Air

Desert and coastal regions throughout the world (and even on other planets) typically host stunning sand dunes that can be hundreds of metres tall and form intricate and repetitive patterns within sand seas. While these larger dunes are easier to study, in part due to their size and longevity, we know very little about how dunes originate, or how sand initially accumulates into a protodunes that might grow into a dune. This talk will highlight some recent innovations in technology that now allow us to capture the first initial millimetres of sand deposition and how this changes the wind above it, resulting in the beginnings of a sand dune.

In 2023 the global average annual temperature passed 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial temperatures for the first time in at least 125,000 years. Fortunately, the 1.5 degree C Paris agreement target is not based on a single year, but a 30-year average. Even still, projections suggest that this will be breached by 2033, in less than10 years time. Climate tipping points are thresholds in the Earth's climate system that, once crossed, can lead to rapid and potentially irreversible changes. From melting ice caps to shifts in ocean currents, these tipping points pose significant risks to ecosystems, communities, and economies worldwide. In this talk, we’ll discuss the science behind climate tipping points, how they may impact our planet, and what we can do about it.

Poor air quality is an environmental health risk, especially for urban populations like Southampton. At the School of Engineering at the University of Southampton, we have been using a range of methods to model urban air pollution and understand how air pollution spreads across the city. We’ll discuss how analysing sensor data, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, and experiments using a 3D-printed model of the city centre are helping to reveal the physics of air pollution transport and inform decisions to improve air quality.