Category Archives: Environmental hazards

Estimating the risks of climate change: what are the effects of climate policy?

Posted on 26 March, 2018 by Stephen Burt

By Nigel Arnell I am writing this from Beijing, where the 13th National People’s Congress has just reaffirmed the Chinese commitment to control future emissions of greenhouse gases and meet the aspirations of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Climate change, Climate modelling, Conferences, drought, Environmental hazards, Greenhouse gases | Leave a comment

Is the Montreal Protocol really working?

Posted on 19 March, 2018 by

By Michaela Hegglin The Montreal Protocol, which celebrated its 30th birthday last year, is an international treaty established in 1987 to protect the ozone layer from human-made ozone depleting substances. The Montreal Protocol has been hailed as the most effective … Continue reading →

Posted in Atmospheric chemistry, Climate, Environmental hazards, Stratosphere | Tagged | Leave a comment

Stronger windstorms and higher wind risk in a warmer climate

Posted on 19 February, 2018 by Stephen Burt

By Oscar Martínez-Alvarado The most devastating type of winter storms to affect north-west Europe are characterised by a descending jet of air, known as a sting jet, that can result in strong, localised surface winds and wind gusts in a region … Continue reading →

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Stronger turbulence causes a stir

Posted on 29 January, 2018 by Stephen Burt

By Paul Williams and Luke Storer Our new study calculating that climate change will strengthen aviation turbulence has caused a stir on social media. Most of the online comments about the article have been positive – albeit expressing a little anxiety at the … Continue reading →

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Heat waves of the past decade in Chinese mega-cities: a quick review

Posted on 20 November, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Ting Sun Although cities are often already warmer than their rural surroundings (the well-known “urban heat island” effect), heat waves (HWs), excessively hot periods, will not only enhance the urban and rural temperatures but also exacerbate the contrast between … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Climate, Climate change, Environmental hazards, Waves | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Role of Synoptic Meteorology on UK Air Pollution

Posted on 14 August, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Chris Webber In the past year the issue of air pollution within the UK has been elevated, driven by the loss of life that it causes (in 2013 > 500,000 years of UK lives lost due to air pollution … Continue reading →

Posted in Aerosols, Atmospheric chemistry, Boundary layer, Environmental hazards, Urban meteorology | Tagged | Leave a comment

Responding to the threat of hazardous pollutant releases in cities

Posted on 24 July, 2017 by

By Denise Hertwig High population density and restricted evacuation options make cities particularly vulnerable to threats posed by air-borne contaminants released into the atmosphere through industrial accidents or terrorist attacks. In order to issue evacuation or sheltering advice to the … Continue reading →

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Why has there been a rapid increase in heat-related extremes in Western Europe since the mid-1990s?

Posted on 22 May, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Buwen Dong In the last few decades, Europe has warmed not only faster than the global average, but also faster than expected from anthropogenic greenhouse gas increases (van Oldenborgh et al., 2009). With the warming, Europe experienced record-breaking heat … Continue reading →

Posted in Aerosols, Atmospheric chemistry, Climate, Climate change, Climate modelling, Environmental hazards, Numerical modelling | Leave a comment

Nice weather, atmospheric blocking and forecasts

Posted on 11 April, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Oscar Martinez-Alvarado With the beginning of spring (either the ‘meteorological’ spring on 1 March or the ‘astronomical’ spring on 20 March, as the Met Office explains here), the UK and indeed the whole Northern Hemisphere start experiencing warmer weather. The … Continue reading →

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Can the use of CCTV images improve urban flooding forecasts?

Posted on 3 April, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Sanita Vetra-Carvalho Urban flooding can result from intense rainfall, flash floods, coastal floods or river floods, the same as in rural areas. However, in cities, unlike in rural areas, there is very little open soil available for water storage … Continue reading →

Posted in data assimilation, Environmental hazards, Hydrology, Urban meteorology | Leave a comment