Climate

“The observations are telling us there will be increases [in extreme rainfall] at almost all latitudes, but if you want to know what’s going to happen at the scale of a continent or smaller, it’s a much more difficult question,” Paul O’Gorman says.

Varied increases in extreme rainfall with global warming

Intensification of extreme rainfall varies from region to region, study shows.

May 15, 2017

This image shows humidity in the lower atmosphere in a global high-resolution model used to study the effect of climate change on weather extremes.

3Q: Refocusing climate research in a new era

Associate Professor Paul O'Gorman describes three questions climate scientists recently suggested should frame the future of climate research.

May 3, 2017

2017 Kendall Lecture speaker Thomas Karl

Correcting the records

Climate data analyst Thomas Karl describes global temperature and precipitation measurement and interpretation in the 16th Henry W. Kendall Memorial Lecture.

April 25, 2017

Researchers at MIT have found that climate change may drastically increase the variability in Nile’s annual output.

Nile faces greater variability

Climate change could lead to overall increase in river flow, but more droughts and floods, study shows.

April 24, 2017

Zhu Zhenqi (left), president of ENN Energy Research Institute, and Robert Armstrong, director of the MIT Energy Initiative, sign the agreement for ENN's membership in MITEI's Center for Energy Storage Research.

ENN Group becomes MIT Energy Initiative member to advance energy storage technologies

ENN Group, one of China’s largest private energy companies, will join MITEI’s Center for Energy Storage Research.

April 13, 2017

MIT scientists have found that climate change will likely worsen drought conditions in parts of Africa, dramatically reshaping the production of maize throughout sub-Saharan Africa as global temperatures rise over the next century.

Climate change to worsen drought, diminish corn yields in Africa

Over the next century, southern Africa will see widespread decreases in maize production.

March 16, 2017

A map of a seamount in the Arctic Ocean created by gathering data with a multibeam echo sounder. Researchers have found that such topographic features can trap deep waters and produce turbulence.

Underwater mountains help ocean water rise from abyss

Turbulence from seafloor topography may explain longstanding question about ocean circulation.

March 6, 2017

Climate@MIT

New online publication reports on climate science research at the Institute.

February 27, 2017

3Q: Maria Zuber, daughter of coal country

MIT’s vice president for research describes how growing up in eastern Pennsylvania shaped her views on climate policy.

February 27, 2017

“The ultimate objective,” atmospheric scientist Jesse Kroll says, “is to understand what policies could help, and what changes policymakers could make to minimize the negative health and climate effects of particulate pollution.”

Zeroing in on the chemistry of the air

Jesse Kroll examines how pollutants change chemically as they waft around the globe.

February 1, 2017

“There’s no question that carbon dioxide is the biggest contributor to human-caused climate change, so that’s the big focus of mitigation efforts. But there are a number of others that are also significant,” says Jessika Trancik, the Atlantic Richfield Career Development Associate Professor in Energy Studies at MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society.

Explained: Greenhouse gases

Carbon dioxide isn’t the only one that matters, and the gases vary widely in potency and duration.

January 30, 2017

Projecting food, water, energy, climate and other global changes

Marking 25 years of science and policy studies, the MIT Joint Program launches new website showcasing its expanded research portfolio.

January 27, 2017

Mapping out a low-carbon future

Energy scenarios provide useful decision-support tools for policymakers and investors.

January 19, 2017

The SMAP observations are providing an unprecedented level of detailed, worldwide information on the amount of water in the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of soil, collected globally every two to three days.

Study tracks “memory” of soil moisture

First year of data from SMAP satellite provides new insights for weather, agriculture, and climate.

January 16, 2017

MIT President L. Rafael Reif (left) and Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi

MIT and Eni extend energy collaboration

In Rome, MIT President Reif and Eni CEO Descalzi discuss low-carbon breakthroughs and future research.