Theme action plans - Phase 1 summaries
Ecosystems Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA)
Themes: biodiversity, climate system, environment pollution & human health, natural hazards, sustainable use of natural resources
This is NERC's contribution to a major Research Programme currently in development. The programme aims to address how to achieve sustainably managed ecosystems. This work aims to understand how to mitigate problems of loss of services and biodiversity to assist in the reduction of poverty in the poorest parts of the world. Current partners are the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC). More about the ESPA programme
Storm Risk Mitigation
Theme: natural hazards
A Research Programme addressing the need to increase our capability to forecast the impacts of hazardous weather - heavy rain and high winds.
The programme will:
- Inform short-term mitigation strategies
- Improve linkage with impact models
- Optimise the way in which numerical weather prediction models and climate models couple from global to regional scales.
Sustainability of Carbon Capture and Storage
Theme: sustainable use of natural resources
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is accepted technology for mitigating the risk of dangerous climate change. Technological interest in CCS is booming, but whole systems analysis of the environmental implications of CCS on, for example, aquifer integrity is more limited. NERC will support research to address the storage aspect of CCS with a particular focus on improving understanding and prediction of CO2 leakage risk in aquifers.
Land-based Renewables
Theme: sustainable use of natural resources
NERC will support research to forecast the renewables 'energyscape' of the UK using a systems approach that incorporates non-energy land uses in the assessment, and predicts where the greatest (or least damaging) environmental gains might be.
The science goal is to develop an integrated, quantitative understanding of the consequences of using land for renewable energy production on the resilience of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. One objective is to undertake whole systems analysis of the use of land for carbon manipulation and alternative energy.
The Virtual Observatory (VO)
Theme: sustainable use of natural resources
A Research Programme to define the concepts and design the methods that will enable an integrated understanding of the water-soil system at scales ranging from experimental plot to river basin and across science disciplines.
The VO will seek to build a cyber-environment platform to capture real time environmental observations with distributed networked sensing, high-performance computing, and data mining techniques. More about the Virtual Observatory programme
Technologies proof of concept and novel laboratory instrumentation
Theme: technologies
The objective is to create new opportunities for the support of research at proof of concept stage, with a focus on the early development stage of lower Technology Readiness Levels. It aims to foster a dynamic and vibrant research base within Higher Education Institutes (HEI) and NERC research and collaborative centres where high risk/high reward technologies can be developed. It will provide a route to engage non-NERC communities with pressing environmental technology problems and bring new specialist expertise into the field.
The objective of the novel laboratory instrumentation aspect of the programme is to support investment in instrumentation targeted at reducing uncertainty in models. It will do this through the improved determination of fundamental environmental parameters. More about the Technology Proof of Concept programme
Technology Clusters
Theme: technologies
NERC will create and support technology clusters that will be relevant to multiple areas of application, including laboratory instrumentation. These clusters will provide a forum for technology dissemination, discussion of best practice and networking both internally and with new partners. Four technology clusters will be identified, each run by a coordinator responsible for meetings, small scale research activities, networking opportunities and training events.
Developing a Joint Climate Research Programme with the Met Office
Themes: climate system
The aim of the proposed Joint Climate Research Programme (JCRP) will be to strengthen the strategic co-operation between the Met Office Hadley Centre and the NERC climate science community. This is needed to develop national capability in climate prediction and ensure the maximum pull through from science to policy. As part of developing the JCRP, six joint posts between NERC and the Met Office will be supported. These posts will be in research at the interface between NERC science and the Hadley Centre programmes. More about the Joint Climate Research Programme
National Strategy for Earth System Modelling
Themes: climate system and Earth system science
NERC has made a significant investment in Earth system modelling activities, and now urgently requires a strategic framework for the support and long term development of these models. We will undertake a national audit of Earth system modelling capabilities. These capabilities will be benchmarked internationally, and assessed against NERC's strategic requirements. Based on the results, and in consultation with key stakeholders, NERC will develop a national strategy and implementation plan for Earth system modelling.
Quantifying uncertainty in predictions of regional and local climate change and climate impacts
Themes: climate system and natural hazards
Quantitative estimates of uncertainty are a key element of the user requirement for climate predictions. The aim of this action is to develop, test and disseminate methods for combining observations and models to quantify the uncertainty in predictions of regional and local climate change, including changes in extreme events and climate impacts, especially for the next few decades. More about the Quantifying Uncertainty programme
Changing Water Cycle
Themes: climate system, natural hazards and sustainable use of natural resources
This Research Programme will be a flagship NERC contribution to the Living with Environmental Change programme (LWEC). It will have the following high level science goals, which will be addressed across all three themes:
- Develop an integrated, quantitative understanding of the changes taking place in the global water cycle,
- Improve predictions for the next few decades of regional precipitation, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, hydrological storage and fluxes,
- Understand how local-to-regional scale hydrological and biogeochemical processes are responding and will respond to changing climate and land use,
- Understand the consequences of the changing water cycle for water-related natural hazards e.g. floods and droughts.
This programme will particularly promote interdisciplinary research, for example, linking applied water resource issues and fundamental climate system science. More about the Changing Water Cycle programme
Methane Network
Theme: Earth system science
A research network will be established to integrate the extensive current work underway in the UK on methane and methane hydrates. More about the Methane Network programme
Summer Schools
Theme: Earth system science
Further support will be provided to the European Research Course on Atmospheres (ERCA), Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) and NERC Earth System Science summer schools.
Ocean Acidification
Themes: Earth system science and biodiversity
A Research Programme that will provide more information on the rates of current and likely future ocean acidification. It will increase knowledge of the resultant changes in ocean biogeochemistry in the North Atlantic and polar regions, and how these changes alter phytoplankton communities and feedbacks to the Earth system.
The programme is likely to involve a diverse range of activities from ship based surveys and monitoring, through mesocosm studies, to laboratory physiology work.
The Ocean Acidification programme will consider benthic and pelagic ecosystems. Particular focus will be given to contemporary impacts on unique and vulnerable groups and ecosystems. Evidence from key events in the past when CO2 levels have been high or rising will be used to contribute to understanding the potential impacts on marine ecosystems and the wider Earth system.
Modelling studies of acidification and its effects could be used to link these components and also to include the other global change pressures such as temperature rise and resultant stratification changes that will occur in parallel with ocean acidification. More about the Ocean Acidification programme
Environmental Nanoscience Research
Theme: environment pollution & human health
A Research Programme to expand on the Environmental Nanoscience Initiative. Given the anticipated massive expansion of the industrial production and use of engineered nanomaterials, research in this area remains an extremely high priority if the risks posed to human health and the environment are to be quantified before substantial exposures occur.
Urban Atmospheric Science research
Theme: environment pollution & human health
A Research Programme to provide important infrastructure, such as advanced instruments and sampling platforms in urban areas, and to facilitate urban composition and meteorological research. Deliverables include improved forecasting of urban temperatures and air pollution episodes, and more cost-effective air pollutant abatement strategies. More about the Urban Atmospheric Science programme