I'd observe the 'Mandela effect' is alive and well in climate change denial, based on a range of demonstrably false statements that are espoused as fact that I can only assume have done the rounds in the echo chambers. How many of these have you heard stated as fact? 🧵 (1/8)

I don't know why it took me this long, but today I discovered NOAA's replacement to the ISD database of weather station data (GHCNh), but the files are a bit of a pain to work with. Can anyone recommend any good (ideally API) tools before I reinvent the wheel? www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/glo...

A study from Manchester/NCAS that a number of my co-workers were involved in. Showing that even fairly modest exposure to air pollution can have measurable effects on lung and cognitive function.

Recreational laughing gas in Ho Chi Minh City caused nitrous oxide spikes up to 80× background levels. NCAS measurements revealed hidden urban emissions and can help inform Vietnam’s 2025 ban: ncas.ac.uk/recreational...

New research shows how unpredictable short-term weather patterns are behind 70% of uncertainty in El Niño and La Niña forecasts. ncas.ac.uk/how-far-ahea...

Remember that new paint smell? Regulations have cut harmful paint VOC emissions by up to 60% in 15 years. New NCAS data can help update policy, improve emissions inventories, and better protect indoor air quality. Read the story: ncas.ac.uk/paint-rules-...

Philosophical question: If an insurgent political party or faction starts threatening to punish people who vote against them, is that a real-world simile of Roko's Basilisk?

The presentations from the RSC 'Air Quality in the 21st Century' meetings, including mine on new opportunities for particulate measurement. www.rsc-ecg.com/blog/categor...

End of an era. 🙁 We did a lot of good science with this and I personally need to give a big thanks to all the staff, operators, engineers and other scientists involved. You'll note my BlueSky profile picture was taken aboard; might leave that up for a bit. ncas.ac.uk/marking-the-...

ACP is currently recruiting new editors. See below and pass on.

It's goodbye from the UK Clean Air Programme. It's been an honour and pleasure to work with you all. A static version of our website will remain for the next five years.

In response to growing UK wildfire risk, researchers at The University of Manchester brought together ecologists, hydrologists, remote-sensing experts, modellers, fire services and land managers to co-produce new tools to assess fire behaviour. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYTu... #ShapedTogether

Jesse’s work adapting an ML wildfire model to Scotland shows how cross‑disciplinary research can drive real climate insight. Read more: ncas.ac.uk/from-cogniti...

If we get another El Nino this year, we're pretty much certain to be entering yet more new and uncharted territory.

‘When it rains, it pours’ is becoming increasingly accurate as our climate warms. Learn how rising global temperatures affect rainfall in the UK and around the world: ncas.ac.uk/when-it-rain...

It's worth pointing out that debates highlighted here apply to not just physics but (as far as I know) all areas of UK publicly-funded research. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Climate change conversations centre on a few degrees of warming, rising seas, more frequent heatwaves and storms. But what about the high impact low-likelihood scenarios? Read our latest article: ncas.ac.uk/climate-scie...

Turns out net zero is cheaper than a single fossil fuel crisis. 🤷 The sooner we build on clean, home-grown energy, the sooner we stop handing the keys to foreign gas markets. But we also need market reform now - so customers, not just corporations, actually reap the benefits of renewables.

What does climate change mean for drought in Europe, Africa, and America? We asked NCAS climate scientist Professor Emily Black to explain: ncas.ac.uk/climate-chan...

Vibrant sunsets, dirty windows, and increased particulate matter - it must be Saharan dust. Hugo Ricketts explains the what, where, and how of airborne dust in the UK: ncas.ac.uk/why-is-there...

Hello from Leeds 👋 We've just hosted our Introduction to Atmospheric Science course. Thank you to everyone who came to learn and network with our experts and with like-minded peers!

Following the withdrawal of funding by UKRI-NERC, we can confirm that the FAAM Airborne Laboratory will cease operations at the end of this financial year. Our immediate priority is supporting affected staff and the wider UK atmospheric science community. ncas.ac.uk/closure-of-t...

Still trying to process FAAM's plug getting abruptly pulled today. But among many other things, I'm thinking back on the positives, of the good science we did. If I had to pick one, it'd be this, which came out of the OP3 campaign in Borneo. 🧵 acp.copernicus.org/articles/11/...

There's a lot of things I could say, but I should probably let this sink in a bit first.

