CIESIN conducts a range of basic and applied research. CIESIN’s basic research aims at better understanding and predicting the behavior of socio-ecological systems and developing data to support research by others. CIESIN staff have served as principal investigators and senior research personnel on research projects supported by a range of funders (see Programs & Projects) in areas such as environmental security, climate migration, natural hazards, indicator development from remote sensing data, experimental uses of device location and nighttime lights data, and population-environment interactions.
CIESIN’s research has resulted in peer-reviewed publications and a range of reports.
Editorial overview: Slow onset events related to climate change
Adamo, S.B., R. Djalante, P.G.D. Chakrabarti, F.G. Renaud, A.W. Yalew, D. Stabinsky, Z. Zommers, and K. Warner. 2021. Editorial overview: Slow onset events related to climate change. Current Opinion in Environment Sustainability vol. 50(June): A1-A7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2021.08.003.
Impacts of climate change as drivers of migration
de Sherbinin, Alex. 2020. “Impacts of climate change as drivers of migration.” Migration Information Source, October 23, 2020. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/impacts-climate-change-drivers-migration.
Building resilience of urban ecosystems and communities to sea-level rise: Jamaica Bay, New York City
Khan, S., K. Macmanus, J. Mills, M. Madajewicz, and L. Ramasubramanian. 2020. Building resilience of urban ecosystems and communities to sea-level rise: Jamaica Bay, New York City. In Handbook of Climate Change Resilience, ed. W. L. Filho, 95–115. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93336-8_29.
Review of Coastal Adaptation Practices in Developing Countries
Trzaska, S., E. Boytinck, A. de Sherbinin, S. Smith, and A-L.White. April 2020. Review of Coastal Adaptation Practices in Developing Countries. A report led by CIESIN, published under contract with Tetra Tech for the USAID West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WA BiCC) project, reviews best practices for coastal adaptation in developing countries. See also http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/wa-bicc/ for more information and publications related to the WA BiCC project.
The Impacts of Climate Change on Ecosystem Services and Resulting Losses and Damages to People and Society
van der Geest, K., A. de Sherbinin, S. Kienberger, Z. Zommers, A. Sitati, E. Roberts and R. James. 2019. The Impacts of Climate Change on Ecosystem Services and Resulting Losses and Damages to People and Society. In Loss and damage from climate change: Concepts, methods and policy option, eds. R. Mechler, L.M. Buwer, T. Schinko, S. Surminski, and J. Linnerooth-Bayer. 221–236. Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72026-5_9.
Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment in Mangrove Regions of Sierra Leone.
Full Report (January 2018, 190 pages, 12.7 MB) The purpose of this coastal climate change vulnerability assessment is to understand factors that contribute to the vulnerability and resilience of communities and mangrove ecosystems in coastal Sierra Leone. The goal is to inform the design of project interventions, including climate adaptation activities under the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WA BiCC) project. The work was led by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University, and included a team of field researchers drawn from WA BiCC staff, Fourah Bay College, Njala University, the National Protected Areas Authority (NPAA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, the Ministry of Lands, Country Planning and Environment, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Conservation Society of Sierra Leone and other stakeholders.
Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment in Mangrove Regions of Sierra Leone.
Abridged Report (May 2017, 148 pages, 8.45 MB). The purpose of this coastal climate change vulnerability assessment is to understand factors that contribute to the vulnerability and resilience of communities and mangrove ecosystems in coastal Sierra Leone. The goal is to inform the design of project interventions, including climate adaptation activities under the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WA BiCC) project. The work was led by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University, and included a team of field researchers drawn from WA BiCC staff, Fourah Bay College, Njala University, the National Protected Areas Authority (NPAA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, the Ministry of Lands, Country Planning and Environment, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Conservation Society of Sierra Leone and other stakeholders.
Loss and Damage: The Role of Ecosystem Services
(April 2016, 80 pages, 12 MB PDF). This report, published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with contributions by CIESIN, focuses on the role of ecosystems in reducing loss and damage to climate change impacts, as well as the impacts of climate change on ecosystem services. Suggestions are also made for adaptation responses that harness ecosystem services. CIESIN contributed two case studies and associated maps, one on heat waves and flooding in India and Pakistan (Section 3.1), and another on drought and floods in the Sahel and East Africa (Section 3.2).
Addressing issues of climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability on the ground: Challenges and opportunities
Mondal, P., H. Nagendra, and R. DeFries. 2016. Addressing issues of climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability on the ground: Challenges and opportunities. In Climate change impacts and adaptation, eds. P. Mondal, H. Nagendra, and R. DeFries, Special Section, Current Science 110(7): 1193–1194.
About mitigation, adaptation, and the UNFCCC’s 21st Conference of the Parties
Adamo, S.B. 2015. “About mitigation, adaptation, and the UNFCCC’s 21st Conference of the Parties.” REBEP-Revista Brasileira de Estudos de População 32(3). http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-30982015000000037.
Filter Documents By
Clear filtersCIESIN’s applied research efforts are aligned with Columbia’s Fourth Purpose, which leverages the university’s scholarly knowledge to create societal and global impact, in close partnership with organizations outside academia. The goal of this research is to advance human welfare and environmental sustainability by applying the university’s distinct intellectual capacities to practical problem solving and policy development, thereby bringing about meaningful changes. Examples include helping to identify locations for solar desalination, policy-relevant research on climate-related migration, and scientifically robust environmental indicator development for policy audiences. Clients have included USAID, The World Bank, and state agencies.