Research
Climate Systems and Policy
This research cluster examines the physical and human dimensions of the climate system including the causes and consequences of climate variability and change and associated societal responses. The research spans four key themes: climate change prediction; climate impacts; climate mitigation and climate policy. Within these themes there is a strong focus on Africa, Latin America, the United Kingdom and Europe.
Distinctive research foci include the development of critical global climate data sets; the observation, explanation and prediction of rainfall over Africa; the use of in-house climate modelling capacity to downscale climate forecasts and characterise climate change uncertainties; atmospheric aerosols; assessing climate impacts on vegetation, biodiversity and water resources; the analysis of vulnerability and adaptation to climate changes especially in Africa and Latin America; the analysis of lower carbon energy futures; the communication of climate information to stakeholders; and the critical assessment of climate policy and governance.
With a core of permanent academic staff focused on climate modelling and impacts and emerging from the existing Climatology Research Group, the cluster benefits from close collaboration with a number of senior and postdoctoral researchers in the School of Geography and the Environment and Environmental Change Institute who lead research projects or who hold climate research fellowships associated with the Tyndall Centre at Oxford and the James Martin 21st Century School. The Climate Science and Policy cluster links to other groups in the School of Geography and the Environment, especially in the Biodiversity and Arid Environmental Systems clusters, including expertise in paleoenvironmental analysis and conservation.
Key research initiatives closely associated with the cluster include several national and international programmes including the UK Climate Impact Programme (UKCIP), the UK Energy Research Centre, and the Tyndall Centre (Oxford node), ClimatePrediction.Net, the international project office of the Global Environmental Change and Food Security Programme (GECAFS), and components of major research programmes focused on Africa (e.g. CLIVAR VACS African Climate Atlas) and the Amazon (Pan-Amazonia).
Randomly Featured Research
Tropical Biomes in Transition, TROBIT
Professor Yadvinder Malhi; Dr Mark New; Financial support from NERC; (2006 - 2010)
Academic and Research Staff
Dr Brenda Boardman
Professor Diana Liverman
Cluster Leader
Professor Yadvinder Malhi
Dr Mark New
Professor David S.G. Thomas
Dr Richard Washington
Cluster Leader
The Climate Systems and Policy research cluster has a number of other researchers and graduate research students actively involved in current research. The cluster also hosts visiting researchers throughout the year and has a number of associated and affiliated non-resident researchers.