Hello Friends, Happy New Year! And there is no sugar-coating this—omicron has brought with it ever more misery and gloom. Our collective depression over the state of the pandemic is palpable. One of the few silver linings I see is some satisfaction in following the science, which gives me, at least, some semblance of feeling in control. To that end, I’ll draw your attention to the excellent guest editorial in Thursday’s New York Times by our Senior Associate Dean and Earth Institute Faculty Chair Jeff Shaman. Jeff, an epidemiologist, projects omicron infections to peak in the first to third weeks of January.
Moving on to comings and goings, this week Edie Miller accepted a new position as Associate Dean, Budget and Finance in the Columbia Climate School. Virginia Maher also accepted a position as Director of Human Resources in the Climate School. I’ll note that the early commitment of Climate School leadership to maintain a strong presence on the LDEO campus is allowing for significant career advancement opportunities without having to leave our fair and verdant campus. I’d also like to introduce the new Senior Executive Assistant within the Directorate, Ms. Naomi Hornedo who joins us from the CU Irving Medical Center and brings decades of experience working at Columbia University. Welcome Naomi! We are thrilled to have you join our team.
In addition to checking out the January 6th version of Lamont’s monthly newsletter,please go to Lamont’s website to see the 2021 Annual Report from the Observatory. Under the theme “Meeting the Moment. The Solutions Science Imperative”, the report highlights the scope of Lamont’s scientific exploration, educational programs, institutional financial information, and major honors and awards to Lamont’s scientific staff. Please note this is our first foray into an on-line annual report, a growing trend across the university. Check out the features, storytelling and videos and tell us what you think. This was one of Marie Aronsohn’s last big projects before decamping to her new communications leadership position as Director of Strategic Communications at Barnard College.
Looking ahead to next week, on January 13th the popular Earth Institute K-12 Education program hosted by Cassie Xu, Associate Director of Non-Degree Education and Outreach Programs at the Earth Institute, starts the semester with a presentation by Margie Turrin, Director of Educational Field Programs and Laurel Zaima, Education and Outreach Coordinator, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory on “Using Tools to Explore the Changes of the Polar Regions”. RSVP here. Visit the K-12 Education website for the full semester program.
In closing, enjoy the snow, enjoy the weekend. Recent graduate Lorelei Curtin, Lamont Research Professor Billy D’Andrea and their carefully collected sheep poop continue to dominate the news cycle. So hygge your home office, cuddle up with a nice cup of tea, and dive into the news links below.
Best, Mo
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LAMONT IN THE MEDIA:
FEATURED NEWS
Policymakers should consider changes in nature of land: professor Steckler
New Age
January 6, 2022
“University of Columbia Lamont Research professor Michael S Steckler at a seminar said that Bangladesh’s policymakers should consider with importance the changes in natural environment, life of the people and its economy due to changes in the nature of land in recent years.”
Sedimentary Evidence and DNA Shows Faroe Islands Were Inhabited 300 Years Before the Vikings
Guardian Magazine
December 31, 2021
Settlement of Faroe Islands Study by Lorelei Curtin, William D’Andrea.
Faroe Islands Settled Before Vikings Arrived, New Research Shows
Sci News
December 30, 2021
Settlement of Faroe Islands Study by Lorelei Curtin, William D’Andrea.
Year in climate: Extreme weather events prove climate change is already here
ABC News
December 28, 2021
The damage done to the Northern hemisphere this year alone has been "devastating," Jason Smerdon, a climate scientist for Columbia University's Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, told ABC News. "So this is just one more piece of bad news and lots of events that are impacted by global warming," Smerdon said.
The Faroe Islands: Not Discovered by Vikings
Norse Reign
December 26, 2021
Settlement of Faroe Islands Study by Lorelei Curtin, William D’Andrea.
Can Scientists Develop an Icy Sanctuary for Arctic Life?
Science News for Students
December 22, 2021
Article features research by Lamont oceanographer Robert Newton and colleagues.
Ancient Sheep Poop Suggests People Were on the Faroe Islands 300 Years Before the Vikings
CBC (Canada)
December 21, 2021
Settlement of Faroe Islands Study by Lorelei Curtin, William D’Andrea.
Ancient Sheep Poop Tells the Tale of the Faroe Islands’ First Inhabitants
Smithsonian Magazine
December 21, 2021
Article features research led by Lamont PhD Lorelei Curtin and paleoclimatologist Billy D’Andrea.
Can Scientists Develop an Icy Sanctuary for Arctic Life?
