Louise Sime

IDP Science Leader IMP 3

Biography

Dr. Louise Sime is a leading climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), specializing in polar climate dynamics and the study of ice sheets, sea ice, snow, and climate across timescales ranging from seasonal to multi-millennial. Her research focuses on using water tracers including stable water isotopes (such as deuterium and oxygen-18) in ice cores to reconstruct past climate conditions and improve understanding of the hydrological cycle in polar regions. These water tracers and isotopes provide crucial data for evaluating the accuracy of climate models, especially in predicting future polar change.

As the Science Leader of the Ice Dynamics and Paleoclimate team at BAS, and head of the Earth System Modelling group, Dr. Sime leads several large-scale international projects. She plays a key role in advancing research on abrupt climate transitions, surface fluxes in Antarctica, and the stability of ice sheets under warming conditions. Her work integrates observational data with climate models to better predict the effects of polar changes on global climate.

With over 20 years of research experience, Dr. Sime’s contributions to polar science are recognized globally, and she continues to mentor a new generation of climate researchers. She holds a PhD from the University of Sheffield and has been with BAS since 2006.

Current responsibilities for BAS:

Member of the Science Strategy Executive Group
Team Leader of Ice Dynamics and Paleoclimate (IDP)
Group head of IDP Earth System Modelling

Currently advertised PhD projects :

Earth system dynamics during current and past warm climates. (BAS and University Cambridge )

Currently advertised PDRA positions:

None

Current students and staff:

Dr Xu Zhang, Scientist, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Dr Alison McLaren, Scientist, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Dr Irene Malmierca, Scientist, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Mr John Slattery, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Ms Huiling Zou, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Ms Rachel Diamond, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Ms Eliza Ziegler, PhD candidate (University of Heidelberg, Germany).
Ms Estelle Lonyem Ngoumtsa, PhD candidate (University of Bristol, UK).

Previous students and staff:

Dr Rahul Sivankutty, PDRA, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Dr Qinggang Gao, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Dr Matthew Chadwick, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Dr Vittoria Guarino, PDRA, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Ms Fiona Turner, PhD candidate (University of Sheffield, UK).
Ms Irene Malmierca, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Dr Kira Rehfeld, DFG Research Fellow (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Dr Max Holloway, PDRA, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Dr Emilie Capron, Senior scientist, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Mr Max Holloway, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
Dr Gisela Hiess, PDRA (British Antarctic Survey, UK).

Funding and major projects:

Institute Lead: MBIE NZ: Antarctic Sea-Ice Switch (ASIS) – Preparing for New Threats *
WP1 and Institute Lead: EU-HE: Past-to-Future: Towards fully paleo-informed future climate projections (P2F). HE-101184070 [starts March 2025 ]
Co-Investigator. NERC Directed. Drivers and Impacts of Extreme Weather Events in Antarctica: EXTANT (NE/Y503307/1)
Co-Investigator. NERC National Capability Single Science (NC): UK Polar Research Expertise for Science and Society: PRESCIENT (grant number *)
Co-Investigator. NERC Directed. The Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to +2C: SWAIS2C. NE/X009386/1 [Ongoing]
Co-Investigator. NERC Directed. Assessing ocean-forced, marine-terminating glacier change in Greenland during climatic warm periods and its impact on marine productivity: KANG-GLAC. NE/V006509/1 [Ongoing]
Principal Investigator. NERC National Capability International. SURface FluxEs In AnTarctica: SURFEIT. NE/X009319/1. [Ongoing]
Institute and ERC lead: EU DEEPICE: Understanding Deep Ice Core Proxies to Infer Past Antarctic Climate Dynamics, H2020 G.N.955750 [Ongoing]
Modelling lead: EU ERC Grant: ANTarctic Sea Ice Evolution from a novel biological archive: ANTSIE [Ongoing]
UK and modelling lead: NZ Marsden: Roosevelt Island Climate Evolution (RICE) Project [Ongoing]
WP2 and Institute Lead: EU-H2020: Tipping Points in the Earths System: TiPES H2020 G.N. 820970 [Completed, Feb 2024]
Co-Investigator. AHRC: research grant: Materializing Data, Embodying Climate Change. AH/S00369X/ [Completed]
Co-Investigator. EU-ERC Grant: Warm Climate Stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet in the last Interglacial: WACSWAIN. [Completed]
Principal Investigator. NERC Standard Grant: Retreat of Southern Hemisphere Sea Ice, 130 000 to 116 000 years BP. NE/P013279/1. [Completed]
Principal Investigator. NSF-NERC Standard Grant: Paleoclimate signatures of the climate response to West Antarctic ice sheet collapse. NE/P009271/1. [Completed]
Co-Investigator. Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures Grant: Reconstructing the past and predicting the future: what can ice cores tell us about climate? [Completed]
Principal Investigator. EPSRC-Feasibility Study Grant: Emulating the Isotope Response to Changes in the Geometry of the Greenland Ice Sheet. [Completed]
Co-Investigator. NERC Standard Grant: Late Quaternary changes in Westerly Winds over the Southern Ocean. NE/K004514/1. [Completed]
Principal Investigator. NERC New Investigator Grant: The Age Structure of the Greenland Ice Sheet. NE/J004804/1. [Completed]

Research interests

One of the key questions which has motivated Louise’s recent work is the question of how we can best use evidence of change during past warm climate periods to help understand and predict likely polar change over the coming centuries. Closely linked to this, she has a strong interest in how we can evaluate, and improve, our climate models over the polar regions, and recently helped formulate the CMIP FastTrack modelling protocol that explores the impacts of abrupt sea ice loss (LIGAbrupt).

