Professor of Hydroclimatic Modelling, Loughborough University
My research is about the management of freshwater and built environments under climate variability and change. This spans reconstruction of drought and flood indices to assess the severity of recent extreme events through to detailed monitoring of river temperatures for ecological purposes. Time spent in the water industry, government, and consultancy has given me a very practical and pragmatic approach to this work.
Following secondments to the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado I co-developed the Statistical DownScaling Model (SDSM). This freely available climate scenario tool has underpinned many climate change risk assessments including for water supplies, fluvial floods, storm surge, air quality and urban heat island intensity in countries such as Canada, China, Morocco, Tajikistan and Yemen.
My latest research is exploring smarter approaches to climate risk assessment and decision making under deep uncertainty about the future climate. This shifts the focus onto better understanding then managing the climate vulnerability of human and natural systems. Recent projects include seasonal river flow forecasting for hydropower plants in Central Asia, modelling urban water and sanitation hazards in East Africa, and evaluation of extreme indoor temperatures in low income communities of Ghana.
'Natural' flood management would be overwhelmed by Britain's winter super-floods
Feb 25, 2020 13:13 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature
As large swathes of the UK endure the worst floods in living memory, hearts and minds are rightly focused on protecting people and property. At one point the governments Environment Agency had issued a record 594 flood...
London to be as hot as Barcelona by 2050? I research urban heat, and I'm sceptical
Jul 12, 2019 09:58 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
Barcelona just had a week of temperatures above 30℃. Its a few degrees hotter than the long-term average, but no heatwave. In winter, Spains second largest city is typically a mild 15℃ or so. With its climate regulated by...
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