Connor Barker
@connorbarker.bsky.social
Research Fellow in Atmospheric Chemistry at UCL.
Coding in Python and GEOS-Chem to study atmospheric pollution. PhD at Royal Holloway. MChem at University of Manchester.
Coding in Python and GEOS-Chem to study atmospheric pollution. PhD at Royal Holloway. MChem at University of Manchester.
Pinned
Connor Barker
@connorbarker.bsky.social
· Mar 24
Rocket Launch EmissionsAtmospheric Composition and Air Quality Group
maraisresearchgroup.co.uk
Interested in how different rockets pollute the atmosphere?
We’ve added more search functionality and explanatory information to our rocket launch emissions tracker. Check it out: maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/launch_emis....
We’ve added more search functionality and explanatory information to our rocket launch emissions tracker. Check it out: maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/launch_emis....
Reposted by Connor Barker
I'd like to know who ever thought it was a good idea to put Methods after everything else in the paper. I just want to talk.
December 15, 2025 at 5:50 PM
I'd like to know who ever thought it was a good idea to put Methods after everything else in the paper. I just want to talk.
Reposted by Connor Barker
“More pollutants are being released ... from rockets and satellites than ever before.
We’re in uncharted territory, as humans have never added this much pollution to the upper layers of the atmosphere."
- Prof Eloise Marais @ucl.ac.uk
Piece by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
We’re in uncharted territory, as humans have never added this much pollution to the upper layers of the atmosphere."
- Prof Eloise Marais @ucl.ac.uk
Piece by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Scientists call for action to address air pollution from space launches
Satellite mega-constellation missions behind threefold increase in emissions of climate-altering soot and CO2
www.theguardian.com
August 22, 2025 at 7:22 AM
“More pollutants are being released ... from rockets and satellites than ever before.
We’re in uncharted territory, as humans have never added this much pollution to the upper layers of the atmosphere."
- Prof Eloise Marais @ucl.ac.uk
Piece by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
We’re in uncharted territory, as humans have never added this much pollution to the upper layers of the atmosphere."
- Prof Eloise Marais @ucl.ac.uk
Piece by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Connor Barker
assassinations, handcuffing a senator at press conference, marines detaining a civilian, and a military parade for the president’s birthday. rough week for democracy.
Governor Waltz has now confirmed that Hortman and her husband were killed in the attack.
June 14, 2025 at 3:14 PM
assassinations, handcuffing a senator at press conference, marines detaining a civilian, and a military parade for the president’s birthday. rough week for democracy.
Reposted by Connor Barker
Today they have crossed a deep red line.
We, the people, must hold the president and his appointees accountable for this outrageous abuse against American liberty.
We, the people, must hold the president and his appointees accountable for this outrageous abuse against American liberty.
June 12, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Today they have crossed a deep red line.
We, the people, must hold the president and his appointees accountable for this outrageous abuse against American liberty.
We, the people, must hold the president and his appointees accountable for this outrageous abuse against American liberty.
Reposted by Connor Barker
🚨 Professor Eloise Marais warns of the long-term damage from US climate science cuts:
🛰️ “It won’t simply be a 4-year pause. It will take much longer than that to rebuild what Trump is destroying.”
#ClimateScience #SpacePollution #UCLGeography #AtmosphericChemistry #EnvironmentalJustice
🛰️ “It won’t simply be a 4-year pause. It will take much longer than that to rebuild what Trump is destroying.”
#ClimateScience #SpacePollution #UCLGeography #AtmosphericChemistry #EnvironmentalJustice
Scientists worry Trump's budget cuts will halt satellite air pollution studies: 'It's incredibly short-sighted'
"The re-entries are really rising quickly. If we stop measuring what is happening in the atmosphere right now, we could be way beyond the point where we can stop the damage that's being done."
tinyurl.com
May 29, 2025 at 9:26 AM
🚨 Professor Eloise Marais warns of the long-term damage from US climate science cuts:
🛰️ “It won’t simply be a 4-year pause. It will take much longer than that to rebuild what Trump is destroying.”
#ClimateScience #SpacePollution #UCLGeography #AtmosphericChemistry #EnvironmentalJustice
🛰️ “It won’t simply be a 4-year pause. It will take much longer than that to rebuild what Trump is destroying.”
#ClimateScience #SpacePollution #UCLGeography #AtmosphericChemistry #EnvironmentalJustice
I'm at #EGU2025 this week, presenting a poster on my research into the environmental impacts of satellite megaconstellations.
I'll be at X5.77 on Friday from 10:45-12:30, please come by if you are also in Vienna!
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-...
