Geobulletin alpha

Photo Essay: Seeking Humanity’s Roots 

East Africa's rift valley is considered by many to be the cradle of humanity. In the Turkana region of northwest Kenya, researchers Christopher Lepre and Tanzhuo Liu of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are cooperating with colleagues to study questions of human evolution, from the creation of the earliest stone tools to climate swings that have affected developing

Maureen Raymo Elected to National Academy of Sciences 

Maureen Raymo, a marine geologist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory whose name is connected with key theories about how ice ages wax and wane and how sea levels change, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors awarded to scientists in the United

Photo Essay: High in the Hills, Climate May Challenge Forests 

Forests in the south-central United States are some of the country’s most productive and diverse. They also sit in a warming “hole”—an area where the progressive rise in temperature affecting most of the continent hasn’t yet taken hold. A team from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory is studying how these forests might shift—or even disappear—when climate change does catch up with them, as

Why are Past Surface Temperatures and CO2 Concentrations Important? 

Kelsey Dyez, a geochemist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, describes how the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere influences

Photo Essay: Rising Islands, Monster Wave 

Researchers at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have published a new study showing that a tsunami of unimaginable size swept over the Cape Verde Islands some 73,000 years ago. The discovery may have implications for the potential for modern

Science, Powered by the Sun 

Two solar farms will soon power 75 percent of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, whose high-tech labs are home to some of the world’s leading Earth scientists. The new power sources are expected to cut the campus's carbon dioxide emissions by

H. James Simpson; Tracked Pollutants in Hudson and Far Beyond 

H. James Simpson, a geochemist who pioneered important studies of water pollutants in the Hudson River and abroad, died May 10. He had been affiliated with Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory for 50 years. The cause was Parkinson’s disease, said his family; he was 72. In the 1970s, as modern environmental laws were taking hold,

Lamont-Doherty to Manage U.S. Ocean Drilling Program 

Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory has signed a $35 million, five-year cooperative agreement with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to manage scientific support services for U.S. scientists studying the world’s ocean floors. Lamont will use the award to manage U.S. scientific support services for the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), a 26-nation collaboration that

Summer Program Opens Door to the Life of a Scientist 

For Destiny Torres, currently a biology major at Brown University and a Gates Millennium Scholar, participating in the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s Secondary School Field Research Program in 2010 offered her the perfect combination of research and mentorship opportunities, lab work, and getting a glimpse into the daily life of a

A Day in the Life of the Hudson River 

Once a year, Piermont Pier becomes a field station, and local students, a team of environmental investigators. On Tuesday, scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory led students through a series of field experiments designed to teach them more about the Hudson

Eco-Theater Engages Visitors at Lamont-Doherty’s Open House 

Saturday, October 11th, Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory celebrated another successful Open House at the Lamont Campus in the Palisades. Among the many scientists and curious guests in attendance was Superhero Clubhouse, a collective of artists and environmental advocates working at the intersection of science and

Seeing Red: The Great Oxygenation Event 

In Part 4 of the Columbia Geology Tour, David Walker of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory explores the source of the red sandstone of Russell Hall at the Columbia Teachers College on 120th

At the Corner of Mudd Hall, the Secret of Blue Quartz 

How did those big crystals of blue quartz get locked into the pink granite of Mudd Hall? How come they’re blue? In Part 3 of the Columbia Geology Tour, David Walker of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory explores the mysteries of granite formed deep in the earth more than 600 million years

Photo Essay: Studying Fracking’s Effects, Up Close and Personal 

Ten years ago, hydraulic fracturing barely existed. Today 45,000 fracked wells produce natural gas, providing energy for millions of homes and businesses, and nearly a quarter of the nation’s electricity. But scientists are far behind in understanding how this boom affects people near wells. Geochemists Beizhan Yan and James Ross of Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are trying to fill in this

Investigating Water Quality and Arsenic in Bangladesh 

Postcard from the Field: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory graduate student Rajib Mozumder, who works with Lamont scientists Lex van Geen and Ben Bostick, has spent part of his summer drilling water wells and collecting samples in

World Trade Center Ship Traced to Colonial-Era Philadelphia 

Four years ago this month, archeologists monitoring the excavation of the former World Trade Center site uncovered a ghostly surprise: the bones of an ancient sailing ship. In a new study, scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory say that an old growth forest in the Philadelphia area supplied the white oak used in the ship’s frame, and that the trees were probably cut in 1773 or so—a few years before the bloody war that established America’s independence from

How High Will Sea Levels Rise? 

Scientists from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are trying to determine how high sea levels may rise in the future by studying the shorelines of the past. Led by a team of researchers including Lamont climate scientist and marine geologist Maureen Raymo, the goal of Pliomax is to increase the accuracy of global sea level estimates for the Pliocene era, which occurred about 3 million years

Gerry Iturrino: Oceanographer, Engineer, Friend 

Gerardo Iturrino, a longtime engineer and ocean explorer at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, passed away unexpectedly on March 12. A resident of nearby Nyack, he was 51; the cause was heart attack, said his family. “Gerry,” as everyone knew him, was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. He studied in France, and later at Purdue University and

The R/V Marcus G. Langseth: Ocean Explorer 

The Marcus G. Langseth, a research vessel operated by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, traverses the world’s oceans conducting marine seismic studies that contribute to new understanding of Earth systems. The ship typically spends half the year or more on research expeditions led by Lamont-Doherty scientists and colleagues from other research institutes. Mentions of cruises may conjure up

Tides Play a Role in Triggering Undersea Earthquakes 

Can shifting tides trigger earthquakes? Research done by Maya Tolstoy, a geophysicist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, suggests they