controlling how fast and far the lava traveled, and that lava flow models need to account for bubbles to more accurately forecast where lava will stop.
From Marie Tharp to Seabed 2030: Marine Geophysicist Vicki Ferrini on Mapping the Ocean Floor
In honor of Tharp's birthday, Ferrini discusses the geologist's pioneering work and how it paved the way for her own collaborative efforts to map the ocean floor.
Pacific Ocean Pattern Helps Explain Diverging Wildfire Trends in U.S. and Australia
Two of the world’s most fire-prone regions have followed strikingly different wildfire trajectories despite both experiencing a warming climate.
Interactive: The Heezen–Tharp World Ocean Floor Map
Explore Marie Tharp's groundbreaking 1977 World Ocean Floor map and discover how it transformed our understanding of the Earth.
Wildfire Smoke Returns: What to Know About This Week's Air Quality
Air pollution expert Dan Westervelt discusses this summer's wildfires and resulting air quality in New York City and beyond.
What Happens to Our Brains in a Warming World?
Climate change is already reshaping our brains. How do we act earlier, build resilience and change the trajectory for generations to come?
Extreme Heat Is Here: What Our Experts Want You to Know
As a dangerous early-summer heat wave covers swaths of the globe, our experts discuss the impacts of extreme heat.
Climate Scientist Marco Tedesco Examines What Responsible AI Should Look Like
The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory researcher is helping launch an AI working group to explore how AI can support climate research without undermining ethics, equity or scientific judgment.
Massive Calving Episode in Greenland May Foreshadow More Rapid Ice Sheet Loss
Researchers studying a lake drainage event in Greenland determined that large amounts of meltwater can lead to massive glacier calving events and accelerate ice sheet loss.
New U.N. Resolution Urges Member States to Act for Glacier Preservation
The resolution, spearheaded by Tajikistan (along with Peru and Bhutan), marks a historic first for Central Asia. It emphasizes the importance of Indigenous populations affected by glacier loss.
Lamont researchers are in the field studying the dynamics of the planet on every continent and every ocean. Journalists may join and cover expeditions when possible. Learn more about this essential fieldwork.
Events
On Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 4pm, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House—our biggest, best science fun and discovery event of the year—will take place on our beautiful campus in Palisades, NY. Mark your calendar and join us for this free, family-friendly celebration of science!
Open House returns this year thanks to the support of individual and corporate partners–and you can be part of its return. Your support helps keep this beloved community event free and accessible to all while advancing the vital research conducted at Lamont-Doherty year-round. There are many ways to make an impact, from individual contributions to sponsorship opportunities. For more information, please contact Stacey Vassallo.
Help Sea Grant NY, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and Columbia Engineering build an AI system that cleans up litter in New York’s rivers, lakes, and sea. Just photograph human-made litter like plastic, metal, and textiles in waterways and share them on the MyCoast app. View instructions (PDF).
On display at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are three fascinating art exhibits:
Research as Art featuring works by Lamont researchers (Monell Building through October 15, 2026)
Science Flags CCL by Selva Ozelli (Lamont Café through June 30, 2027)
Whimsical Science by Betsy Franco-Feeney (Monell Building September 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027)
Contact Miriam Cinquegrana for more information/appointments.
Lamont-Doherty Hudson River Field Station
Please visit us this summer! We are located at 200 Ferry Road, Piermont, NY at the eastern end of Rockland County's Piermont Pier. We are open for the summer with drop-in hours, community science programs, and our weekly Science Saturday events! Summer hours: Monday 9:30am-4:30pm, Tuesday through Friday 10am-6pm, Science Saturday 12-4pm, and closed Sunday.
Our many educational resources and all our sampling data are regularly updated and always available on the Field Station website! Questions about our community science programs, school and group education programs, or upcoming events at the Lamont-Doherty Hudson River Field Station? Contact Marisa Annunziato.
Community Science Dates for August!