I'll be at X5.77 on Friday from 10:45-12:30, please come by if you are also in Vienna!
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-...
Session AS3.9
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org
April 28, 2025 at 10:03 AM
I'm at #EGU2025 this week, presenting a poster on my research into the environmental impacts of satellite megaconstellations.
I'll be at X5.77 on Friday from 10:45-12:30, please come by if you are also in Vienna!
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-...
I'll be at X5.77 on Friday from 10:45-12:30, please come by if you are also in Vienna!
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-...
Please join us at 3pm UTC to hear about the latest atmospheric chemistry research by early career researchers!
📢 Join the next IGAC-iCACGP Early Career Seminar!
🗓️ March 25th, 3-4 PM (UTC)
🎤 Speakers:
🔸 Mahendar Chand Rajwar (ARIES, India)
🔸 Connor Barker (UCL, UK)
🔗 Register now: bit.ly/ECR-Seminar3
#AtmosChem #ECR #ScienceSeminar
🗓️ March 25th, 3-4 PM (UTC)
🎤 Speakers:
🔸 Mahendar Chand Rajwar (ARIES, India)
🔸 Connor Barker (UCL, UK)
🔗 Register now: bit.ly/ECR-Seminar3
#AtmosChem #ECR #ScienceSeminar
March 25, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Please join us at 3pm UTC to hear about the latest atmospheric chemistry research by early career researchers!
Interested in how different rockets pollute the atmosphere?
We’ve added more search functionality and explanatory information to our rocket launch emissions tracker. Check it out: maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/launch_emis....
We’ve added more search functionality and explanatory information to our rocket launch emissions tracker. Check it out: maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/launch_emis....
Rocket Launch EmissionsAtmospheric Composition and Air Quality Group
maraisresearchgroup.co.uk
March 24, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Interested in how different rockets pollute the atmosphere?
We’ve added more search functionality and explanatory information to our rocket launch emissions tracker. Check it out: maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/launch_emis....
We’ve added more search functionality and explanatory information to our rocket launch emissions tracker. Check it out: maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/launch_emis....
Reposted by Connor Barker
🛰️ What happens when satellites burn up in Earth’s atmosphere?
A new study led by Professor Eloise Marais examines how satellite megaconstellations add to atmospheric emissions.
🔗 Read more in @nature.com
#UCLGeography #SpaceSustainability #EnvironmentalScience #SatelliteImpact
A new study led by Professor Eloise Marais examines how satellite megaconstellations add to atmospheric emissions.
🔗 Read more in @nature.com
#UCLGeography #SpaceSustainability #EnvironmentalScience #SatelliteImpact
Swarms of satellites are harming astronomy. Here’s how researchers are fighting back
SpaceX and other companies plan to launch tens of thousands of satellites, which could mar astronomical observations and pollute the atmosphere.
tinyurl.com
March 19, 2025 at 9:42 AM
🛰️ What happens when satellites burn up in Earth’s atmosphere?
A new study led by Professor Eloise Marais examines how satellite megaconstellations add to atmospheric emissions.
🔗 Read more in @nature.com
#UCLGeography #SpaceSustainability #EnvironmentalScience #SatelliteImpact
A new study led by Professor Eloise Marais examines how satellite megaconstellations add to atmospheric emissions.
🔗 Read more in @nature.com
#UCLGeography #SpaceSustainability #EnvironmentalScience #SatelliteImpact
It was great to speak to Nature about the growing problem of atmospheric pollution by satellite megaconstellations.
Satellites play a crucial part in connecting people, including bringing Internet to remote communities and emergency responders. But the rising number can be a problem for scientists.
https://go.nature.com/4hAQJJr
https://go.nature.com/4hAQJJr
Swarms of satellites are harming astronomy. Here’s how researchers are fighting back
SpaceX and other companies plan to launch tens of thousands of satellites, which could mar astronomical observations and pollute the atmosphere.
go.nature.com
March 18, 2025 at 5:11 PM
It was great to speak to Nature about the growing problem of atmospheric pollution by satellite megaconstellations.
Reposted by Connor Barker
📢 Join the next IGAC-iCACGP Early Career Seminar!
🗓️ March 25th, 3-4 PM (UTC)
🎤 Speakers:
🔸 Mahendar Chand Rajwar (ARIES, India)
🔸 Connor Barker (UCL, UK)
🔗 Register now: bit.ly/ECR-Seminar3
#AtmosChem #ECR #ScienceSeminar
🗓️ March 25th, 3-4 PM (UTC)
🎤 Speakers:
🔸 Mahendar Chand Rajwar (ARIES, India)
🔸 Connor Barker (UCL, UK)
🔗 Register now: bit.ly/ECR-Seminar3
#AtmosChem #ECR #ScienceSeminar
March 17, 2025 at 1:52 PM
📢 Join the next IGAC-iCACGP Early Career Seminar!
