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

Meet Pepperoni the Robin, and Friends 

Natalie Boelman and colleagues are tagging American robins near Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada, as the birds migrate north to nesting grounds. In a recent blog post for NASA, she put up videos about their work. You can watch some of them below, or go to the blog page at NASA’s Earth Observatory to see and read

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

SIPA Students Host Discussion on Climate Change and Divestment 

In an event jointly hosted by Columbia Divest for Climate Justice and the SIPA Environmental Coalition, students hosted three prominent voices in climate science and action: Professor Maureen Raymo from the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, the acclaimed author and activist Bill McKibben and Peggy Shepard, founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental

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

August 13, 2015 

Mars Trek: NASA Tool Allows You to Explore MarsNASA Rocks on Mars that Look Like Rocks on EarthGeology.com Solar Farms from SpaceAtlas Obscura Satellite Image: Flooding on the Irrawaddy RiverNASA Earth Observatory Keystone XL Review Drags on Five Times Longer Than AverageAssociated Press Better Estimates of Worldwide Mercury PollutionMIT News Expedition to the Aleutian Islands:

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

Images of Guatemala (8) – Volcanic Observatories 

The volcanic observatories, run by the National Institute for Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (INSIVUMEH), are based close to Guatemala’s active volcanoes, including Fuego and Santiaguito. Observers, located at each observatory, make observations and work with those in the local community to share information about the volcano. Our fundraising project will be working to strengthen their capacity and ability to serve these communities. — Each Friday we are [...]

Sounds of Seismology 

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientist Ben Holtzman grew up discovering science through interactive exhibits in San Francisco’s Exploratorium and now provides a similar experience for others. Holtzman designs immersive shows that allow people to experience what earthquakes and seismic waves look and sound like as they move through and around the Earth. On Monday, November 17th at the American Museum of Natural History Hayden Planetarium, Holtzman and his collaborators will present one of [...]

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

The Holuhraun Lava Field (Iceland) 

NASA’s Earth Observatory has an interesting satellite image of a lava flow in the Holuhraun Lava Field, located between Bardarbunga and Askja volcanoes. The image also shows impressive features in the surrounding bedrock and adjacent Vatnajokull ice

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

Seismic Stomp 

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory graduate student Natalie Accardo recently returned from Tanzania and Malawi, where she installed seismic instruments in both countries alongside Lamont seismologists Donna Shillington and Jim Gaherty. Natalie produced this video, which shows the scientists and their Tanzanian colleagues conducting a “stomp test” at one of their sites in the Tanzanian village of