Topic
Earth and atmospheric sciences
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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.
June 12, 2020 -
Peatland drainage in Southeast Asia adds to climate change
Study reveals drainage, deforestation of the region’s peatlands, which leads to fires, greenhouse emissions, land subsidence.
June 4, 2020 -
Study: Reflecting sunlight to cool the planet will cause other global changes
Solar geoengineering proposals will weaken extratropical storm tracks in both hemispheres, scientists find.
June 2, 2020 -
Susan Solomon earns Killian Award, MIT’s highest faculty honor
Atmospheric chemist is recognized for her “leadership in working toward real-world solutions to address the global climate crisis.”
May 13, 2020 -
When baby planets melt
MIT scientists identify first magmas generated in solar system’s building blocks, unexpectedly answering questions about meteorites and formation of rocky planets.
May 7, 2020 -
Kerry Emanuel elected a Royal Society foreign member
Professor of atmospheric science honored for his work on atmospheric physics and dynamics of tropical weather patterns.
May 6, 2020 -
Origins of Earth’s magnetic field remain a mystery
The existence of a magnetic field beyond 3.5 billion years ago is still up for debate.
April 8, 2020 -
Titan’s missing river deltas and an Earthly climate connection
Samuel Birch, a new Heising-Simons Foundation 51 Pegasi b Fellow at MIT, will investigate the surfaces of outer solar system objects.
April 8, 2020 -
Staring into the vortex
MIT researchers describe factors governing how oceans and atmospheres move heat around on Earth and other planetary bodies.
March 19, 2020 -
Emissions of several ozone-depleting chemicals are larger than expected
Recovering and safely destroying the sources of these chemicals could speed ozone recovery and reduce climate change.
March 17, 2020 -
Machine learning picks out hidden vibrations from earthquake data
Technique may help scientists more accurately map vast underground geologic structures.
February 28, 2020 -
Mars 2020: The search for ancient life is on
Researchers in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences will help direct Mars 2020 rover sample acquisition.
February 21, 2020 -
Seeding oceans with iron may not impact climate change
Study finds Earth’s oceans contain just the right amount of iron; adding more may not improve their ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
February 17, 2020 -
Frank Press, MIT geophysicist and U.S. science adviser, dies at 95
An advocate of international scientific cooperation, Press served as an MIT department head and lifetime MIT Corporation member.
February 7, 2020 -
How long will a volcanic island live?
Plate tectonics and mantle plumes set the lifespan of volcanic islands like Hawaii and the Galapagos.
January 1, 2020 -
Scientists pin down timing of lunar dynamo’s demise
Findings suggest the moon’s magnetic field was produced by the fallout of a crystallizing iron core.
January 1, 2020 -
A sign that aliens could stink
A molecule that’s known for its smelly and poisonous nature on Earth may be a sure-fire sign of extraterrestrial life.
December 18, 2019 -
How biomarkers can record and reconstruct climate trends
Scientists reveal the genes and proteins controlling the chemical structures underpinning paleoclimate proxies.
December 4, 2019 -
Continuing a legacy of Antarctic exploration
The Summons Lab compares lipids from Antarctic microbial communities to century-old samples.
November 22, 2019 -
Antarctic ice cliffs may not contribute to sea-level rise as much as predicted
Study finds even the tallest ice cliffs should support their own weight rather than collapsing catastrophically.
October 21, 2019