🗓️ March 25th, 3-4 PM (UTC)
🎤 Speakers:
🔸 Mahendar Chand Rajwar (ARIES, India)
🔸 Connor Barker (UCL, UK)
🔗 Register now: bit.ly/ECR-Seminar3
#AtmosChem #ECR #ScienceSeminar
🗓️ March 25th, 3-4 PM (UTC)
🎤 Speakers:
🔸 Mahendar Chand Rajwar (ARIES, India)
🔸 Connor Barker (UCL, UK)
🔗 Register now: bit.ly/ECR-Seminar3
#AtmosChem #ECR #ScienceSeminar
Reposted by Connor Barker
US President Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to science and to international institutions. The global research community must take a stand against these attacks.
https://go.nature.com/4kd1vIu
https://go.nature.com/4kd1vIu
Trump 2.0: an assault on science anywhere is an assault on science everywhere
US President Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to science and to international institutions. The global research community must take a stand against these attacks.
go.nature.com
February 25, 2025 at 9:53 PM
US President Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to science and to international institutions. The global research community must take a stand against these attacks.
https://go.nature.com/4kd1vIu
https://go.nature.com/4kd1vIu
Reposted by Connor Barker
Using data from our study last year on space industry emissions (www.nature.com/articles/s41...), I've built a webpage to visualize the data! Rocket launch data is here maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/launch_emis.... and spacecraft re-entry data is here
maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/reentry_emis....
maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/reentry_emis....
Rocket Launch EmissionsAtmospheric Composition and Air Quality Group
maraisresearchgroup.co.uk
January 8, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Using data from our study last year on space industry emissions (www.nature.com/articles/s41...), I've built a webpage to visualize the data! Rocket launch data is here maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/launch_emis.... and spacecraft re-entry data is here
maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/reentry_emis....
maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/reentry_emis....
Reposted by Connor Barker
The thing about letting things burn up in the atmosphere is that they're still *there* -- just in gas form instead of solid. So like sure it doesn't hit you on the head (good!) but it might mess with the chemistry of the atmosphere (real bad!) and/or become stuff that you breathe (not great either!)
“The demise of just one Gen1 Starlink satellite produces about 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of aluminum oxide, a compound that eats away at the ozone layer. A new study finds these oxides have increased 8-fold between 2016 and 2022, and the recent surge is increasing the pollution even more.”
February 6, 2025 at 12:29 AM
The thing about letting things burn up in the atmosphere is that they're still *there* -- just in gas form instead of solid. So like sure it doesn't hit you on the head (good!) but it might mess with the chemistry of the atmosphere (real bad!) and/or become stuff that you breathe (not great either!)
Reposted by Connor Barker
Good morning with good news: Global average battery pack prices will reach $80/kWh in 2026. That's about half of 2023 price. Amazing drop!
$80/kWh is key milestone, as it's the price at which EVs cost less to buy than ICE autos. China is there now!
#energyflak www.recurrentauto.com/research/use...
$80/kWh is key milestone, as it's the price at which EVs cost less to buy than ICE autos. China is there now!
#energyflak www.recurrentauto.com/research/use...
January 29, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Good morning with good news: Global average battery pack prices will reach $80/kWh in 2026. That's about half of 2023 price. Amazing drop!
$80/kWh is key milestone, as it's the price at which EVs cost less to buy than ICE autos. China is there now!
#energyflak www.recurrentauto.com/research/use...
$80/kWh is key milestone, as it's the price at which EVs cost less to buy than ICE autos. China is there now!
#energyflak www.recurrentauto.com/research/use...
Reposted by Connor Barker
🎥 Watch Professor Eloise Marais’ #InauguralLecture for:
🌍 Insights on agriculture’s role in air pollution
🚀 Space industry pollution impacts
🔬 Remote sensing and modelling for effective regulations
#Sustainability #EnvironmentalScience #UCLGeography
🌍 Insights on agriculture’s role in air pollution
🚀 Space industry pollution impacts
🔬 Remote sensing and modelling for effective regulations
#Sustainability #EnvironmentalScience #UCLGeography
Professor Marais Inaugural Lecture: Environmental Risks of Unregulation
YouTube video by UCLGeography
www.youtube.com
January 20, 2025 at 2:51 PM
🎥 Watch Professor Eloise Marais’ #InauguralLecture for:
🌍 Insights on agriculture’s role in air pollution
🚀 Space industry pollution impacts
🔬 Remote sensing and modelling for effective regulations
#Sustainability #EnvironmentalScience #UCLGeography
🌍 Insights on agriculture’s role in air pollution
🚀 Space industry pollution impacts
🔬 Remote sensing and modelling for effective regulations
#Sustainability #EnvironmentalScience #UCLGeography
Yesterday, the latest Starship launch failed, breaking up over the Caribbean. This event released around 45500 kg of aluminium oxide and 40000 kg of reactive nitrogen into the upper atmosphere.
This is around 35% of the annual amount of aluminium that enters the atmosphere from meteors annually!
This is around 35% of the annual amount of aluminium that enters the atmosphere from meteors annually!
January 17, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Yesterday, the latest Starship launch failed, breaking up over the Caribbean. This event released around 45500 kg of aluminium oxide and 40000 kg of reactive nitrogen into the upper atmosphere.
This is around 35% of the annual amount of aluminium that enters the atmosphere from meteors annually!
This is around 35% of the annual amount of aluminium that enters the atmosphere from meteors annually!
Reposted by Connor Barker
We have updated our wildfire summary for 2024 with the latest #CopernicusAtmosphere data from December. Last year, North and South America saw the most wildfire activity.
Dive into the analysis, charts and data: https://bit.ly/4ai4ydO
Dive into the analysis, charts and data: https://bit.ly/4ai4ydO
January 16, 2025 at 10:30 AM
We have updated our wildfire summary for 2024 with the latest #CopernicusAtmosphere data from December. Last year, North and South America saw the most wildfire activity.
Dive into the analysis, charts and data: https://bit.ly/4ai4ydO
Dive into the analysis, charts and data: https://bit.ly/4ai4ydO
Just two days left to submit your abstract to our session on Atmospheric impacts of rocket launches and artificial object re-entries: knowns, unknowns, and research priorities at EGU 2025! Looking forward to seeing you in Vienna!
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...
January 13, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Just two days left to submit your abstract to our session on Atmospheric impacts of rocket launches and artificial object re-entries: knowns, unknowns, and research priorities at EGU 2025! Looking forward to seeing you in Vienna!
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...
Reposted by Connor Barker
The risks of ‘space junk’ are clear: what goes up, might well come back down on top of you | Patrick Schröder
The risks of ‘space junk’ are clear: what goes up, might well come back down on top of you | Patrick Schröder
As commercial space activity ramps up, detritus from launches poses a risk to active satellites and those of us down on Earth
Last month, people in a small village in Kenya looked to the sky and saw a red glowing ring slowly descending. The half-tonne…
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2025 at 10:06 AM
The risks of ‘space junk’ are clear: what goes up, might well come back down on top of you | Patrick Schröder
Another plug for our new online resource of mapped and quantified emissions from rocket launches (maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/launch_emis....) and artificial object re-entries (maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/reentry_emis...) in 2020-2022. We are now working on providing near real-time emission estimates!
January 13, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Another plug for our new online resource of mapped and quantified emissions from rocket launches (maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/launch_emis....) and artificial object re-entries (maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/reentry_emis...) in 2020-2022. We are now working on providing near real-time emission estimates!
Using data from our study last year on space industry emissions (www.nature.com/articles/s41...), I've built a webpage to visualize the data! Rocket launch data is here maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/launch_emis.... and spacecraft re-entry data is here
maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/reentry_emis....
maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/reentry_emis....
Rocket Launch EmissionsAtmospheric Composition and Air Quality Group
maraisresearchgroup.co.uk
January 8, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Using data from our study last year on space industry emissions (www.nature.com/articles/s41...), I've built a webpage to visualize the data! Rocket launch data is here maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/launch_emis.... and spacecraft re-entry data is here
maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/reentry_emis....
maraisresearchgroup.co.uk/reentry_emis....
Just a week to go before abstract submission! Join us in Vienna to discuss the atmospheric impacts of rocket launches and artificial object re-entries.
Call for Abstracts! Join us at EGU 2025 in Vienna for our session AS3.9 "Atmospheric impacts of rocket launches and artificial object re-entries: knowns, unknowns, and research priorities". Submit your abstract by 15th January 2025.
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio... #EGU2025 #EGU
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio... #EGU2025 #EGU
Session AS3.9
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org
January 8, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Just a week to go before abstract submission! Join us in Vienna to discuss the atmospheric impacts of rocket launches and artificial object re-entries.
Reposted by Connor Barker
We need 10 Mazraouris playing outfield
November 28, 2024 at 8:51 PM
We need 10 Mazraouris playing outfield