Which urban regions produce the best research

IPCC members considered the best way to quantify uncertainty. They are not alone in needing to do so

Scientists researching problems such as water management should focus more on urban areas. (Editorial)

Panel agrees new guidelines and management restructure, with Pachauri still at the helm.

The explosion in urban population looks set to continue through the twenty-first century, presenting challenges and opportunities for scientists.

After winning a Nobel prize for helping to protect the planet, Mario Molina is tackling a much more difficult problem

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles are formed in the atmosphere from condensable oxidation products of anthropogenic and biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). On a global scale, biogenic VOCs account for about 90% of VOC emissions and of SOA formation (90 billion kilograms of carbon per year). SOA particles can scatter radiation and act as cloud condensation or ice nuclei, and thereby influence the Earth’s radiation balance and climate.

Organic aerosol particles are ubiquitous in the atmosphere. In forests, such particles can occur in solid form — a finding that will lead to a re-evaluation of how they are formed, and their properties and effects.

Reliable forecasts of sea-level rise depend on accurately modelling the dynamics of polar ice sheets. A numerical framework that better reflects ice-sheet basal drag adds greater realism to such models.

More than 100 cold-war era research reactors run on uranium pure enough to be used in a nuclear weapon. But switching to safer fuel isn't easy.