The Earth, its geology and its ecosystems...The more we learn about our planet the more we see the interdependence of geology, atmosphere, climate and life. These scientists explain the many great phenomena that affect our planet. And they also explain the human impact on the Earth.
SftP Videos: Earth
2000 Years of Oceans and Climate
11-14-23 The warming oceans will seriously affect global climate. Developing accurate models of how and when those impacts will occur requires analysis of both contemporary and historical data. Hali Kilbourne
A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters
08/23/21 In his latest book for the general public, an esteemed geologist makes the dynamics of our planet and its lifeforms accessible to all. A must-read for all who care about our Earth. Andrew Knoll
Accelerated Climate Change: Can Nature Adapt?
10/09/12 Changes in habitat and breeding patterns due to rapid climate change.......... Richard Primack
Addressing the Global Water Shortage
03/11/25 Due mainly to climate change and wasteful agricultural practices, the supply of freshwater is rapidly diminishing across the globe. To provide water for the world’s huge population, governments must quickly develop advanced conservation and sustainability policies. Jay Famiglietti
Addressing the Threat to Earth System Boundaries
09/12/23 The breaching of most of the Earth system boundaries (ESBs) is destroying the planet and the crisis must be addressed immediately. Solutions must include justice for those who suffer displacement, health and economic impacts of the crisis. Diana Liverman
Analyzing Clouds and Climate Change
09/26/23 Clouds protect the planet and play an essential role in climate dynamics. How will the rapidly heating planet affect that relationship? Daniel Cziczo
Are Coastal Communities Prepared for Rising Seas?
07/31/20 Rising seas are already affecting many coastal cities and communities. How can we best prepare, and how fast? Erika Spanger-Siegfried
Atmosphere: Earth and Elsewhere
04/25/17 What an atmosphere is, what it does, how it changes --on Earth, elsewhere in our solar system and beyond. Daniel Cziczo
Atmospheric Tipping Points
09/04/20 An explanation of atmospheric warming cycles over the eons, and the difference between those natural cycles and the present CO2 buildup. Daniel Cziczo
Can Seagrasses Weather Ocean Warming?
06/14/21 Seagrasses feed and protect many marine species. They stabilize shorelines. They reduce ocean acidification. Can seagrasses endure ocean warming? Barnabas Daru
Climate Change and Ocean Circulation Systems
09/28/20 Ocean currents transport heat and cold around the globe, affecting weather and climate, and delivering nutrients to marine life. How does the accelerating climate change impact this vital system? Amy Bower
Climate Change: How to Think Globally & Act Locally
02/12/18 Today's global citizens can and must engage in the struggle to address climate change. Dan Cziczo
Clive Hamilton Talks about the Geoengineering Issue
10/28/13 A major ethicist and author talks about the geoengineering issue and his new book on that topic, Earthmasters
Clouds, Chemistry, and Climate Change: Why Our Current Climate Is What It Is
09/12/17 Clouds are an essential component of the dynamics of climate change. Here's how that works. Daniel Cziczo
Coastal Ecosystems and Climate Change
12/17/14 An international expert explains how coastal ecosystems function and how they are adjusting to current stresses. Brian Helmuth
Coastal Wetlands and Salt Marshes
01-17-23 Coastal wetlands and salt marshes absorb huge amounts of CO2. Scientists are working to understand this complex process when such ecosystems are especially stressed by climate change. Robinson Fulweiler
Communicating Climate Change Through Science and Technology
04/25/17 Some ways to show how marine organisms actually experience climate change. Brian Helmuth
Corporate Science and Genetically Modified Foods
04/15/15 A leading expert and author on the issue of genetically modified foods explains the corporate resistance to labeling GM foods. Sheldon Krimsky
Creating Public Doubt about Scientific Facts
11/18/14 How vested interests have misled and confused the public over the years about many critical issues: DDT, tobacco, the ozone hole, environmental toxins, climate change. Naomi Oreskes
Deep-Sea Volcanoes
04/26/16 Scientists are now able to study in detail the dynamic volcanic activity of the deep ocean ridges. Here are some amazing discoveries. Daniel Fornari
Earth and Humans: A Planetary Perspective
05/06/14 A distinguished authority on Earth's geochemical systems explains the deep relationship between life and planetary environment. Charles Langmuir
Earthquakes and Tsunamis
04/12/16 How ocean earthquakes generate tsunamis --and where tsunamis can occur. John Ebel
Earthquakes!
