Contact Dr Michelle Cain
Areas of expertise
- Agrifood Systems
- Air
- Environmental Policy
- Monitoring and Environmental Informatics
Background
Dr Cain’s core expertise is in greenhouse gases, air pollution and climate science. Her current research focuses on the role of greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide in limiting global warming, consistent with the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal. In particular, how to estimate the temperature outcomes from reducing methane emissions. Agricultural emissions are dominated by methane and nitrous oxide, both potent greenhouse gases. However methane’s lifetime in the atmosphere is around a decade, whereas nitrous oxide’s is over a century, and so methods of comparison must account for this to be accurate over all timescales.
Before joining Cranfield in 2020, Dr Cain was a senior researcher at the University of Oxford, where she developed the Oxford Martin Programme on Climate Pollutants (https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/pollutants), which aimed to make climate metrics used in climate policy more fit-for-purpose. She held two University of Oxford Knowledge Exchange Fellowships, on agricultural climate mitigation.
As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge (2009-2017), Dr Cain worked on modelling the sources of pollution measured by the Cranfield-based FAAM research aircraft (https://www.faam.ac.uk/). She took part in conducting large field campaigns to the Arctic to measure methane in the atmosphere, linking these measurements back to sources such as remote wetlands. Other field campaigns targeted UK air pollution, and fugitive methane from North Sea gas rigs.
Her PhD, from the University of Reading, combined airborne measurements with modelling of long range transport of pollutants in the atmosphere from North America to Europe, and also in the West African Monsoon.
Photo credit: David Fisher
Current activities
Current research includes the UKRI-funded projects: OpenGHG, FixOurFood, and A practical tool and robust framework for evaluating greenhouse gas emissions from land-based activities.
Dr Cain is co-chair of the Royal Meteorological Society's Science Engagement Committee, and vice-chair of the Technical Advisory Group on Methane for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN FAO).
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Cain M, Jenkins S, Allen MR, Lynch J, Frame DJ, Macey AH & Peters GP (2022) Methane and the Paris Agreement temperature goals, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 380 (2215) Article No. 20200456. Dataset/s: 10.17862/cranfield.rd.16896772.
- Allen MR, Peters GP, Shine KP, Azar C, Balcombe P, Boucher O, Cain M, Ciais P, Collins W, Forster PM, Frame DJ, Friedlingstein P, Fyson C, Gasser T, Hare B, Jenkins S, Hamburg SP, Johansson DJA, Lynch J, Macey A, Morfeldt J, Nauels A, Ocko I, Oppenheimer M, Pacala SW, Pierrehumbert, Rogelj J, Schaeffer M, Schleussner CF, Shindell D, Skeie RB, Smith SM & Tanaka K (2022) Indicate separate contributions of long-lived and short-lived greenhouse gases in emission targets, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 5 (1) Article No. 5.
- Doherty B, Bryant M, Denby K, Fazey IR, Bridle S, Hawkes C, Cain M, Banwart S, Collins L, Pickett K, Allen M, Ball P, Gardner G, Carmen E, Sinclair M, Kluczkovski A, Ehgartner U, Morris B, James A, Yap C, Om ES & Connolly A (2022) Transformations to regenerative food systems - an outline of the FixOurFood project, Nutrition Bulletin, 47 (1) 106-114.
- MOYA/ZWAMPS Team, Nisbet EG, Allen G, Fisher RE, France JL, Lee JD, Lowry D, Andrade MF, Bannan TJ, Barker P, Bateson P, Bauguitte SJB, Bower KN, Broderick TJ, Chibesakunda F, Cain M, Cozens AE, Daly MC, Ganesan AL, Jones AE, Lambakasa M, Lunt MF, Mehra A, Moreno I, Pasternak D, Palmer PI, Percival CJ, Pitt JR, Riddle AJ, Rigby M, Shaw JT, Stell AC, Vaughan AR, Warwick NJ & Wilde SE (2022) Isotopic signatures of methane emissions from tropical fires, agriculture and wetlands: the MOYA and ZWAMPS flights, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 380 (2215) Article No. 20210112.
- Jenkins S, Cain M, Friedlingstein P, Gillett N, Walsh T & Allen MR (2021) Quantifying non-CO2 contributions to remaining carbon budgets, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 4 (1) Article No. 47.
- Allen M, Tanaka K, Macey AH, Cain M, Jenkins S, Lynch JM & Smith M (2021) Ensuring that offsets and other internationally transferred mitigation outcomes contribute effectively to limiting global warming, Environmental Research Letters, 16 (7) Article No. 074009.
- Smith MA, Cain M & Allen MR (2021) Further improvement of warming-equivalent emissions calculation, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 4 (1) 1-3.
- Lynch J, Cain M, Frame D & Pierrehumbert R (2021) Agriculture's contribution to climate change and role in mitigation is distinct from predominantly fossil CO2-emitting sectors, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 4 (February) Article No. 518039.
