A pioneering climate simulator at the University of Exeter is giving scientists new opportunities to understand how plants, crops and ecosystems may respond to future weather conditions.
A groundbreaking £1.5 million climate simulator is now operational at the University of Exeter, allowing researchers to recreate a wide range of weather conditions and climate scenarios within a controlled laboratory environment. Known as the Global Meteorological Simulator (GMS), the facility can replicate rain, wind, mist and other weather patterns from around the world, including future climate conditions.
Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the University of Exeter, the facility is one of only a small number worldwide capable of simulating multiple weather conditions simultaneously. Its four plant growth chambers enable researchers to study four distinct climates at the same time.
The simulator is already being used to investigate how climate-driven diseases affect rice crops, helping researchers better understand threats to global food security. By recreating tropical growing conditions, scientists can explore how crops respond to changing environmental pressures and identify ways to improve resilience.
Researchers are also using the facility to study how pollinators such as bees respond to increasingly variable weather patterns. This work could help improve understanding of how climate change affects ecosystems and the services they provide.
By enabling scientists to test future climate scenarios before they occur, the simulator is helping build the evidence needed to support climate adaptation in agriculture, food production and ecosystem management. It also reinforces Devon’s growing role as a centre for climate science and innovation.
Read more on BBC News.
How Is This Helping DCIoS Adapt To Climate Change?
Strategic Direction B – Use agriculture / forestry networks and knowledge to implement best practice. Provide them with key information to protect ecosystem services.
