A Sky Full of Data: Weather forecasting in the age of AI

by Rosella (Qian-Ze) Zhufigures by MacKenzie Mauger Have you ever meticulously planned a holiday around some pleasant weather, according to the weather forecasts, only to find yourself caught in relentless rain throughout your vacation? The challenge of predicting weather, with its inherent unpredictability, extends beyond mere inconvenience; it’s crucial for ensuring safety in scenarios like driving in heavy rain, avoiding areas prone to wildfires, or … Continue reading A Sky Full of Data: Weather forecasting in the age of AI

Reversing Climate Change with Geoengineering

by Sanjana Kulkarnifigures by Jovana Andrejevic The average global temperature is increasing faster now than at any time in the last 2 million years. This has fueled record-breaking droughts, heat waves, and wildfires, and has intensified weather patterns, causing more extreme and damaging hurricanes and rainfall. Human activity is driving this change, primarily through the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases, which … Continue reading Reversing Climate Change with Geoengineering

Harvard Underwater

by Jenna Lang figures by Hannah Zucker At some point during my lifetime, Harvard’s campus will flood.  The waters of Boston Harbor will rush around the Charles River dam and surge onto the Harvard Business School campus on one side of the swelling river and onto the Harvard College campus on the other side.  Winthrop House, where my sister will live starting next year, faces … Continue reading Harvard Underwater

Living in a World of Extreme Droughts, Floods, and Storms

by Tianjia Liu cover image by Elayne Fivenson A new normal in an intensifying global water cycle While humans have long adapted to regimes of water scarcity or excess, we are underprepared for extreme events — the “mega” droughts, storms, and floods that used to occur once in a hundred or thousand years. But in this decade alone, we witnessed hot, cracked earth in California … Continue reading Living in a World of Extreme Droughts, Floods, and Storms