Presentation to Climate Change Commission for Wales by C3W

1. Clive Walmsley, Director of Outreach
Natural Resources Wales
Report to the Climate Change Commission for Wales
19 September 2013

2. Vision:
To become one of the world’s leading research centres for the study of climate
change – past, present and future
C3W delivers:
• A step change in the way climate research is undertaken in Wales developing
collaborative multi-disciplinary research programmes, shared infrastructure and
facilities
• A world-class focus for climate change research in Wales
• A substantial contribution to WG’s strategic plan for Higher Education in Wales
• An outreach programme

3. Publications
C3W research scientists have published 14 papers in Nature and Science
journals since the launch of C3W (7 in 2012)
Research grants
• £5.9 million in research grants by C3W funded staff during 2012 and an
additional £16.6 million for climate-related projects by the wider community
during 2012
Expert advice
• C3W staff have trusted policy positions and/or have acted as advisors to
Natural Resources Wales, UK Meteorological Office, DECC, Defra, Cynnal
Cymru, UK and Welsh museums (NMW), Welsh primary and secondary
schools, Climate Change Commission for Wales

4. Highlights during 2012/13
• Two C3W scientists worked as funded Lead Authors for IPCC Fifth Assessment
Report:
Tavi Murray, Swansea: Greenland Ice Sheet mass balance
Hilary Kennedy, Bangor: carbon storage in coastal wetlands
• Significant coverage of C3W science in the draft IPCC report
• Two C3W scientists won prestigious academic awards
• A C3W commissioned film won an award at the Blue Ocean film awards, USA

5. Highlights during 2012/13
• Major strategic alliance with Fujitsu Laboratories of Europe and High
Performance Computing Wales (HPCW) resulted in Fujitsu funding two workshops
and the award of 5 HPCW PhD studentships in climate change science
• Collaboration with the Wales Environment Research Hub (WERH) and CEH
(Bangor) resulted in a joint workshop in climate change impacts modelling
• First Welsh public perception survey undertaken in late 2012 and results
published in March 2013
• UK Climate Projections (UKCP09) workshop held to raise awareness and
facilitate use of Welsh projection data – in collaboration with
CCW/WG/Environment Agency
• Publication of Educational resource packs for Welsh teachers

6. Research workshops
£20k ring-fenced for targeted workshops for proposal writing during 2011. A further
£20k has now been ring-fenced for research workshops:
• Climate Change Impacts (CEH/WERH) and Fujitsu/HPC Wales Studentships
Gregynog workshop (19th
– 22nd
March 2012) (ESM): external funding from WERH
and Fujitsu
• British Antarctic Survey: research workshop on recent Antarctic warming, March
2012 (SLC, HER)
• Gregynog Mathematics Colloquium, May 2012 (ESM)
• Tyndall Annual Assembly, September 2012 (HER/WDCC)
• Gregynog April 2013: Welsh Historical Climate Workshop (collaboration with
Cymdeithas Edward Llwyd)

7. Research workshops
•Royal Society Research Workshop on Tides, Palaeotides, Sea Level and Glacio-Isostatic Deflection,
November 2012 (ESM/SLC): external funding from Fujitsu

8. Research funding highlights
•BRITICE-CHRONO: NERC Consortium Grant (£3.6M)
UK Universities: C3W (Bangor, Aberystwyth, Swansea), Sheffield, Durham, Liverpool, Glasgow,
Ulster, St Andrews
UK Research Institutes and Facilities: British Antarctic Survey, British Geological Survey, NERC
Radiocarbon Facility
International collaborators: Geological Survey of Ireland, University of Bergen (Norway), Stockholm
University (Sweden), Simon Fraser University (Canada), University of Ottawa (Canada), Penn State
University (USA), Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (France)
Industrial/external partners: Centrica Energy, SP Transmission, Natural England, English Heritage,
Scottish Natural Heritage, Countryside Council for Wales
£35k to C3W Outreach Team to deliver Pathways to Impact Plan

9. Research funding highlights
•Fujitsu-funded HPCW PhD studentships
Dr Mattias Green (Bangor): The influence of the polar tides on ice sheet dynamics
Dr Michaela Bray, Professor Roger Falconer (Cardiff, in collaboration with SME – Waterco): The
impact of extreme weather events upon steep river basins throughout Wales
Dr Simon Creer (Bangor): Understanding the microbial mechanisms underpinning the release of
carbon from peatland ecosystems
Dr Simon Neill (Bangor): Feedback on tidal stream array operation and the marine environment
Dr Reza Hashemi (Bangor): Simulating the impacts of climate change on estuarine dynamics using an
integrated catchment-to-coast model

10. Research outputs: publications
Seven further publications in Nature and Science journals during 2012:
[Aberystwyth]: Burrows, M.T., Schoeman, D.S., Duarte, C.M., O'Connor, M.I.,
Buckley, L.B., Kappel, C.V., Parmesan, C., Halpern, B.S., Brown, C., Brander,
K.M., Bruno, J.F., Pandolfi, J.M., Sydeman, W.J., Moore, P., Kiessling, W.,
Richardson, A.J. & Poloczanska, E.S. (2012) Invasive species unchecked by
climate response. Science 335, 538-539.
[Cardiff]: Corner, A. (2012) Psychology science literacy and climate views. Nature
Climate Change 2:10, 710-711.
[Bangor]: Fourqurean, J.W., Kennedy, H., Marba, N., Holmer, M., Mateo, M.A.,
Apostolaki, E.T., Kendrick, G.A., Krause-Jensen, D., McGlathery, K.J., & Serrano,
O. (2012) Seagrass ecosystems as a globally significant carbon stock. Nature
Geoscience 5:7, 505-509
[Cardiff]: Hall, J.W., Brown, S., Nicholls, R.J., Pidgeon, N.F. & Watson, R.T. (2012)
Proportionate adaptation. Nature Climate Change 2:12, 833-834.