03/16/10 Earthquakes occur somewhere, every day. Can they be predicted, and if so, how? Colleen Dalton
Ecological and Psychological Perspectives on Climate Change
02/13/18 Important factors that influence the way people think about climate change. Brian Helmuth and John Coley
Effects of Climate Change on New England’s Forests
01/15/20 The detailed study of New England forests helps to predict the impact of decreasing snowpacks and rising temperatures ecosystems.. Pamela Templer
Eye-to-Eye with Climate Change in the Ocean
02/15/11 Saving the oceans is an urgent matter... Les Kaufman
How Deep-Sea Mining Threatens Fundamental Ecosystems
05/16/23 Microbial ecosystems sustain all ocean life. That vital foundation will be disrupted by deep-sea mining and the impact may be extensive. Julie Huber and Beth Orcutt
How Glaciers Affect Earth and Climate
05/16/17 An important explanation of the relationship between glacial cycles and climate change. Jack Ridge
How Ocean Acidification Harms Shellfish
01/11/21 Climate change has brought ocean acidification and ocean acidification is a serious threat to shellfish. What can be done to save sealife? Louise Cameron
How Plankton Blooms Absorb CO2
02/24/15 What causes the massive plankton blooms that are necessary for stabilizing Earth's CO2 balance, and how does the process work? Amala Mahadevan
How Restorative Development Can Address Climate Change
09/13/16 An international authority on the dual impacts of climate change and environmental destruction discusses the urgent need for a restorative development policy. William Moomaw
Human Earth
12/09/21 A distinguished geologist compares the human impact on our planet with the impacts of natural catastrophes over billions of years. Based on his book, A Brief History of Earth, this discussion is a sequel to an earlier conversation. Andrew Knoll
Impact of Climate Change on Birds and Plants of Massachusetts
01/15/13 A discussion of the exceptionally well-documented climate change in Massachusetts. Richard Primack
Industrial Agriculture and the Humble Strawberry
02/20/18 The inherent conflict between profit from one of California's major crops and the impact on environment and health. Julie Guthman
Journey to the Center of the Earth
11/05/13 What modern seismologists are learning about the Earth's interior. Miaki Ishii
Living Dirt: Soil’s Microbe Ecosystems
05/10/21 Healthy soil depends on healthy microbial ecosystems. These invisible communities have a very complex relationship. Kristen DeAngelis
Making a Global Plan for Climate Change
03/29/16 An expert on climate change policy explains the coming global challege and the role of public commitment. Henrik Selin
Mathematical Prediction of Sixth Mass Extinction
07/16/19 The destabilization of Earth's complex carbon cycle is associated with past mass extinctions. This mathematical model predicts a coming sixth mass extinction. Daniel Rothman
Microbes Matter: From Healthy Soil to Your Healthy Gut
02/08/17 An important new book connects the dots between the role of microbes in healthy soil and in human health. David Montgomery and Anne Biklé
New Paradigms of Conservation
07/12/16 How a combination of innovative conservation techniques and involvement of local villages is combating damage in the Himalayas. Kamal Bawa
Ocean Sediments: Earth's Deep Climate History
10/10/14 A leader in the international research on marine sediments explains how climate history is recorded in ocean sediments. Richard Murray
Our Record-Breaking Global Heat
01/07/25 Why climate scientists are very concerned about the global heat trend, how they analyze it, and what must be done. Mathew Barlow & Jeffrey Basara
Our Shaking Earth: Understanding and Predicting Earthquakes
11-28-23 GBH Forum Network webinar: 12 Noon (EST) Our planet is subject to more than 50 earthquakes a day. How do scientists analyze this activity and can they predict the most threatening quakes? Brendan Meade
Plankton: The Humble Base of the Ocean Ecosystem
02/14/17 Ancient diatom fossils provide clues to the adaptability of these vital organisms in the deep past, and can help predict plankton survival in the present climate change. Christopher Bowler
Reading the Clouds to Understand Climate Change
10/22/13 Clouds and the particles they contain are essential information for climate science. Here's how scientists gather and decipher that information............... Daniel Cziczo
Restoration of Severely Contaminated Lands
05/10/11 Sometimes even severely polluted land can be restored. Some case histories... Justin Hollander
Saving the Himalayas
12/22/15 Can the great Himalaya ecosystem adapt to the dual assault of rapid development and climate change? Maharaj Pandit
Soil: The Skin of the Earth
10/06/15 Soil is essential for life on Earth, and life greatly enriches soil. How did the pedosphere evolve, what makes it dynamic, and how can we save it?,,,,,,,,,,... Andrew Kurtz
Solar Geoengineering: What You Need to Know
09/24/24 WGBH Forum Network webinar, The alarming increase in global warming has stimulated interest in solar geoengineering, a means of shading the planet --but not a means of reducing the source of warming, the excessive CO2 and methane in the atmosphere. Daniel Cziczo
Sustainability Science: Biodiversity and Community
10/15/13 A distinguished ecologist talks about his new book on the Himalayas, his research, and the ATREE Institute that he founded. Kamal Bawa
