Alison McLaren
Water tracers in the UKESM
Biography
My research at BAS is centred around the modelling of water tracers, including stable water isotopes, in climate models. Water tracers are valuable diagnostic tools for understanding the hydrological cycle in a model. For example, they can track water from where it evaporates at the surface, through the cloud and transport processes in the model, to where it eventually falls back to the surface as rain or snow. Water isotopes are modelled by treating them as a special type of water tracer. Simulations of water isotopes in climate models are especially useful for investigating conditions in past climates, as the modelled fields can be compared with measurements preserved in ice cores.
Specifically, I am working on adding water tracers and isotopes to the UK Earth System Model (UKESM). This model development is being done in collaboration with the Met Office, the University of Bristol and the National Centre for Atmospheric Research. My work is currently focused on the atmosphere and land components of the UKESM.
I joined BAS in 2021. Previously I worked at the Met Office, initially in the Polar Climate group (working on sea ice model development) before moving to the Ocean Forecasting group. Prior to this, I was a Senior Research Assistant for 2 years at the University of Liverpool, which followed on from my PhD in Physical Oceanography at the same university. Before this, I completed my undergraduate degree in Geophysical Sciences at the University of East Anglia.
Research interests
Collaborations
Publications from NERC Open Research Archive
2024
Gao, Qinggang, Sime, Louise C. ORCID record for Louise C. Sime, McLaren, Alison J. ORCID record for Alison J. McLaren, Bracegirdle, Thomas J. ORCID record for Thomas J. Bracegirdle, Capron, Emilie, Rhodes, Rachael H., Steen-Larsen, Hans Christian, Shi, Xiaoxu, Werner, Martin. (2024) Evaporative controls on Antarctic precipitation: an ECHAM6 model study using innovative water tracer diagnostics. The Cryosphere, 18 (). pp. 10.5194/tc-18-683-2024
- Water isotopes in UKESM2
- Ice Dynamics and Palaeoclimate team