Patrick Büker

Patrick worked for SEI York. With his background in geography, plant physiology and climatology, Patrick undertakes multi-disciplinary research on – often interlinked – air pollution and climate change impacts on (agro-)ecosystems or human health using model-based risk assessment approaches. These approaches underpin his interest in capacity building through co-creation of knowledge with and for stakeholders, policymakers and researchers to effectively address above mentioned impacts.

Patrick holds a PhD in ecophysiological modelling from the University of Trier, Germany. He joined SEI York in 2003 and has since led or contributed to numerous projects addressing ozone (O₃) and/or climate change impacts on crops, forests and grasslands in Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as subsequent effects on rural and urban livelihoods through a food security and sustainable development lens. He has (co-)developed various air pollution deposition and impact models (empirical, (semi-)mechanistic and ANN-based), most notably the Deposition of Ozone for Stomatal Exchange (DO₃SE) model. DO₃SE has been instrumental in establishing a climate-dependant O₃ flux approach in Europe that was formally adopted by the UNECE/LRTAP Convention for the assessment of threats posed by O₃ to European vegetation. This tool has contributed to developing policies that mitigate pollutant emissions across the European region.

More recently, he has been involved in research on particulate matter (PM) effects on the health of deprived communities of large cities in developing countries, with a special focus on raising awareness and generation of knowledge using novel participatory approaches. Other areas of interest include bio-monitoring, climate change adaptation and climate services.