Research Profile

Roisin Moriarty

Biography

OVERVIEW 
Dr Róisín Moriarty works on climate and policy and is based in University College Cork (UCC). While her research has focused on climate change and the carbon cycle, it is the synthesis and communication of scientific data for policy and other decision makers that has shaped her career.

Her current focus is the development of new integrated energy-land-food systems modelling tools that support long-term climate planning and improve the evidence base for climate policy.

Her research is focused on carbon budgets, carbon removal and modelling the synergies and trade-offs in the energy-land-food system. She is interested in transformative mitigation and adaptation that move us from imagining a climate-neutral, resilient and equitable futures to realising that transformation and its multiple benefits.

She has co-authored numerous academic papers, including a paper in Nature, a book chapter on carbon budgets and was a lead author on Climate Change Advisory Council Periodic and Annual Review Reports.

She worked as expert reviewer on greenhouse gas inventories technical reports for the UNFCCC (2018 to 2023).

BACKGROUND
2022-2024: Climate and Policy Research Fellow at the Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork. Lead author on Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Volume 4: Realising the benefits of transition and transformation.

2016-2019: Climate Mitigation Advisor at the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC), Ireland
Advised and briefed the council on climate science and policy, including GHG emissions, energy, land, climate and environmental justice and Just Transition 

2013-2016: Senior Research Associate at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and Executive Officer of the UK Global Carbon Project Office, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich UK
Performed research related to GHG emissions, climate impacts, decarbonisation pathways and science-based targets as required, working closely with colleagues in the Global Carbon Project and the Tyndall Centre

2009 - 2013 Research Associate and GEOTRACES Fellow at the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, UK
Analysed helium and tritium samples to investigate the distribution of trace elements and carbon in the oceans

2005 - 2009: PhD in Environmental Science with the Dynamic Green Ocean Modelling Group at School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich UK and the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge UK, under the supervision of Professor Corinne Le Quéré. 
Thesis: The role of macrozooplankon in the global carbon cycle Investigated the effect of biological and ecological processes on ocean biogeochemistry and their role in the global carbon cycle using data collection, analysis and numerical modelling

2000 - 2004: BSc in Marine Science, National University of Galway, Ireland

For a complete list of academic publications, visit Google Scholar. See also Twitter @roxxmo, ResearchGate and LinkedIn

Research Interests

CURRENT ACTIVITIES
Her current focus is the development of new integrated energy-land-food systems modelling tools that support long-term climate planning and improve the evidence base for climate policy.

The specific objectives of this work are as follows:
1) to quantify the potential fair level of CO2 emissions Ireland may be required to sequester in the period to 2100 under different global temperature goals, near-term mitigation efforts and non-CO2 emissions trajectories;

2) to review the potential mitigation and carbon sequestration levers specific to Ireland, including both technology and behaviour change, quantifying their total sequestration potential, energy requirement and land use requirement;

3) map the interactions, in particular the potential complementarities and conflicts, between deep decarbonisation and sequestration levers in each of the energy, land and food systems;

4) review global, regional and national modelling approaches to assessing integrated pathways for sustainable land-food-energy systems, including reviewing which interactions are captured in existing Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs)

5) develop a new modelling methodology, SELFS, to downscale global IAMs to a national scale and simulate long- time horizon integrated Sustainable Energy-Land-Food Systems scenarios under a range of demand and technology futures

6) model a range of divergent possible futures for Ireland using SELFS, integrating existing national modelling energy, agriculture and land use modelling frameworks, to inform long-term policy planning for climate mitigation


Publications

Peer Reviewed Journals

 YearPublication
(2019)'Five decades of northern land carbon uptake revealed by the interhemispheric CO2 gradient'
Ciais P; Tan J; Wang X; Roedenbeck C; Chevallier F; Piao SL; Moriarty R; Broquet G; Le Quéré C; Canadell JG; Peng S; Poulter B; Liu Z; Tans P (2019) 'Five decades of northern land carbon uptake revealed by the interhemispheric CO2 gradient'. Nature, 568 (7751) [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'Role of zooplankton dynamics for Southern Ocean phytoplankton biomass and global biogeochemical cycles'
Le Quéré C; Buitenhuis ET; Moriarty R; Alvain S; Aumont O; Bopp L; Chollet S; Enright C; Franklin DJ; Geider RJ; Harrison SP; Hirst AG; Larsen S; Legendre L; Platt T; Prentice IC; Rivkin RB; Sailley S; Sathyendranath S; Stephens N; Vogt M; Vallina SM (2016) 'Role of zooplankton dynamics for Southern Ocean phytoplankton biomass and global biogeochemical cycles'. Biogeosciences, 13 (14):4111-4133 [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'Estimating the recharge properties of the deep ocean using noble gases and helium isotopes'
Loose B; Jenkins WJ; Moriarty R; Brown P; Jullion L; Naveira Garabato AC; Torres Valdes S; Hoppema M; Ballentine C; Meredith MP (2016) 'Estimating the recharge properties of the deep ocean using noble gases and helium isotopes'. Journal Of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 121 (8):5959-5979 [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Global Carbon Budget 2015'
Le Quéré C; Moriarty R; Andrew RM; Canadell JG; Sitch S.;Korsbakken J.I.;Friedlingstein P.;Peters G.P.;Andres R.J.;Boden T.A.;Houghton R.A.;House J.I.;Keeling R.F.;Tans P.;Arneth A.;Bakker D.C.E.;Barbero L.;Bopp L.;Chang J.;Chevallier F.;Chini L.P.;Ciais P.;Fader M.;Feely R.A.;Gkritzalis T.;Harris I.;Hauck J.;Ilyina T.;Jain A.K.;Kato E.;Kitidis V.;Klein Goldewijk K.;Koven C.;Landschützer P.;Lauvset S.K.;Lefèvre N.;Lenton A.;Lima I.D.;Metzl N.;Millero F.;Munro D.R.;Murata A.;S. Nabel J.E.M.;Nakaoka S.;Nojiri Y.;O'Brien K.;Olsen A.;Ono T.;Pérez F.F.;Pfeil B.;Pierrot D.;Poulter B.;Rehder G.;Rödenbeck C.;Saito S.;Schuster U.;Schwinger J.;Séférian R.;Steinhoff T.;Stocker B.D.;Sutton A.J.;Takahashi T.;Tilbrook B.;Van Der Laan-Luijkx IT; van Der Werf GR; van Heuven S; Vandemark D; Viovy N; Wiltshire A; Zaehle S; Zeng N (2015) 'Global Carbon Budget 2015'. Earth System Science Data, 7 (2):349-396 [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Global carbon budget 2014'
Le Quéré C; Moriarty R; Andrew RM; Peters GP; Ciais P; Friedlingstein P; Jones SD; Sitch S; Tans P; Arneth A; Boden TA; Bopp L; Bozec Y; Canadell JG; Chini LP; Chevallier F; Cosca CE; Harris I; Hoppema M; Houghton RA; House JI; Jain AK; Johannessen T; Kato E; Keeling RF; Kitidis V; Klein Goldewijk K; Koven C; Landa CS; Landschützer P; Lenton A; Lima ID; Marland G; Mathis JT; Metzl N; Nojiri Y; Olsen A; Ono T; Peng S; Peters W; Pfeil B; Poulter B; Raupach MR; Regnier P; Rödenbeck C; Saito S; Salisbury JE; Schuster U; Schwinger J; Séférian R; Segschneider J; Steinhoff T; Stocker BD; Sutton AJ; Takahashi T; Tilbrook B; van Der Werf GR; Viovy N; Wang YP; Wanninkhof R; Wiltshire A; Zeng N (2015) 'Global carbon budget 2014'. Earth System Science Data, 7 (1):47-85 [DOI] [Details]
(2014)'Global carbon budget 2013'
Le Quéré C; Peters GP; Andres RJ; Andrew RM; Boden TA; Ciais P; Friedlingstein P; Houghton RA; Marland G; Moriarty R; Sitch S; Tans P; Arneth A; Arvanitis A; Bakker DCE; Bopp L; Canadell JG; Chini LP; Doney S.C.;Harper A.;Harris I.;House J.I.;Jain A.K.;Jones S.D.;Kato E.;Keeling R.F.;Klein Goldewijk K.;Körtzinger A.;Koven C.;Lefèvre N.;Maignan F.;Omar A.;Ono T.;Park G.H.;Pfeil B.;Poulter B.;Raupach M.R.;Regnier P.;Rödenbeck C.;Saito S.;Schwinger J.;Segschneider J.;Stocker B.D.;Takahashi T.;Tilbrook B.;Van Heuven S.;Viovy N.;Wanninkhof R.;Wiltshire A.;Zaehle S. (2014) 'Global carbon budget 2013'. Earth System Science Data, 6 (1):235-263 [DOI] [Details]
(2013)'Distribution of known macrozooplankton abundance and biomass in the global ocean'
Moriarty R, Buitenhuis ET, Le Quéré C (2013) 'Distribution of known macrozooplankton abundance and biomass in the global ocean'. Earth System Science Data, 5 (2):241-257 [DOI] [Details]
(2013)'Distribution of mesozooplankton biomass in the global ocean'
Moriarty R, O'Brien T (2013) 'Distribution of mesozooplankton biomass in the global ocean'. Earth System Science Data, 5 (1):45-55 [DOI] [Details]
(2013)'MAREDAT: Towards a world atlas of MARine Ecosystem DATa'
Buitenhuis ET, Vogt M, Moriarty R, Bednaršek N, Doney SC; Leblanc K; Le Quéré C; Luo YW; O'Brien C; O'Brien T; Peloquin J; Schiebel R; Swan C (2013) 'MAREDAT: Towards a world atlas of MARine Ecosystem DATa'. Earth System Science Data, 5 (2):227-239 [DOI] [Details]