Science News for Students
December 21, 2021
Last Arctic Ice Refuge Study by Bob Newton
Remote North Atlantic Islands Were Inhabited Centuries Earlier Than Thought
Science Alert
December 20, 2021
Settlement of Faroe Islands Study by Lorelei Curtin, William D’Andrea.
Drilling into the Climate of Human Origins
American Scientist
December 19, 2021
Article features research by Lamont postdoc Rachel Lupien, paleoclimatologist Kevin Uno, paleoceanographer Peter de Menocal, and colleagues.
There Were People in the Faroe Islands Before the Vikings, Researchers Believe
Forskning (Norway)
December 19, 2021
Settlement of Faroe Islands Study by Lorelei Curtin, William D’Andrea
The Faroe Islands Were Settled in the Sixth Century, Researchers Find
Medievalists
December 18, 2021
Settlement of Faroe Islands Study by Lorelei Curtin, William D’Andrea.
Ancient Poop Suggests Someone Colonized the Faroe Islands Before the Vikings
ZME Science
December 17, 2021
Article features research led by Lamont PhD Lorelei Curtin and paleoclimatologist Billy D’Andrea.
New Evidence Confirm That the Vikings Weren’t the First to Arrive at the Faroe Islands
Mysterious Universe
December 17, 2021
Settlement of Faroe Islands Study by Lorelei Curtin, William D’Andrea.
Evidence for the Earliest Human Occupation of the Faroe Islands
Nature Asia
December 17, 2021
Article features research led by Lamont PhD Lorelei Curtin and paleoclimatologist Billy D’Andrea.
Celtic Explorers Reached the Faroe Islands 350 Years Before the Vikings Landed
The Times
December 17, 2021
Article features research led by Lamont PhD Lorelei Curtin and paleoclimatologist Billy D’Andrea.
Warmer Winters Can Wreak as Much Havoc as Hotter Summers, Say Scientists
The Guardian
December 17, 2021
Article quotes Earth Institute climate scientist Kai Kornhuber and Lamont natural hazards expert Chiara Lepore.
1,500-Year-Old Evidence of Livestock Found on Faroe Islands
Archaeology
December 17, 2021
Settlement of Faroe Islands Study by Lorelei Curtin, William D’Andrea.
Orkney News
December 17, 2021
Lamont-Doherty – Settlement of Faroe Islands Study by Lorelei Curtin, William D’Andrea.
Study: Risk of overlapping heat waves grows in Northern Hemisphere
Axios
December 17, 2021
Article quotes Kai Kornhuber, Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Earth Institute
Arctic Fires Are Melting Permafrost That Keeps Carbon Underground
Bloomberg News
December 16, 2021
“In the future we might expect to see an outsized influence on thaw from the fires that will likely increase," said Róisín Commane, a Columbia University assistant professor who studies atmospheric composition and wasn’t involved in the new study.
Ancient Eruptions Reveal Earliest Settlers of Faroe Islands
Eos
December 16, 2021
Article features research led by Lamont PhD Lorelei Curtin and paleoclimatologist Billy D’Andrea.
British or Irish Settlers Could Have Beaten Vikings to Faroe Islands (runs 27:23-29:53)
BBC 6 O’Clock News
December 16, 2021
Settlement of Faroe Islands Study by Lorelei Curtin, William D’Andrea.
(Various iterations of the story also appear on dozens of new aggregator sites)
BLOGS
Clearing the Air: Decarbonization Technologies Take a Giant Step Forward
January 06, 2022
“Research from Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory is being used to pull CO2 out of the air.”
EI LIVE K12: RSVP for Our Winter/Spring 2022 Sessions
“Our popular video series for students, educators, and parents returns with an exciting lineup from January to June.”
January 03, 2022
Mike Steckler
January 02, 2022
“I am finally back in Bangladesh after a pandemic hiatus. I need to repair precision GPSs that failed over the last few years. They are measuring tectonic movements for earthquake hazard and land subsidence, which exacerbates sea level rise.
Spring 2022 Internship Opportunities
“The Earth Institute is offering undergraduate, graduate and PhD students with opportunities to intern in various departments and research centers.”
December 20, 2021
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
December 17
“Despite being far away, the poles and their changes have and will control the climate on our planet, and hence our own society,” says climate scientist Marco Tedesco of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia University’s Climate School. “The collapse of Thwaites can catalyze sea level rise, therefore accelerating the damage to our society by climate change,” he adds.