A study by MIT researchers provides evidence that California could see an increase in extreme precipitation events due to climate change, according to CBS San Francisco. “Using large scale future projections and factoring in policies to restrict global warming, researchers said the Bay Area could see more of those kinds of storms on a seasonal basis.”
UPI reporter Brooks Hays writes that MIT researchers have developed a new model that helps predict the frequency of extreme precipitation events. The researchers found that “a rise in global temperature of 4 degrees Celsius will yield an extra three extreme precipitation events per year in California by the end of the century.”
A study co-authored by Prof. Kristin Bergmann finds that nacre or mother-of-pearl can provide information about historical ocean temperatures, writes Kavya Balaraman for Scientific American. The researchers found that the layers of mother-of-pearl “provide a good estimation of the temperatures they grow in.”
In their round up of the top science stories of 2016, Science News highlighted several MIT research breakthroughs. The top story of the year was the successful detection of gravitational waves by researchers from MIT, Caltech and the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. Another highlight was the discovery by Prof. Susan Solomon that the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica is shrinking.
A study co-authored by Prof. Christopher Knittel finds that technological advances are needed to reduce the use of oil in the car industry, according to The Economist. The researchers found that “the price of batteries to power EVs would need to fall by a factor of three, and they would need to charge much faster.”
Writing for The Washington Post, Prof. Jessika Trancik examines how federal policy could impact global progress on responding to climate change. “We estimate that the U.S. can achieve the majority share of its original 2025 emissions reduction target even with federal policy changes,” Trancik explains.
In an article for The Boston Globe’s special section on the 2016 “Top Places to Work,” Sacha Pfeiffer highlights MIT’s new commuter benefits. Pfeiffer writes that MIT is providing “employees free MBTA bus and subway access through a chip embedded in their university ID cards.”
MIT, Boston Medical Center and Post Office Square Redevelopment Corp. are joining forces to purchase solar power from a new solar farm being constructed in North Carolina, writes Jessica Bartlett for the Boston Business Journal. Bartlett writes that the project is “the largest renewable-energy project ever to be constructed in the U.S. through an alliance of different buyers.”
BostInno reporter Olivia Vanni writes that MIT, Boston Medical Center and Post Office Square Redevelopment Corp. have formed an alliance to purchase energy from a new solar power installation. “The amount of yearly clean energy generated from the project is 146 gigawatt-hours, which could lead to a reduction of 119,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions,” writes Vanni.
MIT researchers have developed an app that compares automobile emissions and emissions reduction targets to allow consumers to find the most affordable and climate-friendly vehicles, reports Dana Nuccitelli for The Guardian. The app “allows consumers to check how their own vehicles – or cars they’re considering purchasing – stack up on the carbon emissions and cost curves.”
A study by MIT researchers finds that low-emissions vehicles are more cost effective when operating and maintenance costs are included in the price, writes Rae Ellen Bichell for NPR. The study also found that many battery electric and hybrid cars “already meet the global emissions goals the U.S. recently agreed to meet by the year 2030,” explains Bichell.
MIT researchers have found that low-emissions vehicles are among the least expensive to drive. Based off their findings, the researchers developed an app that helps consumers evaluate a car’s carbon impact, reports John Schwartz for The New York Times. “Consumers can save money and save emissions at the same time,” explains Prof. Jessika Trancik.
A letter co-authored by Prof. Kerry Emanuel warns against withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, writes Chelsea Harvey for The Washington Post. “The U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement would really set back all of our efforts to deal with climate problems,” says Emanuel.
Mercury News reporter Lisa Krieger writes that a letter co-authored by Prof. Kerry Emanuel warns U.S. politicians about the dangers of withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. “We all reacted with some shock to statements from the Republican platform that would have reversed decades of progress,” said Emanuel. “We felt we had to say something.”
Chris Bentley reports for PRI that Jakarta residents are using PetaJakarta, an open-source map founded by Etienne Turpin of the Urban Risk Lab, to find real-time flood information. “As cities like Jakarta struggle to adapt to the new normal of high water that’s coming with global warming, online tools like PetaJakarta may help them live better with what they can’t change.”