Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences

This visualization shows the Gulf Stream's sea surface currents and and temperatures.

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

MIT researchers have found that much of the current emission of CFC-11 and CFC-12 likely stems from large CFC “banks” — old equipment such as building insulation foam, refrigerators and cooling systems, and foam insulation, that was manufactured before the global phaseout of CFCs and is still leaking the gases into the atmosphere.

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

School of Science announces 2020 Infinite Mile Awards

Ten staff members recognized for dedication to School of Science and to MIT.

March 16, 2020

On Maui (shown here) and Hawaii’s other islands, MIT researchers find that the rate of coastal erosion depends on the size of the average wave.

Scientists quantify how wave power drives coastal erosion

The average power of waves hitting a coastline can predict how fast that coast will erode.

March 16, 2020

Afternoon light streams into MIT’s Lobby 7.

QS World University Rankings rates MIT No. 1 in 12 subjects for 2020

Institute ranks second in five subject areas.

March 3, 2020

MIT researchers have used a neural network to identify low-frequency seismic waves hidden in earthquake data. The technique may help scientists more accurately map the Earth’s interior.

Machine learning picks out hidden vibrations from earthquake data

Technique may help scientists more accurately map vast underground geologic structures.

February 28, 2020

A proactive climate resilience system co-developed by MIT and BRAC was included among the top 100 entries in the MacArthur Foundation's 100&Change competition.

MIT-powered climate resilience solution among top 100 proposals for MacArthur $100 million grant

High-scoring 100&Change applications featured in Bold Solutions Network.

February 25, 2020

This artist's rendition depicts NASA's Mars 2020 rover studying rocks with its robotic arm.

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

Michael Sipser to step down as School of Science dean

Mathematician to return to the faculty after six years leading MIT’s second-largest school.

February 19, 2020

Lyndie Mitchell Zollinger (left) and Charlotte Minsky have been named 2020 Gates Cambridge Scholars.

Charlotte Minsky and Lyndie Mitchell Zollinger named 2020 Gates Cambridge Scholars

MIT seniors will pursue graduate studies at Cambridge University.

February 18, 2020

Iron is an essential nutrient for phytoplankton growth, but a new study finds that artificially pumping vast amounts of iron into the oceans won’t bump up the microbes’ populations, or their capacity to sequester carbon dioxide.

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

Several dozen students participated in the Green AI Hackathon, co-sponsored by the MIT Research Computing Project and MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab.

Brainstorming energy-saving hacks on Satori, MIT’s new supercomputer

Three-day hackathon explores methods for making artificial intelligence faster and more sustainable.

February 11, 2020

Two views of the asteroid Pallas, which researchers have determined to be the most heavily cratered object in the asteroid belt.

Study reveals details of “golf ball asteroid”

A tilted orbit may explain the asteroid Pallas’ highly cratered surface.

February 10, 2020

Frank Press (left) with former President Jimmy Carter. Press served as science adviser to four U.S. presidents, and is credited with major advances in geophysical research into the structure of the Earth’s interior, lunar and planetary science, earthquake seismology, and seismic wave propagation.

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

An Army Corps of Engineers flood model depicting the Ala Wai watershed after a 100-year rain event. The owner of a local design firm described the Ala Wai Flood Control Project as the largest climate impact project in Hawai's modern history.

Reducing risk, empowering resilience to disruptive global change

Workshop highlights how MIT research can guide adaptation at local, regional, and national scales.

January 23, 2020

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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