- Lynch J, Cain M, Pierrehumbert R & Allen M (2020) Demonstrating GWP*: a means of reporting warming-equivalent emissions that captures the contrasting impacts of short- and long-lived climate pollutants, Environmental Research Letters, 15 (4) Article No. 044023.
- Nisbet EG, Manning MR, Dlugokencky EJ, Fisher RE, Lowry D, Michel SE, Myhre CL, Platt SM, Allen G, Bousquet P, Brownlow R, Cain M, France JL, Hermansen O, Hossaini R, Jones AE, Levin I, Manning AC, Myhre G, Pyle JA, Vaughn BH, Warwick NJ & White JWC (2019) Very Strong Atmospheric Methane Growth in the 4 Years 2014–2017: Implications for the Paris Agreement, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 33 (3) 318-342.
- Cain M, Lynch J, Allen MR, Fuglestvedt JS, Frame DJ & Macey AH (2019) Improved calculation of warming-equivalent emissions for short-lived climate pollutants, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 2 Article No. 29.
- Cain M & Gilbert A (2019) Meeting a global temperature goal of 1.5 degC, Weather, 74 (4) 133-134.
- Allen MR, Shine KP, Fuglestvedt JS, Millar RJ, Cain M, Frame DJ & Macey AH (2018) A solution to the misrepresentations of CO2-equivalent emissions of short-lived climate pollutants under ambitious mitigation, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 1 (1) Article No. 16.
- Seneviratne SI, Rogelj J, Séférian R, Wartenburger R, Allen MR, Cain M, Millar RJ, Ebi KL, Ellis N, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Payne AJ, Schleussner C, Tschakert P & Warren RF (2018) The many possible climates from the Paris Agreement’s aim of 1.5 °C warming, Nature, 558 (7708) 41-49.
- Fuglestvedt J, Rogelj J, Millar RJ, Allen M, Boucher O, Cain M, Forster PM, Kriegler E & Shindell D (2018) Implications of possible interpretations of ‘greenhouse gas balance' in the Paris Agreement, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 376 (2119).
- Nadzir MS, Cain M, Robinson AD, Bolas C, Harris NR, Parnikoza I, Salimun E, Mustafa EM, Alhasa KM, Zainuddin MH, Ghee OC, Morris K, Khan MF, Latif MT, Wallis BM, Cheah W, Zainudin SK, Yusop N, Ahmad MR, Hussin WMRW, Salleh SM, Hamid HHA, Lai GT, Uning R, Bakar MAA, Ariff NM, Tuah Z, Wahab MIA, Foong SY, Samah AA, Chenoli SN, Wan Johari WL, Zain CRCM, Rahman NA, Rosenstiel TN, Yusoff AH, Sabuti AA, Alias SA & Noor AYM (2018) Isoprene hotspots at the Western Coast of Antarctic Peninsula during MASEC′ 16, Polar Science, 20, Pt. 1 (June) 63-74.
- Ridley D, Cain M, Methven J & Arnold S (2017) Sensitivity of tropospheric ozone to chemical kinetic uncertainties in air masses influenced by anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions, Geophysical Research Letters, 44 (14) 7472-7481.
- Fisher R, France J, Lowry D, Lanoisellé M, Brownlow R, Pyle J, Cain M, Warwick N, Skiba U, Drewer J, Dinsmore K, Leeson S, Bauguitte S, Wellpott A, O{'}Shea S, Allen G, Gallagher M, Pitt J, Percival C, Bower K, George C, Hayman G, Aalto T, Lohila A, Aurela M, Laurila T, Crill P, McCalley C & Nisbet E (2017) Measurement of the 13C isotopic signature of methane emissions from northern European wetlands, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 31 (3) 605-623.
- Cain M, Warwick N, Fisher R, Lowry D, Lanoisellé M, Nisbet E, France J, Pitt J, O'Shea S, Bower K, Allen G, Illingworth S, Manning A, Bauguitte S, Pisso I & Pyle J (2017) A cautionary tale: A study of amethane enhancement over the north sea, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 122 (14) 7630-7645.
- Nisbet E, Dlugokencky E, Manning M, Lowry D, Fisher R, France J, Michel S, Miller J, White J, Vaughn B, Bousquet P, Pyle J, Warwick N, Cain M, Brownlow R, Zazzeri G, Lanoisellé M, Manning A, Gloor E, Worthy D, Brunke E, Labuschagne C, Wolff E & Ganesan A (2016) Rising atmospheric methane: 2007–2014 growth and isotopic shift, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 30 (9) 1356-1370.
