Tackling air pollution in India and the developing world
PhD student Sidhant Pai works on atmospheric chemistry models that may help policymakers improve air quality in their region.
Cave deposits show surprising shift in permafrost over the last 400,000 years
Study finds Earth’s frozen surfaces became less susceptible to thawing, potentially locking in more carbon than expected.
Ancient atmospheric oxygen sleuthing with ocean chromium
Findings show how the trace metal is chemically altered in the anoxic, modern ocean and provide the basis for investigating paleorecords of atmosphere composition shifts.
Study predicts the oceans will start emitting ozone-depleting CFCs
As atmospheric concentrations of CFC-11 drop, the global ocean should become a source of the chemical by the middle of next century.
Reductions in CFC-11 emissions put ozone recovery back on track
Scientists observe reduction in emissions of banned ozone-depleting chemical after unexpected spike.
Geologists produce new timeline of Earth’s Paleozoic climate changes
The record shows ancient temperature variations coinciding with shifts in the planet’s biodiversity.
Aerosols from pollution, desert storms, and forest fires may intensify thunderstorms
Researchers identify a mechanism by which small particles in the atmosphere can generate more frequent thunderstorms.
MIT oceanographers have an explanation for the Arctic’s puzzling ocean turbulence
New study suggests waters will become more turbulent as Arctic loses summertime ice.
Institute Professor Emeritus Mario Molina, environmental leader and Nobel laureate, dies at 77
The atmospheric chemist shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery that chemicals known as CFCs deplete the ozone layer.
Geologists raise the speed limit for how fast continental crust can form
Study suggests parts of the Sierra Nevadas formed in a “geologic instant,” more than twice as fast as previously thought.
Antarctic sea ice may not cap carbon emissions as much as previously thought
Study suggests sea ice blocks the flow of carbon both into and out of the ocean, in roughly equal measure.
Did our early ancestors boil their food in hot springs?
Scientists have found evidence of hot springs near sites where ancient hominids settled, long before the control of fire.
Study: A plunge in incoming sunlight may have triggered “Snowball Earths”
Findings also suggest exoplanets lying within habitable zones may be susceptible to ice ages.
Study sheds light on the evolution of the earliest dinosaurs
Geological evidence suggests the known dinosaur groups diverged early on, supporting the traditional dinosaur family tree.
Tiny sand grains trigger massive glacial surges
New model answers longstanding question of how these sudden flows happen; may expand understanding of Antarctic ice sheets.