Introducing the new NCAS non-executive directors
NCAS is delighted to announce that it has appointed three new non-executive directors - Dr Mary E Black, Belinda Howell and Sir Graham Stacey - to the NCAS Management Board.
Do we expect hotter summers in Europe?
The hot temperatures forecast for central Europe this week could break records for June. The heatwave is caused by an area of high pressure in the atmosphere, which leads to clear skies over Europe but also brings up hot air from northern Africa. Forecasts suggest the heatwave could last until the weekend (29-30 June).
But can we expect hotter summers across Europe in future, and what is the role of climate change? NCAS scientist Professor Len Shaffrey explains.
Speakers Announced for UK Atmospheric Science Conference 2019
The National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the Royal Meteorological Society are proud to release the full programme for the UK Atmospheric Science Conference 2019.
The conference is a unique two-day event that is gaining influence in the global science community. On 2nd and 3rd July, experts will share emerging research in climate change, air pollution and weather, through over 50 talks, lively poster and workshops sessions.
This year, the UK Atmospheric Science Conference plays host to some of the most exciting researchers from around the world. There are representatives from the UK Met Office, Public Health England, National Climate Information Centre as well as leading UK universities and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science.
Summer extremes of 2018 linked to stalled waves in jet stream
The summer of 2018 brought a series of extreme weather events that occurred almost simultaneously around the Northern Hemisphere - from record-breaking heatwaves and droughts in North America and Western Europe, to torrential rainfalls and floods in Southeastern Europe and Japan.
A new study by scientists from NCAS, the University of Oxford, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam shows that these extreme weather events had something in common. The scientists identified a stalled wave pattern of the jet stream, which made weather conditions more persistent and extreme in the affected regions - regions which constitute major crop production sites and places where the majority of people live in the Northern Hemisphere.
The same pattern also occurred during European heatwaves in 2015, 2006 and 2003, which rank among the most extreme heatwaves ever recorded. In recent years, a clear increase in these patterns has been observed. The identified jet stream wave pattern also provides an opportunity for improving the early-prediction of future extreme weather events for vulnerable regions in the Northern Hemisphere.