UU researchers contribute to Global Tipping Points Report
UU scientists from the Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht investigated the Atlantic Ocean circulation and show that a sudden weakening can have major consequences for the global climate.
The world has reached its first climate tipping point, according to the new Global Tipping Points Report published on Monday 13 October. Warm-water coral reefs, vital ecosystems supporting nearly one billion people and a quarter of all marine life, are now undergoing irreversible loss. The report warns that other critical climate systems, such as ice sheets, rainforests and ocean currents, are also dangerously close to their tipping points.
Researchers from Utrecht University’s Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU) played an important role in the case study of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the Subpolar Gyre, ocean systems that strongly influence how heat is distributed across the planet.
“A sudden weakening or collapse of the AMOC would have major consequences for the climate in northwestern Europe, as well as for weather patterns, sea level and ecosystems worldwide,” says Henk Dijkstra, lead author of the case study. He led the international team that assessed the risks, impacts and uncertainties of a potential AMOC tipping point. His group also developed an online dashboard (amocscenarios.org) that visualises climate impacts under different global warming scenarios.
Within the same case study, René van Westen examined early warning signals that may indicate the AMOC is approaching a critical threshold, while Amber Boot explored the potential impacts of such a shift on marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Claudia Wieners contributed to the chapter on preventing tipping points, focusing on the role of Solar Radiation Modification. These are techniques that could partially reflect sunlight to temporarily cool the planet. Anna von der Heydt and Sacha Sinet co-authored an update on interactions between different climate systems, showing that most of these interconnections tend to amplify each other in their tipping behaviour.
The Global Tipping Points Report 2025 will be presented at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil, taking place from 10 to 21 November.
Utrecht Science Park Summer Café: Farewell to Managing Director Jan Henk van der Velden
On Monday, 6 July, the Utrecht Science Park Summer Café took place at Grand Café Living on Utrecht Science Park. This edition was dedicated to the farewell of Jan Henk van der Velden, Managing Director of the Utrecht Science Park Foundation, after nine years in which he played a key role in the development and positioning of the ecosystem.
UMC Utrecht is to get a new main entrance and a green campus park
The north side of UMC Utrecht is set to undergo a major redevelopment in the coming years. Utrecht City Council and the teaching hospital have presented plans for a new main entrance, a central car park and a green reception area designed to improve connections between the hospitals at Utrecht Science Park. The plans have now been submitted to the city council.
Petra Baarendse appointed new Managing Director of Stichting Utrecht Science Park as of 1 September
Utrecht, 2 July 2026 – As of 1 September 2026, Petra Baarendse will take office as the new Managing Director of Stichting Utrecht Science Park. She succeeds Jan Henk van der Velden, who has stepped down and will take on a new role as Managing Director of Stichting Nationaal Park Utrechtse Heuvelrug.
Opening Utrecht Science Week with keynote by Juliette Legler on the hidden influence of environmental chemicals
On Friday, September 25, the annual science festival ‘Utrecht Science Week’ kicks off once again at Utrecht Science Park. We are pleased to announce that this year, Prof. Dr. Ir. Juliette Legler will deliver the Utrecht Science Lecture. Juliette Legler is Professor of Toxicology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University and leads the ‘One Health Toxicology’ group at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS).