Professor Matthew Rigby

Winner: 2024 Environment, Sustainability and Energy mid-career Prize

University of Bristol

For research on the abundances and fluxes of environmentally harmful gases in the atmosphere, which has contributed to a measurable reduction in emissions of climate forcing and ozone depleting gases.

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My team are looking at ways of using machine learning to make use of new, very large satellite datasets of greenhouse gas concentrations. The aim is to provide more rapid, global-scale estimates of greenhouse gas flux changes.

Atmospheric observations contain a wealth of information on the sources and sinks of greenhouse gases and substances that deplete the stratospheric ozone layer. Understanding the processes responsible for the changing levels of these compounds is critical for evaluating progress on climate agreements and quantifying climate change feedbacks (processes that can either amplify or reduce the effects of global warming).

Professor Rigby develops and uses models that simulate atmospheric gas dispersion to interpret greenhouse gas observations. By combining the observations and models, his team has quantified emissions in the UK and other regions of the world. His advances in this field have allowed him to quantify global emissions trends of over 30 compounds relevant to the Montreal Protocol and Paris Agreement. His work is now routinely used to evaluate the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory and spot unexpected greenhouse gas sources.

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Professor Matthew Rigby’s research aims to better understand the changing concentrations of greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere. He does this using observations and computer simulations of atmospheric trace gas transport. His work has been used to evaluate the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory and monitor the progress of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Matt obtained his PhD from Imperial College London before moving to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a postdoctoral research associate. At MIT, he joined the international project that monitors halogenated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE). He returned to the UK to continue working with AGAGE partners at the University of Bristol through a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Advanced Research Fellowship. He has since led and participated in a range of NERC and Horizon Europe-funded projects that aim to better understand changes in atmospheric composition.

In recognition of his expertise in ozone-depleting substances, he served as a lead author of the World Meteorological Organisation Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion in 2018 and 2022.

Q&A

What motivates you?

Atmospheric science is a truly global endeavour that requires a range of skills, from analytical chemistry to high-performance computing. The highlight of my job is that I get to work daily with extremely bright people from around the world, with expertise in all these varied fields.

Can you tell us about a scientific development on the horizon that you are excited about?

Machine learning is rapidly changing the way that we model and observe the Earth system. My team are looking at ways of using machine learning to make use of new, very large satellite datasets of greenhouse gas concentrations. The aim is to provide more rapid, global-scale estimates of greenhouse gas flux changes.

What has been a highlight for you (either personally or in your career)?

In 2018, my colleagues at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the USA spotted a puzzling and unexpected change in the global average concentration of ozone-depleting substance CFC-11. The data suggested that new production was occurring somewhere, despite the global ban, but we weren’t sure where. Working with an international team, we were able to find a major source of these emissions in north-eastern China. Within two years of our initial findings, and after a great deal of work by scientists, policymakers, non-governmental organisations, the press, and enforcement agencies, it appeared that this source had largely disappeared again. To be part of this process, which had measurable real-world impact, was enormously exciting and rewarding.

What has been a challenge for you (either personally or in your career)?

As you progress in your academic career, your time tends to become more fragmented. Whilst part of the fun of an academic job is its variety, I have had to learn to say "no" to some exciting opportunities to make sure I still have time to focus on key projects and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

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