Book Chapters

 YearPublication
(2023)'Framing transformative change'
Moriarty R, Stefaniec A, Daly H, Caulfield B, O’Mahony T, Torney D, Boucher JL (2023) 'Framing transformative change' In: Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Volume 4: Realising the benefits of transition and transformation. Dublin, Ireland: Environmental Protection Agency.   [Details]
(2023)'Transforming public participation and catalysing change'
Moriarty R, Daly H, Torney D, Robbins D, McGookin C, Cronin N, Boucher JL, Stefaniec A, O’Mahony T, Caulfield B (2023) 'Transforming public participation and catalysing change' In: Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Volume 4: Realising the benefits of transition and transformation. Dublin, Ireland: Environmental Protection Agency.   [Details]
(2023)'Transforming landscapes'
Moriarty R, Daly H, Quinn T, Dunford B, Rohu J, Stefaniec A, O’Mahony T, Torney D, Caulfield B (2023) 'Transforming landscapes' In: Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Volume 4: Realising the benefits of transition and transformation. Dublin, Ireland: Environmental Protection Agency.   [Details]
(2018)'Carbon Budgets'
Moriarty R (2018) 'Carbon Budgets' In: Castree N, Hulme M & Proctor JD (eds). Companion to Environmental Studies. UK: ROUTLEDGE.   [Details]

Published Reports

 YearPublication
(2023)Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Synthesis Report.
Thorne P, JL Boucher, B Caulfield, H Daly, P Deane, D Gallagher, L Heaphy, D McClean, S McDonagh, J McElwain, C McGookin, A Menon, R Moriarty, C Murphy, P Nolan, C Noone, E O’Brien, B Ó Gallachóir, T O’Mahony, T O’Riordan, T Quinn, A Stefaniec and D Torney. (2023) Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Synthesis Report. Environmental Protection Agency, Dublin, Ireland.   [Details]
(2023)Summary for Policymakers - Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Volume 4: Realising the benefits of transition and transformation.
Moriarty R, T O’Mahony, A Stefaniec, JL Boucher, B Caulfield, H Daly, D Torney, S Canon, N Cronin, B Dunford, D Gallagher, L Heaphy, I Hughes, R Kitchin, C McGookin, N Moore-Cherry, SP Murphy, T Quinn, D Robbins, J Rohu, I Siedschlag, L Walsh, P Deane, D McClean, S McDonagh, J McElwain, A Menon, C Murphy, P Nolan, C Noone, E O’Brien, B Ó Gallachóir and P Thorne (2023) Summary for Policymakers - Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Volume 4: Realising the benefits of transition and transformation. Environmental Protection Agency, Dublin, Ireland.   [Details]
(2023)Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Volume 4: Realising the benefits of transition and transformation.
Moriarty R, T O’Mahony, A Stefaniec, JL Boucher, B Caulfield, H Daly, D Torney, S Canon, N Cronin, B Dunford, D Gallagher, L Heaphy, I Hughes, R Kitchin, C McGookin, N Moore-Cherry, SP Murphy, T Quinn, D Robbins, J Rohu, I Siedschlag, L Walsh, P Deane, D McClean, S McDonagh, J McElwain, A Menon, C Murphy, P Nolan, C Noone, E O’Brien, B Ó Gallachóir and P Thorne. (2023) Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Volume 4: Realising the benefits of transition and transformation. Environmental Protection Agency, Dublin, Ireland.   [Details]

Professional Activities

Honours and Awards

 YearTitleAwarding Body
2005PhD Fellowship in Antarctic Air Sea Ice Science (FAASIS) Marie Skłodowska-Curie

Languages

 LanguageReadingWritingSpeaking
French FunctionalFunctionalFunctional

Journal Activities

 JournalRoleTo / From
Environmental Research Letters Peer Reviewer-

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