Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences

The 2026 El Niño is predicted to be the strongest on record. Professor Emanuele Di Lorenzo commented on this update, comparing how different environmental factors influence a more extreme El Niño. “Deep convection switches on above a threshold sea surface temperature,” Di Lorenzo said. “The same anomaly added to a warmer mean state pushes a much larger area past that threshold and drives a stronger atmospheric response.”

In a recent Nature publication, DEEPS alum Lorenzo A. Davidson '24, undergraduate Constance M. Erdozain, Professor Emanuele Di Lorenzo and team explore key factors impacting the migration of juvenile North Pacific albacore tuna. Using electronic tagging data and an individual-based model (IBM), the researchers demonstrate that mixed layer depth has a pivotal role in influencing albacore migration timing and depth preferences. "These findings highlight the relevance of subsurface ocean conditions to the movement of highly migratory species and demonstrate the utility of IBMs in the study of complex migratory behaviors."

Maya Rallu De Malibran, an OCE High School Research Intern who worked with Professor Di Lorenzo, has received the prestigious AGU David E Lumley Young Scientist Scholarship.