The Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Science and Services is one of the world’s leading climate science institutions and this week marks the 35th anniversary of its official opening.  

Pioneering research carried out with global partners has been instrumental in helping the UK and other nations understand and address the challenges posed by climate change.  

Earlier this year, an independent report estimated that the monetary value of the 2018-21 Hadley Centre Climate Programme (HCCP) stands at £1.9 billion and that for every £1 of public money invested, the programme returns £33 of value. 

On 22 May, Met Office Scientific Manager Dr Ségolène Berthou published a blog post describing the current extreme marine heatwave affecting northwest European waters. Marine heatwaves in UK waters usually last around two to four weeks. This year’s event began early March and has continued into May, making it one of the longest on record for this time of year. 

This prolonged warming can amplify land heatwaves by reducing the cooling effect of sea breezes and by altering rainfall patterns. Dr Jonathan Tinker, marine climate scientist, said: "With projections suggesting UK summer sea temperatures could rise by up to 2.5°C by 2050, such events are likely to become more frequent, intense and longer-lasting. Marine heatwaves offer a glimpse into how changing ocean conditions could shape future weather conditions." 

On 16 May, we published a blog post on a new study which has shown irreversible risks to the Amazon and northern hemisphere forests from climate change. 

Gregory Munday is a Met Office scientist and lead author of the study. He said: “Our paper found that limiting the magnitude of temperature overshoot above 1.5 °C compared to pre-industrial levels could be quite beneficial for forest ecosystem health. 

“Long-term forest dieback is a significant risk even with a temperature change of 1.3°C by 2100. With current estimates saying we are at this level of global warming already it is important that we put more effort into reducing emissions and limiting the warming as much as possible.” 

The Exeter Climate Forum takes place between Monday 30 June – Friday 4 July, bringing together world-leading climate researchers, businesses, policymakers, and young people to shape and engage with the priorities for COP30 and beyond.  

As part of the Forum, the University of Exeter and the Met Office will jointly host the The Exeter Climate Conference. The conference will provide the opportunity to hear the latest research on the impacts of climate change and discuss innovative solutions to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of our changing climate and steer a path to a livable, resilient and sustainable future.