Do you want to help with local science? Join us to collect important data on different science topics and meet other people who like being outdoors and contributing to our community of science! These activities take ~1 hour to complete and all supplies and training are provided.
August 6 4pm: Plankton
August 7 4pm: Oysters
August 13 4pm: Birding
August 14 4pm: Water Quality
August 20 4 pm: Microplastics
August 27 4 pm: Marine Debris
August 28 4 pm: Birding
To let us know you plan to attend or for questions about our Summer Community Science Activities, contact Sarah Ortiz.
Saturdays Are Community Days!
Join us every Saturday 12-4pm during summer for our free, drop-in Science Saturdays! You’ll learn about the Hudson Estuary, get an opportunity to interact with the abundant wildlife that calls the Hudson home through seining, and participate in interactive environmental activities!
August Science Saturday themes are:
August 1: The Great Fish Count
August 8: Birding
August 15: Food Webs
August 22: Water Chemistry
August 29: Hudson River School
Follow our Field Station's Instagram @ldeo_fieldstation for the most up-to-date information about Science Saturdays!
Education
Polar CAP and Next Gen High School Summer Interns Explore Careers and Opportunities
Our high school interns have been exploring a wide range of educational and career opportunities this summer through a series of wonderful guest presenters.
Julia Gold, an undergraduate summer intern with Orange & Rockland Utilities, presented her work creating and monitoring Monarch butterfly habitat in company ‘Right of Ways’ as part of their commitment to supporting biodiversity and rewilding.
Catherine Prunella from NOAA Sea Grant presented her work with Lamont-Doherty’s Beizhan Yan on addressing microplastics in our waterways.
Betsy Franco Feeney shared how she collaborates with scientists and educators in her art illustrations and children’s books.
Cody Bahlau, R/V Marcus G. Langseth chief science officer, took the interns on a virtual tour of the ship and the science underway at sea.
Cait Clemmer presented her work with NOAA’s Marine Sanctuaries with an update on the proposed Hudson Canyon Sanctuary.
Emily Marcet from Wolftree Design held a session on developing interpretive signage in science communications as part of the planning for a sea-level rise exhibit.
Zach Schwartz-Weinstein from Audubon presented on Piermont's birds and how that data can be used in climate research.
Lamont-Doherty’s Sheean Haley brought plankton to life for the group.
Follow our Polar CAP Instagram (@ldeo_polarcap) to learn what the interns are up to!
Columbia Climate School in the Green Mountains is a two-week campus-based program in Castleton, Vermont that empowers high school students to take action on climate change through hands-on learning and community impact. Students have the opportunity to learn from Columbia Climate School faculty on topics such as climate modeling, disaster preparedness tools and strategies, international climate policy, and the circular economy, as well as meet state senators, representatives, and local leaders working on climate solutions in Vermont.
This summer, 58 young changemakers from the US, Shanghai, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, and the UK worked together on building climate solutions for a sustainable future. After two weeks of hands-on learning, research, and collaboration, the students presented their climate action projects to fellow students, program leaders, and Columbia Climate School Dean, Alexis Abramson with the goal of implementing their project within their own community.Their climate action projects highlighted not only the knowledge they gained throughout the program but also their creativity, critical thinking, and passion for making a difference from local to global scales.
Climate LIVE K12 features live lectures and interactive activities with our scientists and experts for K-12 students, educators, families, and the public! FREE!
While Climate LIVE K12 is on summer break, check out our YouTube archive of all past workshops.
Lamont in the Media (Select Stories)
Why Air Quality Can Still Be Bad Even If the Sky Doesn’t Look Smoky
CNN
How to Protect Your Health as Skies Fill With Smoke From Canada’s Wildfires
WIRED
Dangerous Wildfire Smoke Continues to Blanket Parts of the U.S.
NPR
Heavy Smoke from Wildfires Blankets the US Midwest and Northeast, Prompting Evacuations
AP
