Climate change may produce “fast-food” phytoplankton
With warmer ocean temperatures, the composition of marine plankton could shift from protein-rich to carb-heavy, a new study suggests.
A complicated future for a methane-cleansing molecule
A new model shows how levels of the “atmosphere’s detergent” may rise and fall in response to climate change.
Investigating Antarctic ice shelf melting with global navigation satellite systems
Observations suggest a major melting event at the Ross Ice Shelf was connected to atmospheric turbulence.
Understanding how “marine snow” acts as a carbon sink
A new study finds hitchhiking bacteria dissolve essential ballast in ubiquitous “snow” particles, which could counteract the ocean’s ability to sequester carbon.
X-raying rocks reveals their carbon-storing capacity
New research by MIT geophysicists could assist efforts to remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it underground.
Study reveals climatic fingerprints of wildfires and volcanic eruptions
In research that could help elucidate humans’ role in global warming, scientists showed how three major natural events impacted global atmospheric temperatures.
New study unveils the mechanism behind “boomerang” earthquakes
These ricocheting ruptures may be more common than previously thought.
Some early life forms may have breathed oxygen well before it filled the atmosphere
A new study suggests aerobic respiration began hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought.
Decoding the Arctic to predict winter weather
With the help of AI, MIT Research Scientist Judah Cohen is reshaping subseasonal forecasting, with the goal of extending the lead time for predicting impactful weather.
New research may help scientists predict when a humid heat wave will break
As these events become more common at midlatitudes, a phenomenon called an atmospheric inversion will determine how long they last.
Study: More eyes on the skies will help planes reduce climate-warming contrails
Images from geostationary satellites alone aren’t enough to help planes avoid contrail-prone regions, MIT researchers report.
When companies “go green,” air quality impacts can vary dramatically
Cutting air travel and purchasing renewable energy can lead to different effects on overall air quality, even while achieving the same CO2 reduction, new research shows.
MIT Haystack scientists study recent geospace storms and resulting light shows
Solar maximum occurred within the past year — good news for aurora watchers, as the most active period for displays at New England latitudes occurs in the three years following solar maximum.
Earthquake damage at deeper depths occurs long after initial activity
While the Earth’s upper crust recovers quickly from seismic activity, new research finds the mid-crust recovers much more slowly, if at all.
Geologists discover the first evidence of 4.5-billion-year-old “proto Earth”
Materials from ancient rocks could reveal conditions in the early solar system that shaped the early Earth and other planets.