Professor Simon O'Doherty
B.Sc.(C.N.A.A.), M.Sc., Ph.D.(Bristol)
Current positions
Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry
School of Chemistry
Contact
Press and media
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Research interests
My main area of research is concerned with the global growth of Montreal Protocol gases or gases that are involved in stratospheric ozone depletion (CFCs, HCFCs, halons) and the Kyoto gases or gases that are involved in global warming (CO2, CH4, N2O, SF6, NF3, HFCs and PFCs). Measurement of these key compounds is vital in obtaining a greater understanding of the processes involved in Climate Change and Ozone Depletion. This internationally recognised work is funded by Department of Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
As a member of the Advanced Global Gases Experiment (AGAGE) team, I am principal scientist in charge of two of the five core-AGAGE research stations (Ireland and Barbados). AGAGE is one of only two groups in the world making ground based global measurements of these compounds. This area of research has expanded in recent years with national and EU funded projects such as Eurohydros, InGOS, ICOS, GAUGE and DARE-UK.
I lead the UK DECC Network. This network incorporates a range of novel measurement approaches, and is a collaboration between the Universities of Bristol and the UK Met. Office (http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/monitoring/atmospheric-trends/)
Other areas of research include the development of equipment for monitoring a wide variety of other ozone precursor compounds, which play an important role in issues of public health and urban/rural pollution assessments. The group has also gained great expertise in the area of tracer release experiments. The transport and dispersion of pollutants has enormous implications for the environment on urban, regional and global scales. On urban scales, local emissions of pollutants can directly impact on the health of the inhabitants, while chemical changes and deposition during transport can have more widespread regional effects.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Building a Green Future Capital Award 2022/23
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of ChemistryDates
01/08/2022 to 31/03/2023
A pilot programme to measure the South Asian outflow of ozone depleting substances and greenhouse gases
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of ChemistryDates
01/09/2020 to 31/08/2022
Air Pollution Research in the UK Capital Investment
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of ChemistryDates
01/10/2017 to 30/09/2022
Greenhouse Gas UK & Global Emissions (GUAGE)
Principal Investigator
Description
The main focus of GAUGE is to quantify the UK GHG budget in order to underpin the development of effective emission reduction policies. The UK GHG budget will be put…Managing organisational unit
School of ChemistryDates
30/06/2013 to 29/09/2017
SOLAS OBSERVATORY
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of ChemistryDates
01/08/2005 to 01/11/2008
Thesis supervisions
Using Gaussian process emulation to quantify the global methane budget
Supervisors
Improving ∆14CO2 measurements to estimate anthropogenic CO2 emissions in the UK
Supervisors
Quantifying perfluorocarbon emissions and bridging discrepancies between top-down and bottom-up estimates
Supervisors
Metrology and measurements of atmospheric nitrous oxide in the UK
Supervisors
Publications
Recent publications
01/08/2024A decrease in radiative forcing and equivalent effective chlorine from hydrochlorofluorocarbons
Nature Climate Change
Combining Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches to Evaluate Recent Trends and Seasonal Patterns in UK N2O Emissions
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Estimation of the atmospheric hydroxyl radical oxidative capacity using multiple hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
First validation of high-resolution satellite-derived methane emissions from an active gas leak in the UK
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
Increases in Global and East Asian Nitrogen Trifluoride (NF3) Emissions Inferred from Atmospheric Observations
Environmental Science & Technology