Seminar followed by Q&A and drinks – attend in person or join online – all welcome

Abstract: The relationship between forests and rainfall has intrigued humankind for millennia and has been a focus of scientific inquiry for more than a century. Forests strongly influence land–atmosphere exchanges of energy, water, and trace gases, giving rise to complex climate interactions that are still not fully understood. In this talk, I will present recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms through which forests shape climate across local to regional scales. Rapid deforestation across the tropics is transforming land surfaces, altering regional temperature and rainfall patterns, and affecting the livelihoods of millions of people. By combining observational datasets with climate and Earth system models, we quantify how tropical deforestation modifies local and regional climate. We then use this improved process-level understanding to assess the impacts of deforestation on human health, agriculture, and fire activity. Our results demonstrate that tropical deforestation has profound consequences for local climate and public health. Beyond its role in driving global climate change, tropical deforestation emerges as a major and immediate public health hazard. A clearer understanding of this hazard may help broaden societal consensus around the value of tropical forest conservation.

Biography: Dominick Spracklen is Professor of Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions at the University of Leeds. His research focuses on understanding how land-use change, particularly tropical deforestation, influences climate, air quality, and human health. Using a combination of observations and Earth system modelling, his work has helped quantify the impacts of forests on rainfall, temperature, fire, and public health across the tropics. He works in partnership with organisations worldwide to support evidence-based and community-led approaches to nature recovery. He serves on the Conservation Advisory Panel of the World Land Trust. In the UK, he leads the Upper Duddon Landscape Recovery and Restoring Hardknott Forest projects, sits on the steering group of Wild Ingleborough, and is a Trustee of the John Muir Trust.