A microscopic green pigment can provide major insights into how severe tropical cyclones called typhoons impact water flow and ecosystems. Called chlorophyll a, the pigment is responsible for absorbing light and initiating the photosynthesis process for algae, other plants and some bacteria. The amount of chlorophyll a in a body of water acts as a proxy measurement for the organisms that feed on it, with sharp increases or decreases indicating a disrupted ecosystem.

From lazy ripples to towering breakers, the mechanics of ocean waves should vary widely from one planet to another, according to a model developed by scientists at MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

In a paper published in SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences, researchers simulated Greenland ice sheet evolution during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition (about 3.0 to 2.5 million years ago) using an Earth system model and a 3D ice sheet model. They found that as the ice sheet grew, its dominant variability shifted from precession-related cycles toward a stronger 41,000-year obliquity cycle, and shorter-timescale variability became more pronounced after about 2.7 million years ago.