Climate

Coal-to-liquid fuels poised for a comebackWith rising energy prices, could coal-to-liquid conversion become an economical fuel option?

The aerosols conundrumResearch shows that aerosols not only cool, but also heat the planet — a finding that may cloud the validity of climate-change models.

Lunch with a Laureate: Eric ChivianPresented by the MIT Museum and the Cambridge Science Festival

3 Questions: Noelle Selin on curbing mercuryAs U.N. negotiations begin this week on a global mercury treaty, an MIT atmospheric scientist explains the challenges ahead.

3 Questions: John Marshall on the Gulf of Mexico oil spillAn MIT oceanographer discusses why ‘we have never had a spill like this’ — and what that means for cleanup efforts.

Explained: Climate sensitivityIf we double the Earth’s greenhouse gases, how much will the temperature change? That’s what this number tells you.

Weather in a TankA curriculum built around a rotating-tank experiment could improve weather and climate education