News

Durham experts create part of global climate modelling network

(13 September 2006)

Hazard and risk experts from Durham University are forming part of a global climate modelling and research network of over 1,000 scientists worldwide which plans to better predict the frequency, severity and costs of future catastrophes world wide.

Formed by the global insurance broker, Willis Group Holdings, the Willis Research Network (WRN) is now the largest collaboration between the insurance industry and academia and offers countries and large organisations access to weather and environmental modelling experts. This will provide practical research and expert analysis of catastrophic risks such as volcanoes, landslides, hurricanes and earthquakes. Scientists from Durham’s Institute for Hazard and Risk will offer expertise in areas such as flood modelling and landslides and are part of a group of seven UK universities joining the global network. The other UK research teams are at Reading, Imperial, Exeter, Bristol and City Universities offering expertise ranging from meteorology to volcanology to earthquakes. Professor Stuart Lane, leading the project at Durham said: “In the past we have suffered from much more uncertainty than knowledge in extreme event prediction. By joining up and collaborating with other experts all over the world on climate models, process understanding and impact analysis we believe the network will revolutionise catastrophe modelling and help countries and organisations plan effectively. “While our role at Durham involves analysis of the impact of extreme events including flood modelling, landslides, earth processes we are also able to bring a critical social dimension, including the hazards of technology, global security and joining up the expertise of the whole UK research network with the global network.” The funding from Willis Research Network is the first major grant from private industry to the new Institute of Hazard and Risk at Durham University and the Institute will be formally launched in 2007.