Two Living with Environmental Change EPSRC Networks funded

Two Leeds-led EPSRC networks have been funded as part of the Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) and Mathematical Sciences themes.

Led by Prof. Onno Bokhove (School of Mathematics), Maths Foresees aims to use new collaborations between mathematics and environmental science to deal with challenges associated with the prediction of extreme weather events.  Mitigating severe environmental events, such as river flooding and storm surges, relies on accurate predictions of rainfall and storms.  Maths Foresees aims to help quantify uncertainty in the approaches taken in extreme event analysis.

The Past Earth Network led by Dr. Jochen Voss (School of Mathematics) and Prof. Alan Haywood (SEE) will use Earth history (palaeoclimates) as a basis for testing our understanding of mechanisms of climate change.  The network will promote a thorough assessment of uncertainty in climate models and a quantification of the uncertainty around palaeo data by bringing together statisticians, climate scientists and geologists.

Each network provides 3 years funding to support the establishment of new collaborations between researchers, project partners and interested stakeholders, bridging the disciplines of mathematics and environmental science.  LWEC’s aim is to provide government, business and society knowledge in order to be able to adapt to, mitigate and capitalize on environmental change.