The 2025/26 season of science talks has now finished, and our group will taking our usual break for the summer. However, activities will in recommence in September.

Our thanks to all who have attended our meetings and helped deliver another successful season, especially the speakers who have presented a wide range of interesting and inspiring presentations. During the summer we will start planning future activities and we welcome your feedback. So please do let us know your suggestions, interests and possible contributions. All ideas are welcome! Contact Bob or Ray).

Most important, you really do NOT need to have any prior scientific knowledge or experience to join us as our activities are aimed at a mixed audience. All you need is a little curiosity and a keen interest in life, the universe and everything!

For more detail see the Monthly Newsletter.

Members who attended Ray Leakey's talk on “Climate Tipping Points in the North Atlantic” on 25 February may be interested in some recent research, reported in the media, concerning the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC):

1. A paper by Portmann et al. (2026) which has been reported by The Guardian.

2. A paper by Xing et al. (2026) which has been reported in New Scientist.

The Portman et al. 2026 paper is significant due to its rigorous re-analysis of the IPCC Coupled Model Intercomparison Project models.

The Xing et al. 2026 paper is significant as its conclusions are based on a novel analysis of real measurements (not model simulations) taken from the RAPID mooring array. However, instead of using the RAPID ocean current data (i.e. the water transport measurements – as presented in my talk) they have instead focused on changes in pressure, recorded alongside the current data, which indirectly indicate a slowing of the AMOC. 

In conclusion, both papers suggest that the AMOC is more likely to collapse earlier than previously thought, supporting the conclusions of the few, more pessimistic, model scenarios presented in my talk.