Case Study: Understanding CF4 emissions

Simon O’Doherty is a Professor at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Bristol. His 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 and halons) and the Kyoto gases, or gases that are involved in global warming.

This internationally recognised work is funded by Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Irish Environmental Protection Agency, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He is a member of the Advanced Global Gases Experiment, AGAGE team, as a principal scientist in charge of two of the five AGAGE research stations (in 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 SOGE, SOGE-A, UK-SOLAS, Eurohydros, InGOS and GAUGE. Simon leads the UK DECC Network. This network incorporates a range of novel measurement approaches, and is a collaboration between the Universities of Bristol, East Anglia, and the UK Met Office. 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 both urban and rural pollution assessments.

Since recording this interview, a new site in Norfolk has been added to the AGAGE network – and has uncovered a surprising and as-yet unexplained release of PFC in March 2020. The AGAGE data is also being enhanced by combining it with locally obtained samples from other sites that are subsequently evaluated back at the University.