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Departmental research Blog

PhD student Social Metwork blog

LATEST RESEARCH NEWS

• TROPICAL CROPS COULD SUFFER AS CLIMATE CHANGE BRINGS LONGER DRY SPELLS

• Climate scientists have played a leading role in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which warns that damaging effects of climate change are already being seen across the globe
• 2021 Distinguished Edith Morley Seminar – Thursday 9th September 2021 at 2PM, Madejski Lecture Theatre, Agriculture Building. The School’s Annual Lecture series is named after Edith Morley, who was the first woman to be appointed a university professor in the UK, in 1908 at University College, Reading, which became the University of Reading in 1926.

ECMWF: Numerical Earth System Modelling, impact of observations and applications

The vision for the scientific and computational advances leading to operational global weather predictions in 10 years’ time, as outlined in ECMWF Strategy, calls for an Earth System model, close to km-scale resolution with 50 or more ensemble members. A few objectives are:

• A seamless Ensemble Earth system maximising the use of current and upcoming observations through consistent and accurate modelling with realistic water, energy and carbon cycles.
• Use of advanced high-performance computing big data and AI methodologies to create a Digital Twin of the Earth with a breakthrough in realism.
• Detailed Earth system simulations of the past, present and future for the prediction of extreme and specifically high impact weather events up to a few weeks ahead and for the monitoring of the environment.

To achieve this vision, the global observing system needs to continue to provide high quality observations of the whole Earth system. Furthermore, many more observations are needed to enable high-resolution models to be initialised and yet today there are still many data gaps. I will present developments at ECMWF towards achieving its strategy, the methods used to evaluate the impact of observations in Numerical Weather Prediction and the results of a range of collaborative studies.

• RAINFALL RECORDS PROVIDE GLIMPSE INTO BRITAIN’S SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL HISTORY
• Thousands of citizen scientists have combined to rescue more than 5 million rainfall records in just over a fortnight to help improve understanding of Britain’s weather – and get a new take on its social history.

Iconic climate stripes depicting global warming shared worldwide

• Climate change images created by the department’s Professor Ed Hawkins were shared all over the world, providing a stark warning of how the planet is heating up.

Department scientists in the news…

• Dr Stephen Burt is quoted in The Guardian about research on hot weather and thunderstorms.
• Professor Ed Hawkins is named in the Sunday Times Green Power List, featuring the most influential British minds engaging in climate change solutions and climate action. Dr Ella Gilbert is also included in the newspaper’s list of six environmental campaigners under the age of 30.

READING URBAN CLIMATE SCIENTIST BECOMES FIRST WOMAN TO WIN PRESTIGIOUS METEOROLOGY PRIZE

• University of Reading scientists have taken home five out of 19 awards in the 2020 Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) Awards and Prizes, including a Reading professor becoming the first female recipient of one of its top medals.

UAE Ambassador Visits University of Reading Weather Scientists

•  His Excellency Mansoor Abulhoul, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the UK, paid a visit to the University of Reading’s world-leading weather scientists this week.

Met department scientist explained why May was so cold

• Pete Inness explained why it’s still so cold and when the hot weather will return

Award for scientist providing cutting edge atmospheric electricity data

• Dr Keri Nicholl wins American Geophysical Union (AGU) Atmospheric and Space Electricity Early Career Award.

Our scientists use weather forecasts to direct conservation of elephants

• New project for our TAMSAT group will help protect species from increasing weather threats due to climate change

Leaders in climate change research, communication and action

• Department scientists play leading role in climate change research and communication

Missions to return humans to the Moon at risk from solar storms

• New research improves understanding of the link between extreme space weather and the solar cycle

Department’s NCAS and NCEO research centres certified as world-leading

• Two national science centres for the study the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, land and ice, both with key groups at the University of Reading, have been certified as world-leading

New techniques to better use weather forecasts for a green electricity grid

• New research on how weather influences renewable electricity production

Sudden stratospheric warming increases chance of cold spell

• Our scientists provide expert assessment of how changes many kilometres above our heads have a bearing on weather patterns over the next few weeks

Data assimilation – from model-driven to data-driven

• Watch ‘Inaugural Lecture Alberto Carrassi and reception’ | Microsoft Stream

Irreversible sea level rise from Greenland ice melt?

