Register

7 November 2023 15:30-17:00 CET

Methane possible tipping points or surprises

Join AIMES, the Earth Commission, Future Earth, and the WCRP Safe Landing Climates Lighthouse Activity for a webinar on methane as part of a series that aims to advance the knowledge about tipping points, irreversibility, and abrupt changes in the Earth system.

Presentations

Moderated by Gabrielle Dreyfus (Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development)

The recording is available below.

Back to series overview.

Photo byShadman SakibonUnsplash
Photo byMarita KavelashvilionUnsplash
Photo byNathan AndersononUnsplash
Photo byElleonUnsplash
Photo byRahul DeyonUnsplash

Speakers

Prof. Euan Nisbet
Royal Holloway University of London

Euan Nisbet is Emeritus Professor (Earth Sciences), at the Department of Earth Sciences at the Royal Holloway Uinversity of London. His research into Modern and Glacial Atmospheres has mainly focussed on Methane in the modern air, including the role of methane in Arctic climate change, methane hydrates and their role in global warming, and the task of assessing present day atmospheric methane burden. Current work includes major projects on Arctic and Tropical Atmospheric Methane budgets. 

Nisbet leads MOYA: the global methane budget. This is a UK NERC 'Highlight' consortium with 14 partner institutions that studies methane across the planet, with aircraft and ground field campaigns in African and South America, as well as monitoring greenhouse gases at a number of stations from the Arctic to the Antarctic and on a ship travelling from north to south in the Atlantic.

Read more

Asst. Prof. Sara Knox
McGill University

Dr. Knox’s research investigates how wetland-atmosphere exchanges of greenhouse gases, water and energy fluxes respond to a changing climate and disturbance, and how we can modify wetland management practices for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Her research is done in collaboration with a broad group of researchers and institutions with an aim of helping to inform and advance climate policy. 

Dr. Knox’s previous research made several important contributions to understanding the climatic role of conserving and restoring wetlands across North America, with a focus on restored peatlands, wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of Canada, and tidal wetlands. She is currently involved in several synthesis efforts including NSERC, NSF, and DOE funded projects focused on the role of wetlands as Nature-Based Climate Solutions. She also co-led two major international synthesis efforts focused on wetland methane emissions, including FLUXNET-CH4 and a USGS Powell Center Working Group focused on global wetland CH4 fluxes.   

Read more

All you need to know

This event is part of a series of online discussions aims to advance the knowledge about tipping elements, irreversibility, and abrupt changes in the Earth system. It supports efforts to increase consistency in treatment of tipping elements in the scientific community, develop a research agenda, and design joint experiments and ideas for a Tipping Element Model Intercomparison Project (TipMip).

This discussion series is a joint activity of the Analysis, Integration, and Modeling of the Earth System (AIMES) global research project of Future Earth, the Earth Commission Working Group 1 Earth and Human Systems Intercomparison Modelling Project (EHSMIP) under the Global Commons Alliance and the Safe Landing Climates Lighthouse Activity of World Climate Research Program (WCRP).

Register

Organized by

Analysis, Integration, and Modeling of the Earth System (AIMES)

The Analysis, Integration, and Modeling of the Earth System (AIMES) project is an international network of Earth system scientists and scholars that seek to develop innovative, interdisciplinary ways to understand the complexity of the natural world and its interactions with human activities. AIMES is a global research project of Future Earth.

Earth Commission

The Earth Commission is a major scientific assessment, hosted by Future Earth, to define a safe and just corridor for people and planet. The Commission will inform the creation of science-based targets, the “1.5-degree equivalents”, to help maintain and protect critical global commons – our shared climate, land, biodiversity, freshwater, atmosphere and oceans. The Earth Commission is an international team of leading natural and social scientists and five working groups of additional experts. It forms the scientific cornerstone of the Global Commons Alliance.

Future Earth

Future Earth is a global network of scientists, researchers, and innovators collaborating for a more sustainable planet. Future Earth initiates and supports international collaboration between researchers and stakeholders to identify and generate the integrated knowledge needed for successful transformations towards societies that provide good and fair lives for all within a stable and resilient Earth system. Future Earth is the host of the Earth Commission.

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)is an international research institute that advances systems analysis and applies its research methods to identify policy solutions to reduce human footprints, enhance the resilience of natural and socioeconomic systems, and help achieve the sustainable development goals.

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)

The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) is advancing the frontier of integrated research for global sustainability, and for a safe and just climate future. A member of the Leibniz Association, the institute is based in Potsdam, Brandenburg and connected with the global scientific community. Drawing on excellent research, PIK provides relevant scientific advice for policy decision-making. The institute’s international staff of about 400 is led by a committed interdisciplinary team of Directors.

University of Exeter, Global Systems Institute

The Global Systems Institute (GSI) is thought-leading in understanding global changes, solving global challenges and helping create a flourishing future world together, through transformative research, education and impact. GSI's aim is to work with others to secure a flourishing future for humanity as an integral part of a life-sustaining Earth system. GSI's aim to be a ‘go to’ place for global change researchers from around the world, bringing them together with industry, policymakers, students and other stakeholders to tackle shared problems, and acting as a catalyst that enables translation of this research into applications that deliver tangible and sustainable social and ecological benefit.

WCRP Safe Landing Climates Lighthouse Activity.

The Safe Landing Climates Lighthouse Activity is an exploration of the routes to “safe landing” spaces for human and natural systems. It will explore future pathways that avoid dangerous climate change while at the same time contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those of climate action, zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, and healthy ecosystems above and below water. The relevant time scale is multi-decadal to millennial.

World Climate Research Programme

The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) leads the way in addressing frontier scientific questions related to the coupled climate system — questions that are too large and too complex to be tackled by a single nation, agency or scientific discipline. Through international science coordination and partnerships, WCRP contributes to advancing our understanding of the multi-scale dynamic interactions between natural and social systems that affect climate.