Every learner today will live their entire life in a climate different from the one their parents and grandparents grew up in. Find out why climate education matters more now than ever, on World Day of Social Justice: ncas.ac.uk/turning-know... #SocialJusticeDay #WorldDayofSocialJustice

Tackling residential wood combustion "could lead to outsized improvements in air quality.” An opportunity to reduce the toll of 8,600 premature deaths each year in the US and 2,600 in the UK. My latest piece for @theguardian.com. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Needed an image depicting indoor air pollution for a presentation, so asked Microsoft Copilot to draw me something. Astounded by the scientific accuracy of this. Wouldn't even know it was AI! /s

Good news (I hope) for those of us planning to go to the International Aerosol Conference this year! (www.iac2026.cn)

This is a pretty cool statistic, seen via Facebook. Indoor cooking is one of the biggest sources of exposure to air pollution in the less developed world, and the resulting health impacts are a source of gender inequality to boot. ourworldindata.org/grapher/acce...

This is an interesting piece of work done at the Energy House over in Salford. With increased interest in indoor air quality in homes, there's a lot of talk about tradeoffs between that and energy efficiency.

That's really interesting. theconversation.com/how-romantic...

One for the academics: The UK Exposure Science conference 2026. A good interdisciplinary conference dealing with all kinds of exposure science (not just air pollution 😜). I've previously found it great for networking, particularly with people from outside your field. www.rsc.org/events/detai...

Isn’t climate change supposed to make the weather warmer? The cold conditions in early January prompted questions about the impact of climate change. We spoke to Ed and Weronika about “coldwaves” and global warming: ncas.ac.uk/what-does-cl...

There's one key detail in all of this, which is that RFK Jr. actually had a meta-analysis to point to, which is a step above simply pointing to one paper. However, that one consisted only of a screening and comparison, this (and others like it) do a proper quantitative job of analysing results.

“Many of 2025’s heat-related records are, of course, likely to be broken again soon.” We spoke to @edhawkins.org about 2025 being the UK’s warmest year on record, and about the causal chain for changes in climate. ncas.ac.uk/in-conversat...

FINAL REMINDER Are you interested in working in atmospheric science? Would you like to learn more about weather systems, air quality, and climate? Don't miss out on our Introduction to Atmospheric Science training course this February! Apply by 23 January: ncas.ac.uk/study-with-u...

It's not quite "we're all saved", but I'll take good news where I can.

I think there's probably something I can say regarding the debate concerning use cases in the future hydrogen economy. But truthfully, I just like watching things get blown up.

Diesel cars have improved a lot over the years but they are still far from perfect. The ones made before they introduced real-world testing 2019 in particular are very iffy. Incidentally, the exhaust on my car (a petrol PHEV) is on the right hand side, probably because it's Japanese.

We know that understanding the atmosphere has never mattered more. As 2025 draws to a close, we’ve been looking back at our science stories from 2025. Here's to celebrating another year of atmospheric science: ncas.ac.uk/unlocking-an...

If there's one point that needs hammering home, it's that there's no such thing as 'clean' combustion. You can have 'cleaner', but that always needs to be qualified.

PhD opportunity at the University of Manchester/NCAS. This follows on from the recent domestic solid fuel report, using the same stoves to investigate how sensitive emissions are to user behaviour. Please distribute to anyone you think might be interested. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

I wish I could say this was unexpected, but it'd be something of a travesty if it goes ahead. Pretty much everyone in the atmospheric science community is familiar with NCAR and their work.

I like to keep politics out of my Bluesky posts, but I definitely prefer Calibri to Times New Roman. The majority of the text I read is now on screens, and modern sans serif fonts are just so much better for that.

The team at the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis have published their latest annual report. It's packed full of stats, standout achievements, and a look back over 3 decades of supporting environmental research. Thank you for everything you do for us at NCAS! 👏 ncas.ac.uk/30-years-and...

NCAS is part of a new group, the National Research Organisations, covering ass aspects of UK science.

Two weeks in the gorgeous Lake District, learning about weather observations and modelling with like-minded peers and experts - sounds interesting? Then you should check out our Atmospheric Measurement & Modelling Summer School! Apply today: ncas.ac.uk/study-with-u...

How could pollutants from aircraft change by burning sustainable aviation fuel? New research marks a major step forward in understanding how different aviation fuels change the impact of flying on air quality and the climate. Read more: ncas.ac.uk/scientists-p...