Author Archives: sdriscoll

About sdriscoll

https://twitter.com/SimonDriscoll_ Researching machine learning and thermodynamics of Arctic sea ice. Part of SASIP (2021-present) @UniofReading (Schmidt Futures). Previously DPhil Physics @UniofOxford (climate/volcanoes/geoengineering). Also nuclear war/winter + X-risk.

Can data assimilation be useful for estimating sea ice model parameters?

By: Dr. Yumeng Chen “The world is not perfect. Every measurement should come with an error bar.” This is what I learned before I stepped into the fluid dynamics lab as a student many years ago. This statement still echoes … Continue reading

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“Atmospheric Electricity for Climate project” is on Zooniverse

By: Dr. Hripsime Mkrtchyan, Prof. Giles Harrison, Prof. Keri Nicoll  AtmosEleC – Atmospheric Electricity for Climate is a digitisation project designed to help researchers investigate the connections between atmospheric electricity and climate change. It has recently been launched on Zooniverse … Continue reading

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Local available potential energy: what is it and why we need it

By: Prof. Remi Tailleux  As is well known, atmospheric winds and ocean currents ultimately derive their energy from the Sun. In general, this involves a two-step process, whereby the solar energy is first transformed into potential energy (PE) before finding … Continue reading

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A Forensic Investigation to Unravel Climate Model Biases in Teleconnections

By: Dr. Xiaocen Shen Teleconnections are usually manifested as recurring patterns which link weather and climate anomalies (departures from long-term average) over large distances across the globe (e.g., Wallace and Gutzler 1981). Therefore, they play an important role in shaping … Continue reading

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Ground-based radar systems for environmental monitoring

By: Dr. Veronica Escobar-Ruiz RADAR is the acronym for RAdio Detention And Ranging, it is a process in which an electromagnetic wave is transmitted through an antenna and in the presence of an object this radio wave bounces towards a … Continue reading

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Weathering the storm, or even just a blustery day.

By: Dr. Natalie Harvey Maintaining positive mental well-being fosters resilience, enabling individuals to navigate life’s challenges with clarity, strength, and resilience. It helps us form meaningful relationships and achieve our full potential. Neglecting our mental health can negatively impact all aspects … Continue reading

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What are equatorial waves and how are they linked to heavy rainfall in Southeast Asia?

By: Dr. Samantha Ferrett What is an equatorial wave and why do we care about them? Atmospheric equatorial waves are confined to, and move, or propagate, along the equator. Equatorial waves can cause variations in pressure, temperature and winds. Each … Continue reading

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Unlocking the secrets of the thunderstorm: what are Thunderstorm Ground Enhancements?

By: Dr. Hripsime Mkrtchyan Thunderstorm Ground Enhancement is an atmospheric phenomenon which describes a significant increase of the ground-level radiation during thunderstorm activity. This effect is primarily attributed to the acceleration of charged particles by strong electric fields within thunderclouds, … Continue reading

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Shedding some light on DARC (the Data Assimilation Research Centre)

By: Dr. Ross Bannister Data assimilation as a scientific tool for weather forecasting and beyond In the early 2000s few academic groups around the world were doing research into the activity that we call “data assimilation”. Data assimilation is the … Continue reading

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The evolution and destruction of Saturn’s rings

By: Dr. James O’Donoghue Saturn, thanks to its system of rings, is the most recognisable planet in our Solar System. The planet is regularly used in clip-art images alongside a test tube or a DNA strand to represent even science … Continue reading

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