Earth and atmospheric sciences

“This is not saying that disaster occurs the next day,” says Professor Daniel Rothman about his new study. “It’s saying that, if left unchecked, the carbon cycle would move into a realm which would be no longer stable, and would behave in a way that would be difficult to predict. In the geologic past, this type of behavior is associated with mass extinction.”

Mathematics predicts a sixth mass extinction

By 2100, oceans may hold enough carbon to launch mass extermination of species in future millennia.

September 20, 2017

“The goal was trying to understand the chemistry associated with organic particulate matter in a forested environment,” associate professor Jesse Kroll explains. “We took a lot of measurements using state-of-the-art instruments we had developed.” The team also took many photos while in Colorado. Pictured on the bottom right is Douglas Day, CU researcher and organizer of the field campaign....

Team gathers unprecedented data on atmosphere’s organic chemistry

Colorado forest study provides clearest-ever picture of gases released into the atmosphere and how they change.

September 4, 2017

Scientists in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) have for the first time determined the strength of the stratosphere’s circulation, based on observations of key chemicals traveling within this atmospheric layer.

Strength of global stratospheric circulation measured for first time

Estimate will help gauge hang time of greenhouse gases, water vapor, and ozone in upper atmosphere.

August 28, 2017

Danielle Wood spoke at the Media Lab’s space event, Beyond the Cradle, in March. She will join the faculty full-time in January 2018.

Danielle Wood joins Media Lab faculty

MIT alumna is establishing a new research group aimed at harnessing space engineering to improve life on Earth.

August 28, 2017

New findings suggest the ancient Earth harbored a mantle that was much more efficient at drawing down pieces of the planet’s crust.

Ancient Earth’s hot interior created “graveyard” of continental slabs

Higher mantle temperatures caused subducting tectonic plates to sink much further than they do today.

August 22, 2017

The Millstone Hill radar facility at MIT Haystack Observatory in Westford, Massachusetts

Investigating space weather effects of the 2017 solar eclipse

Atmospheric scientists at the MIT Haystack Observatory will study North American eclipse effects on space weather with radar and navigational satellites.

August 17, 2017

Phytoplankton and chips

Simons Foundation supports enhanced computer infrastructure for MIT's Darwin Project, which focuses on marine microbes and microbial communities.

August 4, 2017

Geologists report that about 251.9 million years ago, a huge pulse of magma rose up through the Earth, in a region that today is known as the Siberian Traps.

Underground magma pulse triggered end-Permian extinction

Study ties specific interval during an extended period of volcanism to Earth’s most severe mass extinction.

July 31, 2017

This image is a combination of cloud data from NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-11) and color land cover classification data. The Intertropical Convergence Zone is the band of bright white clouds that cuts across the center of the Earth.

Understanding tropical rainfall

Study finds ocean circulation, coupled with trade wind changes, efficiently limits shifting of tropical rainfall patterns.

July 28, 2017

John Foster is a senior research scientist at the Haystack Observatory.

MIT Haystack Observatory's John Foster named AGU Fellow

Distinguished atmospheric scientist recognized for lifetime of accomplishments.

July 28, 2017

“The Indian monsoon is considered a textbook, clearly defined phenomenon, and we think we know a lot about it, but we don’t,” says Senior Research Scientist Chien Wang. An image from Varanasi, India, shows flooding in 2011.

Study: Indian monsoons have strengthened over past 15 years

A 50-year dry spell has reversed, with more rain to come.

July 24, 2017

Susan Solomon, the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies

Susan Solomon awarded the Royal Society's Bakerian Medal

Professor of atmospheric chemistry honored for her contributions to atmospheric science.

July 18, 2017

Graduate student Maria Zawadowicz is researching the interrelationship of particulate matter and cloud formation in the Cziczo Lab.

Measuring biological dust in the wind

A technique developed in the Cziczo Lab may be the most accurate way of identifying biological aerosols from mineral dust in the atmosphere and analyzing their contribution to cloud formation and climate change.

June 20, 2017

Researchers have found one of the last undisturbed tropical peat forests, in the nation of Brunei on the island of Borneo.

Peatlands, already dwindling, could face further losses

Climate change could damage the fragile zones, causing major carbon emissions.

June 12, 2017

Artist's depiction of NASA's Van Allen Probes, with the Van Allen radiation belts rendered in false color for visibility

Understanding anthropogenic effects on space weather

New research from MIT Haystack Observatory reviews the ways in which human activity affects space weather around Earth.

May 31, 2017

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