Dr. Harry Harmens

I'm interested in the impacts of climate change and air pollution on vegetation. For more than 30 years I have studied impacts from carbon dioxide and nitrogen enrichment, warming, heavy metal and ozone pollution, on plants. I'm also interested in communicating the evidence-based science to policy makers.

Since 2004, I'm the chairman of the ICP Vegetation (http://icpvegetation.ceh.ac.uk), an International Cooperative Programme reporting on the impacts of air pollutants on vegetation to the UN Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). Ca. 50 countries and more than 250 scientists contribute to the programme. I have coordinated the European moss survey, reporting on the concentration of heavy metals and nitrogen (and to some extend persistent organic pollutants - POPs) in mosses. An important part of the programme is the development of ozone critical levels for vegetation, collating evidence of ozone effects and quantify ozone impacts on ecosystem services such as food security and carbon sequestration, and impacts on plant biodiversity.

For research facilities, see http://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/research-facility/solardomes-and-ozone-field-release-system

• 2018 - date:           Advisory member technical subgroup, on ecosystem monitoring and reporting, of the National Emissions Ceilings Directive Experts Group of the European Commission.
• 2004 – date:           Chairman of the UNECE International Cooperative Programme on Effects of Air Pollution on Natural Vegetation and Crops (ICP Vegetation), member of the Extended Bureau of the Working Group on Effects, UN Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution.
• 2006 - date:            Senior Scientific Officer (SSO), band 5, CEH Bangor.
• 1999 - 2006:           Higher Scientific Officer (HSO), band 6,  CEH Bangor.
• 1995 - 1999:           Post-doctoral Research Officer, CEH and University of Wales, Bangor.
• 1993 - 1994:           Lecturer, Technical College of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
• 1992 - 1994:           Assistant lecturer, Free University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.