Sam Abernethy

All Publications

• Global temperature goals should determine the time horizons for greenhouse gas emission metrics ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS Abernethy, S., Jackson, R. B. 2022; 17 (2)

  View details for DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/ac4940

  View details for Web of Science ID 000753147500001

• Methane removal and the proportional reductions in surface temperature and ozone. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Abernethy, S., O’Connor, F. M., Jones, C. D., Jackson, R. B. 2021; 379: 20210104: 20210104

  Abstract

  Mitigating climate change requires a diverse portfolio of technologies and approaches, including negative emissions or removal of greenhouse gases. Previous literature focuses primarily on carbon dioxide removal, but methane removal may be an important complement to future efforts. Methane removal has at least two key benefits: reducing temperature more rapidly than carbon dioxide removal and improving air quality by reducing surface ozone concentration. While some removal technologies are being developed, modelling of their impacts is limited. Here, we conduct the first simulations using a methane emissions-driven Earth System Model to quantify the climate and air quality co-benefits of methane removal, including different rates and timings of removal. We define a novel metric, the effective cumulative removal, and use it to show that each effective petagram of methane removed causes a mean global surface temperature reduction of 0.21 ± 0.04°C and a mean global surface ozone reduction of 1.0 ± 0.2 parts per billion. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of methane removal in delaying warming thresholds and reducing peak temperatures, and also allow for direct comparisons between the impacts of methane and carbon dioxide removal that could guide future research and climate policy. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Rising methane: is warming feeding warming? (part 1)'.

  View details for DOI 10.1098/rsta.2021.0104

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC8473947

• Atmospheric Methane Removal: A Research Agenda Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Jackson, R. B., et al 2021; 379: 20200454

  View details for DOI 10.1098/rsta.2020.0454

• Temporary reduction in daily global CO2 emissions during the COVID-19 forced confinement NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE Le Quere, C., Jackson, R. B., Jones, M. W., Smith, A. P., Abernethy, S., Andrew, R. M., De-Gol, A. J., Willis, D. R., Shan, Y., Canadell, J. G., Friedlingstein, P., Creutzig, F., Peters, G. P. 2020

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41558-020-0797-x

  View details for Web of Science ID 000534517700001

• Reply to: Practical constraints on atmospheric methane removal NATURE SUSTAINABILITY Jackson, R. B., Solomon, E. I., Canadell, J. G., Cargnello, M., Field, C. B., Abernethy, S. 2020

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41893-020-0498-5

  View details for Web of Science ID 000521528300002

• ABUZZ : A MOBILE PHONE BASED CITIZEN SCIENCE PLATFORM FOR CROWDSOURCING ECOLOGICAL DATA FOR MOSQUITO SURVEILLANCE Mukundarajan, H., Konte, R., Hol, F. J., Soto-Montoya, H., Murphy, A., McKenzie, B., Abernethy, S., Park, D., Zohdy, S., Prakash, M. AMER SOC TROP MED & HYGIENE. 2019: 448

  View details for Web of Science ID 000507364504170

• The importance of chaotic attractors in modelling tumour growth PHYSICA A-STATISTICAL MECHANICS AND ITS APPLICATIONS Abernethy, S., Gooding, R. J. 2018; 507: 268–77

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.physa.2018.05.093

  View details for Web of Science ID 000437385100020