Take Action! How We Can Save the Environment
06/21/18 Harvard's Law School Environmental Clinic shows us how we can use the law to save our environment. Wendy B. Jacobs
The Alvin Deep-Sea Submersible: An Engineer's Story
08/31/15 Dudley Foster, the Woods Hole engineer closely associated with the Alvin's history, describes explorations of this famous deep-sea submersible. Dudley Foster
The Battle for the Future of Food
06/11/24 WGBH Forum Network webinar. Industrial agriculture (“Big Ag”) is a major contributor to global warming, environmental destruction, and disruption of good farming traditions. There is a better way to feed the world without destroying the planet. Tim Wise
The Global Green New Deal
09-03-24 The book Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal by Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin is one of the most important books on our urgent global issue. Robert Pollin discusses the economic factors underlying the climate crisis and the strategy needed to shift to a Global Green New Deal which will restore the planet and civilization. Robert Pollin
The Long Reach of Polar Glacial Melts
04/12/21 The accelerating Arctic and Antarctic glacial melts will affect sea levels and land masses in different areas of the globe --often far from the polar regions. Natalya Gomez
The Menace of Agrochemicals
10/18/21 A prominent researcher-author-public advocate discusses the environmental and health issues of agrochemicals, especially glyphosate (Roundup). Sheldon Krimsky
The Politics of Food's Environmental Footprint
04/17/12 Calculating the impact of large-scale food production on the environment... Susanne Freidberg
The Real Key to Feeding the World
09/20/21 The distinguished scientist and author of "Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life" explains the destructiveness of industrialized agriculture and shows how to feed the world while restoring the soil and environment. David Montgomery
The Role of Oceans in Climate
06/16/15 A visit to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to learn how researchers investigate the dynamic relationship between oceans and climate. Amala Mahadevan
The Role of the Ocean in the Global Carbon Cycle
01/22/13 The complex relationship between marine life and the chemistry and circulation of oceans. Mick Follows
The Science --and Oft-Ignored Side Effects --of Geoengineering
04/24/18 An important critique of geoengineering, including cautions about misinformation. Daniel Cziczo
The Science of Clouds and Climate
03/21/15 The Cziczo Lab at MIT investigates the particles that form clouds and the vital role of clouds in climate change. Daniel Cziczo
The Vital Role of Seagrass in Marine Ecosystems
01/10/17 A fascinating look at the vital role of seagrass in marine ecosystems............ Barnabas Daru
They Didn't Believe It! Plate Tectonics, Foundation of Earth Systems
02/29/20 It took almost a century to determine if and how continents moved (continental drift). In the 1960s irrefutable evidence showed that tectonic plates caused regular shifts of the planet’s magnetic polarity, volcanoes and earthquakes -and the drift of continents.
Troubled Waters: Fewer Fish, Increasing Malnutrition
10/25/16 A combination of climate change, industrial fishing, and seafood trade now threaten basic health in many developing nations. Christopher Golden
Troubled Waters: Red Tides and Other Algae Blooms
12/12/23 Belmont Media Center. Runoffs from agriculture, industries and other sources accumulate in many waters and cause harmful algae blooms (HABs), including the red tides that are increasingly common. Algal blooms are now occurring in every coastal state in the U.S., and are a major threat to marine organisms --and people. Patricia Glibert
Understanding Coastal Ecosystems
06/18/15 A visit to the Helmuth Lab at NEU's Marine Science Center to learn how scientists investigate effects of changing climate on coastal ecosystems. Brian Helmuth
Vital Ocean-Atmosphere Dynamics
01-10-23 An explanation of one of the most important factors in our planet's climate: ocean-atmosphere relationship. Amala Mahadevan
What Arctic Caves Reveal about Ancient Climate Cycles
06/14/16 Arctic caves contain precise geological records of ancient ice-ages and subsequent melts that help scientists predict the effects of the present permafrost thaw. Jeremy Shakun
What Marine Sediments Reveal about Climate Change
06/03/14 A major authority on ocean sediments discusses what these deposits tell us about past and present climate. Richard Murray
What Your Food Ate
07/18/23 The actual nutritional value of our food depends on the quality of soil in which it is grown. Healthy soil, healthy people, healthy planet. David R. Montgomery & Anne Biklé
What to Know about Geoengineering
04/22/16 The excess CO2 in Earth's atmosphere will remain for hundreds of years. An atmospheric scientist explains the need to reduce that excess as we shift to renewable energy. Daniel Cziczo
Why We Need an International Plan on Climate Change
07/28/17 The long struggle to commit the international community to prepare for the worldwide climate crisis. Henrik Selin
Why the Earth Needs Its Oceans
03/18/19 An explanation of the complex relationship between the oceans and atmosphere, and how that balance makes the planet function. Amala Mahadevan