11. Research outputs: publications
[Swansea]: Hinder S.L., Hays, G., Edwards, M., Roberts, E.C, Walne, A.W. &
Gravenor, M.B. (2012) Changes in marine dinoflagellate and diatom abundance
under climate change. Nature Climate Change 2: 4, 271-275.
[Cardiff]: Hönisch, B., Ridgwell, A., Schmidt, D.N., Thomas, E., Gibbs, S.J., Sluijs,
A., Zeebe, R., Kump, L., Martindale, R.C., Greene, S.E., Kiessling, W., Ries, J.,
Zachos, J.C., Royer, D.L., Barker, S., Marchitto Jr., T.M., Moyer, R., Pelejero, C.,
Ziveri, P., Foster, G.L. & Williams, B. (2012) The geological record of ocean
acidification. Science 335: 6072, 1058-1063.
[Bangor]: Wanamaker, A.D., Butler, P.G., Scourse, J.D., Heinemeier, J., Eiriksson,
J., Knudsen, K.L. & Richardson, C.A. (2012) Surface changes in the North Atlantic
meridional overturning circulation during the last millennium. Nature
Communications 3: 899.

12. Research outputs: prizes
GLIMPSE film on Greenland Ice Sheet: award from the 2012 Blue Ocean
Film Festival, Monterey, California

13. Outreach objectives
C3W will provide policy-makers, businesses, media and the general
public with up-to-date information on climate change
4 outreach posts part-funded by NRW in each of the C3W universities
• Policy
• Education
• Business
• Media

14. Outreach objectives
•Outreach activities - linked to the research being conducted in the C3W
universities
•Create opportunities to generate new research due to the interface with other
sectors
•Increased interest in outreach amongst academics as a result of the new
Research Excellence Framework (REF)
•Increased need for science communication of the evidence base and knowledge
exchange between academics, businesses, policymakers and society

15. Education Outreach
•Curriculum-linked science experiments, fieldwork and resources for Interactive
science exhibits and exhibitions for all ages
•Science Fairs - e.g. the Urdd, National Eisteddfod
•Training for postgraduate researchers (Matlab, communications skills)
•Public lectures and lecture series
•Conferences & training workshops

16. Policy Outreach
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training
• Knowledge Exchange workshops
• Bespoke research projects, reviews and research launches
• Science dissemination events to inform decision-making
• Close collaboration with Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales, Wales
Environment Research Hub, Climate Commission for Wales, Cynnal Cymru
and other key policy-related organisations
• Training resource packs

17. Business Outreach
• Formed research collaborations with several businesses, including HPCWales (5
studentships funded in 2012) and Fujitsu
•C3W have supported research proposal writing workshops that have led to
successful partnerships between academics and industry - NERC funded
consortium: BRITICE Constraining rates of marine-influenced ice sheet
decay

18. Media Outreach
• C3W maintain a dynamic website
• Deliver expert media and communications support to researchers
• Information & communications
• Photography, film, audio and production
• Website design
• Social media
• Press releases
•C3W outreach are trained and experienced in the communication and
dissemination of multi-disciplinary science using a range of methods and media

19. Pathways to Impact
•C3W outreach team have assisted researchers write their Impact Plans and have
had a high rate of success in sourcing funds
•Subsequently the team have been subcontracted to help deliver the Impact Plans
in 3 funded research projects:
- NERC funded BRITICE
- AHRC Historical Climatology
- NERC A 500,000-year environmental record from Chew Bahir

20. Outreach events
• C3W Lecture Series: Bangor
• Radio Wales Science Café broadcast
• C3W Lecture Series: Cardiff
• C3W Lecture Series: Swansea
• Arctica exhibit: National Museum Wales, Palace of Westminster
• Urdd National Eisteddfod 2012
• Climate Week 2012 and 2013 events
• Eco-Schools Youth Climate Change Conference 2012

21. Science on a Sphere
• Significant progress has been made in developing the Science on a Sphere
visualisation tool in association with NOAA
• Collaborating with Science Museum, London using their SoS to deliver high
profile public lectures
•Training young academics in the use of visualisation tools such as SoS
educational resource
• Developed a business case for a Welsh SoS installation and working towards
purchasing a portable system for Wales
• Discussing with other UK potential partners joint use of SoS

22. Science on a Sphere

23. Future developments
• On-going Science on a Sphere proposal (National Museum Wales/Pontio)
• CPD/briefing notes with NRW
• Develop distance learning Climate Change MSc proposal
• Further develop Impact Plan role for research projects
Outreach events
• IPCC 5th
Assessment events
Research workshops in planning phase:
• Impact of extreme climate events on health in Wales
• Impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems (collaboration with
CEFAS Marine Climate Change Centre, M3C)

24. Website: www. http://c3wales.org/