Category Archives: Climate change

What is “net zero” for methane?

Posted on 23 March, 2020 by danaallen

By: Bill Collins Recent research is suggesting that the way methane is accounted for in climate targets overemphasises its contribution to climate change at the end of the century. This might mean that countries or sectors (e.g. agriculture) with large … Continue reading →

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Housebuilding ban on floodplains isn’t enough – flood-prone communities should take back control

Posted on 16 March, 2020 by danaallen

By: Hannah Cloke February 2020 has brought more than its fair share of bad weather to the north of England, the Midlands and Wales. Shrewsbury, Bewdley and Telford swam in the Severn, while the Ouse invaded York. For some, the … Continue reading →

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Water Vapour Absorption and its Role in the Earth’s Energy Budget

Posted on 2 March, 2020 by danaallen

By: Jon Elsey I’m Jon, a postdoc working with Prof. Keith Shine in the Atmospheric Radiation, Composition and Climate (ACRC) group. My work is very much in the “R” of ACRC, and specifically on the role of water vapour on … Continue reading →

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Rainfall decline over Eastern Africa linked to shorter wet seasons

Posted on 17 February, 2020 by danaallen

By: Caroline Wainwright 2019 was a year of extremes for East Africa. The long rains (March-May) started late and low rainfall during the season exacerbated the drought conditions following the dry short rains (October-December) in 2018. Conversely, the short rains … Continue reading →

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A Tipsy Earth?

Posted on 20 January, 2020 by danaallen

By: Jonah Bloch-Johnson Hi. I’m Jonah, a scientist here at the UoR, and I study whether global warming will be more like drinking water, soda, or beer. What do I mean by that? Let me explain. Both thirst and the Earth’s … Continue reading →

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Climate change increases the “perfect storm” coastal flood potential

Posted on 2 December, 2019 by danaallen

By Emanuele Bevacqua Some of the European low-lying coastal areas and river estuaries may see a future increase in flooding caused not only by sea-level rise but also by more frequent concurrent storm surge and heavy precipitation, we show in … Continue reading →

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High-resolution insights into future European winters

Posted on 21 October, 2019 by danaallen

By: Alexander Baker Figure 1: Observed UK rainfall anomaly as a percentage of 1981-2010 monthly average for (a) December 2013, (b) January 2014, and (c) February 2014. Figure from Huntingford et al. (2014). Most – roughly 70% – of Europe’s winter … Continue reading →

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The consequences of climate change: how bad could it get?

Posted on 7 October, 2019 by danaallen

By: Nigel Arnell The United Nations Climate Action Summit held in New York on 23rd September was meant to be the occasion where countries and industry organisations made stronger commitments to reduce the emissions of the greenhouse gases that are … Continue reading →

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Why was there decadal increase in summer heat waves over China across the mid-1990s?

Posted on 5 August, 2019 by danaallen

By: Buwen Dong Heat waves (HWs), commonly defined as prolonged periods of excessive hot weather, are a distinctive type of high-temperature extreme (Perkins 2015). These high-temperature extremes can lead to severe damage to human society and ecosystems. In our studies, … Continue reading →

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30 °C days in Reading

Posted on 8 July, 2019 by danaallen

By: Roger Brugge The temperature in the Reading University Atmospheric Observatory peaked at 32.3°C on Saturday 29 June 2019. Press stories were full of pictures of people sunning themselves across parts of the United Kingdom in glorious sunshine – yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Climate change, University of Reading, Weather | Leave a comment