Neil Harris

A wealth of measurements exists that has been collected in monitoring networks, during focussed field campaigns and by satellite instruments. Great opportunities exist to exploit these data to understand a range of atmospheric problems. In addition to using commercial instruments, Neil’s group have developed and constructed instruments capable of running autonomously in order to make observations for months and years at a time. The current generation of custom-built instruments are used to make measurements of short-lived, reactive compounds which are important for climate change and air pollution. For the last 3 summers, isoprene was measured at Wytham Woods and used to study the effects of heat, drought, etc.. Dimethyl sulphide has been measured in the Antarctic to shed light on low level cloud formation in the Southern Ocean. Similar uses are planned in the future.
Neil is experienced in the international coordination of atmospheric research and in ensuring that the understanding gained is transferred to the policy and public fields. He is co-chair of the Stratosphere-troposphere Processes and their Role in Climate of the World Climate Research Programme and has been involved in many international assessments of ozone depletion and climate change. He was awarded the NERC 50th anniversary International and the Overall Impact Awards for our role in successful development of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Neil has a BA in Chemistry from Oxford University and a PhD from the University of California at Irvine. He was appointed Chair in Atmospheric Informatics in April 2016