• New research led by Professor Jonathan Gregory has demonstrated how climate change could lead to irreversible sea level rise far in the future as temperatures continue to rise and the Greenland ice sheet continues to decline

UK still lacks serious plan to address invisible threat of heat

• a new study involving members of the department argues that the UK’s approach to dealing with heatwaves is inadequate compared to visible, yet far less deadly, disasters like floods and storms.

Alliance of top Universities urge G20 leaders to prioritise net zero emissions

• The University of Reading has joined an international coalition of leading climate research universities in issuing its first declaration ahead of the G20 Summit

New research could improve prediction of tropical rainfall changes

• An important study published in the prestigious Nature journal finds climate simulations may underestimate how sensitive tropical rainfall is to ocean temperature changes. As explained by the department’s Chris Holloway, who contributed to the study, these findings may pave a way for improving weather and climate predictions

Professor Giles Harrison to receive 2021 EGU Christiaan Huygens Medal

Our climate scientists play leading role in climate change adaptation event

• Professors Rowan Sutton, Ted Shepherd, Nigel Arnell and Pier Luigi Vidale contribute to Is the UK on track to adapt to climate change? conference, jointly hosted by the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), the UK Climate Resilience programme (UKCR) Champions and the Committee on Climate Change (CCC).

Awards for our scientists advancing weather forecasting, climate science and aviation safety

• Internationally renowned climate scientist Professor Keith Shine has been awarded the Mason Gold Medal, the premier award of the Royal Meteorological Society
• Dr Dacre, Associate Professor of Dynamical Meteorology at Reading, received the FitzRoy Prize for her leading research on volcanic ash clouds and their risk to aviation.
• Dr Joanne Waller was jointly awarded the L F Richardson Prize for her innovative research, undertaken while in the department, into better understanding uncertainties in weather forecasting methods, and how doing so can improve weather predictions.

Solar storm forecasts for Earth improved with help from the public

• Solar storm analysis carried out by an army of citizen scientists has helped researchers devise a new and more accurate way of forecasting when Earth will be hit by harmful space weather.

NEWS ARCHIVES

2019

• Our speaker for the Seventh Annual Distinguished Morley Seminar was Professor Gwyneth Stallard, OBE, Professor of Pure Mathematics at the Open University. The Seminar was held on Wednesday 23rd October 2019.
• Professor Jonathan Gregory receives BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award

• Professor Paul Williams runner up in NERC Societal Impact Award for work on in-flight turbulence following stiff competition from research on microplastics
• Watch University public lecture by Ed Hawkins: Climate change: past, present & future

• Earliest UK weather records could hold key to predicting future climate
• A century and half of reconstructed ocean warming offers clues for the future

2018

• Mysterious giant dust particles found at gravity-defying distances
• COP24: UN talks have an opportunity to align rules with their long-term temperature goal
• Wet season changes under future climate change could harm ‘vulnerable’ Africa (see schematic)

• Scientists from the department attend the UN COP24 climate meeting in Katowice, Poland
• Professor Paul Williams contributes to UN-style climate negotiations for school students
• Vulnerability to heat unacceptably high and rising – new Lancet report featuring Professor Nigel Arnell
• AURORAS UNLOCK THE PHYSICS OF ENERGETIC PROCESSES IN SPACE
• Weather forecasts from outer space could help keep Earth safe
• Professor Ed Hawkins awarded Royal Society Kavli Medal for his contributions to understanding and communicating climate science

• Research Engagement and Impact Awards for Professor Paul Williams and also Professor Ed Hawkins and Stephen Burt
• Red sky in sight shows charging at height
• Professor Graeme Stephens elected FRS – and RMetS awards to Meteorology staff announced
• Atlantic circulation ‘slowdown’ study hints at future climate disruption
• Six Meteorology scientists named as lead authors in upcoming IPCC climate change assessment
• More sting jet storms likely due to global warming
• TAMSAT rainfall data helping over a million farmers weather drought in Zambia
• Limiting global temperature rise to 1.5^oC would avoid 60-95% of climate change impacts

2017

• Study discovers why global warming will accelerate as CO₂ levels rise
• Outlook Fine For Summer Seasonal Weather Forecasts
• A new effort aims to recover meteorology data collected by a group of hardy Victorian Scottish scientists

RECENT DEPARTMENTAL EVENTS

Our Changing Climate: Past, Present and Future – Public Lecture by Professor Ed Hawkins in the Palmer Building, Wednesday 17th October (View lecture)