- Brownlow R, Lowry D, Thomas R, Fisher R, France J, Cain M, Richardson T, Greatwood C, Freer J, Pyle J, MacKenzie A & Nisbet E (2016) Methane mole fraction and δ13C above and below the trade wind inversion at Ascension Island in air sampled by aerial robotics, Geophysical Research Letters, 43 (22) 11893-11902.
- France J, Cain M, Fisher R, Lowry D, Allen G, O?Shea S, Illingworth S, Pyle J, Warwick N, Jones B, Gallagher M, Bower K, Le Breton M, Percival C, Muller J, Welpott A, Bauguitte S, George C, Hayman G, Manning A, Lund Myhre C, Lanoisellé M & Nisbet E (2016) Measurements of δ13C in CH4and using particle dispersion modeling to characterize sources of arctic methane within an air mass, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 121 (23) 14257-14270.
- Myhre C, Ferré B, Platt S, Silyakova A, Hermansen O, Allen G, Pisso I, Schmidbauer N, Stohl A, Pitt J, Jansson P, Greinert J, Percival C, Fjaeraa A, O{'}Shea S, Gallagher M, Le Breton M, Bower K, Bauguitte S, Dals?ren S, Vadakkepuliyambatta S, Fisher R, Nisbet E, Lowry D, Myhre G, Pyle J, Cain M & Mienert J (2016) Extensive release of methane from Arctic seabed west of Svalbard during summer 2014 does not influence the atmosphere, Geophysical Research Letters, 43 (9) 4624-4631.
- Pisso I, Lund Myhre C, Platt S, Eckhardt S, Hermansen O, Schmidbauer N, Mienert J, Vadakkepuliyambatta S, Bauguitte S, Pitt J, Allen G, Bower K, O?Shea S, Gallagher M, Percival C, Pyle J, Cain M & Stohl A (2016) Constraints on oceanic methane emissions west of svalbard from atmospheric in situ measurements and lagrangian transport modeling, Journal of Geophysical Research, 121 (23) 14188-14200.
- Warwick N, Cain M, Fisher R, France J, Lowry D, Michel S, Nisbet E, Vaughn B, White J & Pyle J (2016) Using δ13C-CH4 and δD-CH4 to constrain Arctic methane emissions, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 16 (23) 14891-14908.
- Walker H, Stone D, Ingham T, Vaughan S, Cain M, Jones R, Kennedy O, McLeod M, Ouyang B, Pyle J, Bauguitte S, Bandy B, Forster G, Evans M, Hamilton J, Hopkins J, Lee J, Lewis A, Lidster R, Punjabi S, Morgan W & Heard D (2015) Night-time measurements of HOx during the RONOCO project and analysis of the sources of HO2, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 15 (14) 8179-8200.
- Dore A, Carslaw D, Braban C, Cain M, Chemel C, Conolly C, Derwent R, Griffiths S, Hall J, Hayman G, Lawrence S, Metcalfe S, Redington A, Simpson D, Sutton M, Sutton P, Tang Y, Vieno M, Werner M & Whyatt J (2015) Evaluation of the performance of different atmospheric chemical transport models and inter-comparison of nitrogen and sulphur deposition estimates for the UK, Atmospheric Environment, 119 (October) 131-143.
- O'Shea S, Allen G, Gallagher M, Bower K, Illingworth S, Muller J, Jones B, Percival C, Bauguitte S, Cain M, Warwick N, Quiquet A, Skiba U, Drewer J, Dinsmore K, Nisbet E, Lowry D, Fisher R, France J, Aurela M, Lohila A, Hayman G, George C, Clark D, Manning A, Friend A & Pyle J (2014) Methane and carbon dioxide fluxes and their regional scalability for the European Arctic wetlands during the MAMM project in summer 2012, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 14 (23) 13159-13174.
- Pugh T, Cain M, Methven J, Wild O, Arnold S, Real E, Law K, Emmerson K, Owen S, Pyle J, Hewitt C & MacKenzie A (2012) A Lagrangian model of air-mass photochemistry and mixing using a trajectory ensemble: The Cambridge Tropospheric Trajectory model of Chemistry And Transport (CiTTyCAT) version 4.2, Geoscientific Model Development, 5 (1) 193-221.
- Cain M, Methven J & Highwood E (2012) Quantification of chemical and physical processes influencing ozone during long-range transport using a trajectory ensemble, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 12 (15) 7015-7039.
- Real E, Law K, Schlager H, Roiger A, Huntrieser H, Methven J, Cain M, Holloway J, Neuman J, Ryerson T, Flocke F, De Gouw J, Atlas E, Donnelly S & Parrish D (2008) Lagrangian analysis of low altitude anthropogenic plume processing across the North Atlantic, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 8 (24) 7737-7754.
- Meredith N, Cain M, Horne R, Thorne R, Summers D & Anderson R (2003) Evidence for chorus-driven electron acceleration to relativistic energies from a survey of geomagnetically disturbed periods, Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 108 (A6).