The massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11 transfixed scientists no less than the rest of the public, all the more so because they are so tuned in to the constant shakes and rattles of the planet. This one really caught them off guard – as geophysicist Chris Scholz discusses in the accompanying video.

The shock of such a violent event reminds us all of how vulnerable the Earth's growing population is to natural disaster. Understanding how such events occur, and the underlying dynamics of the planet's geological and climate systems, is at the core of ongoing research at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Even as tragedy ravaged northern Japan, a team of Lamont scientists was planting new instruments in the Brahmaputra River delta in Bangladesh. Earthquakes, floods, sea-level rise and sudden shifts in river courses threaten many of the densely populated nation's 164 million residents. The five-year project aims to assess the links between these potential hazards.

Other researchers are headed into the field to study subduction zones and seismic history, shrinking ice sheets and paleoclimate, the cycles and currents of atmosphere and oceans. In every radar-scanning flyover, core sample and fault map lies the hope that we can learn enough about how the world works to not get caught off-guard the next time.

The Cascadia subduction zone, which produced a giant earthquake and tsunami in 1700, lies off the coast of California, Oregon and Washington. This summer, researchers will be sinking ocean-bottom seismometers, some designed at the Lamont-Doherty Ocean Bottom Seismology Lab, into the seafloor to study the region.

A team led by Lamont-Doherty seismologists Donna Shillington and Spahr Webb will sail on the seismic research vessel Marcus G. Langseth to study the very active subduction zone along the Alaskan Peninsula. They hope to create images that will help them understand its potential for giant quakes and tsunamis.

Lamont-Doherty scientists Jim Cochran, Mike Wolovik, Hakim Andi and Kirsty Tinto have been flying over Greenland on the NASA-led Operation Ice Bridge to measure changes on and below the ice. The fast-shrinking Greenland ice sheet is sending freshwater streaming into the oceans, with potentially significant effects regionally and globally. You can follow their blog here.

Ecologist Natalie Boelman is leading a five-year project on the North Slope of Alaska to study how warming climate may influence links among vegetation, insects and birds.  In May, working from the Toolik Lake research station, researchers will count species and study behavior, listen to birdcalls with a network of automated microphone stations, and examine what's happening with plant and insect life. Boelman will blog about her work for The New York Times.

The multiyear Arctic Switchyard project, done in conjunction with the University of Washington and other institutions, is tracking the Arctic seascape all the way to the North Pole, and trying to distinguish the effects of natural climate variability from those of human-induced climate change. The project is just underway for this season, and Lamont researchers William Smethie, Ronny Friedrich and Dale Chayes are reporting from the field.

Master's Program Has First Two Graduates

The first two students are graduating this year from the Master of Science in sustainability management program cosponsored by the Earth Institute and the School of Continuing Education. Chak Cherdsatirkul and Shinsuke Nuryia began the program last fall. They got some hands-on experience as part of the program, working with the New York City mayor's office and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on managing solid waste and adapting to rising sea levels and storm surges. The undergraduate program in sustainable development now has 130 students, and among the 40 graduates this year, several are the first to major in the field. For more on sustainability and environmental education programs, visit here.

Upcoming Events

May 8-10
Moving Toward a Sustainable Future: Opportunities and Challenges -- The 17th annual conference of the International Sustainable Development Research Society, hosted by the Earth Institute, in partnership with the United Nations Division of Sustainable Development. At Alfred J. Lerner Hall, Columbia University.

May 16-27
The 2011 Summer Institute on Climate Information for Public Health, at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. The International Research Institute for Climate and Society, in partnership with the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) and the Mailman School of Public Health.

May 23-25
Threatened Island Nations: Legal Implications of Rising Seas and a Changing Climate – sponsored by the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

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CNN, April 22

Mark Herstgaard and James Hansen: Adapting to Climate Change Now
The Nation, April 22

Arid Land, Thirsty Crops
Scientific American, April 11

Seasonal climate forecasts key to adaptation, but not reaching African farmers
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Milestones

Jeffrey Sachs Re-ups at E.I., Extends Capital Campaign

Book Talk

Peter Coleman's new book, The Five Percent: Finding Solutions to Seemingly Impossible Conflicts, published by Public Affairs, is out this month. To watch his Five Percent videos, go here. For a Q&A with the author, go to the State of the Planet blog, here.