Collaborations

Professional (collaborative) activities:

2025- Member Royal Society Fellowships Panel,
2024- Chair of NERC award Panel B (Climate, Cryosphere and ESMs),
2024- Work Group lead on CMIP-PMIP Interglacials,
2023-2024 Visiting Fellow University of Dunedin, Dunedin, NZ
2022-2024 Science Advisory Group – Centre for Polar Observations and Modelling (CPOM-UK)
2021-2025 Visiting Fellow University of Victoria, Wellington, NZ
2018-2021 Member of the NERC Large Grant panel
2018-2020 Chair of the University of Cambridge C-CLEAR NERC DTP Climate and Environment panel: Awards 3-12 NERC PhD studentships
2018-2020 Steering Committee: SCAR Past Antarctic Ice Sheet (PAIS)
2017-2020 Steering Committee: PAGES Climate Variability Across Scales (CVAS)
2016-2022 Core panel A member for NERC: Attend 2-3 panel meetings per year
2016-2018 Management board member: GW4+ NERC DTP: Awards 28 NERC PhD studentships
2016-2017 Chaired interview panel: For GW4+ DTP across multiple sites.
2015-2017 Elected Work Group Leader: the Past Earth Network, Model-Data Comparisons

Polar Data Centre Datasets:

Guarino, M. V., & Sime, L. (2022). Last Interglacial summer air temperature observations for the Arctic (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/9AB58D27-596A-472C-A13E-2DCD68612082
Guarino, M. V., & Sime, L. (2021). HadCM3 and HadGEM3 LIG model outputs: A sea ice-free Arctic (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/9B138820-EEC3-43AE-A49B-068A9F5931A4
Perren, B., Hodgson, D., Roberts, S., Sime, L., Van Nieuwenhuyze, W., Verleyen, E., & Vyverman, W. (2020). Fossil diatom and geochemistry data from a 700-year core from La Grange Cop, subantarctic Marion Island. (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/49A1EC0E-AE5F-4DF5-A59B-FA6DFF614678
Malmierca Vallet, I., Domingo, D., Sime, L., & Voss, J. (2020). Surface elevation of 69 Greenland Ice Sheet morphologies and associated δ18O anomalies (with respect to Pre-industrial) simulated by HadCM3 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/35AED839-1634-4692-B6D6-4D6312953EB5
Goursaud, S., Holloway, M., Sime, L., Wolff, E., Valdes, P., Steig, E., & Pauling, A. (2020). Global monthly outputs of orography, surface air temperature and water stable isotopes for the last interglacial for idealised Antarctic Ice Sheet simulations run by the isotope-enabled HadCM3 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/09330D14-7F2D-4C12-AD00-08A9CD1FB214
Holloway, M. (2018). Southern Hemisphere winter sea ice concentration simulated by HadCM3 to best explain the early last interglacial Antarctic isotope peak [Data set]. Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation, UK. https://doi.org/10.5285/0F3D9228-2F4A-4F2C-BBE6-EE8A123DB58D

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

2024

Oger, Sentia Goursaud, Sime, Louise C. , Holloway, Max. (2024) Decoupling of δ18O from surface temperature in Antarctica in an ensemble of historical simulations. Climate of the Past, 20 (). pp. 10.5194/cp-20-2539-2024

Slattery, John , Sime, Louise C. , Muschitiello, Francesco, Riechers, Keno. (2024) Estimating biases during detection of leads and lags between climate elements across Dansgaard–Oeschger events. Climate of the Past, 20 (). pp. 10.5194/cp-20-2431-2024

Buizert, Christo, Sowers, Todd A., Niezgoda, Kyle, Blunier, Thomas, Gkinis, Vasileios, Harlan, Margaret, He, Chengfei, Jones, Tyler R., Kjaer, Helle A., Liisberg, Jesper B., Menking, James A., Morris, Valerie, Noone, David, Rasmussen, Sune Olander, Sime, Louise C. , Steffensen, Jørgen P., Svensson, Anders, Vaughn, Bruce H., Vinther, Bo M., White, James W.C.. (2024) The Greenland spatial fingerprint of Dansgaard–Oeschger events in observations and models. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121 (). pp. 10.1073/pnas.2402637121

Malmierca-Vallet, Irene , Sime, Louise C. , Valdes, Paul J., Klockmann, Marlene, Vettoretti, Guido, Slattery, John . (2024) The Impact of CO2 and Climate State on Whether Dansgaard–Oeschger Type Oscillations Occur in Climate Models. Geophysical Research Letters, 51 (). 11 pp. 10.1029/2024GL110068

Diamond, Rachel , Sime, Louise C. , Holmes, Caroline R. , Schroeder, David. (2024) CMIP6 Models Rarely Simulate Antarctic Winter Sea‐Ice Anomalies as Large as Observed in 2023. Geophysical Research Letters, 51 (). 10 pp. 10.1029/2024GL109265

Gao, Qinggang, Capron, Emilie, Sime, Louise C. , Rhodes, Rachael H., Sivankutty, Rahul, Zhang, Xu , Otto-Bliesner, Bette L., Werner, Martin. (2024) Assessment of the southern polar and subpolar warming in the PMIP4 Last Interglacial simulations using paleoclimate data syntheses [in review]. Climate of the Past: Discussions, (). pp. 10.5194/egusphere-2024-1261

Gao, Qinggang, Sime, Louise C. , McLaren, Alison J. , Bracegirdle, Thomas J. , 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

Diamond, Rachel , Schroeder, David, Sime, Louise C. , Ridley, Jeff, Feltham, Danny. (2024) The significance of the melt-pond scheme in a CMIP6 global climate model. Journal of Climate, 37 (). pp. 10.1175/JCLI-D-22-0902.1

2023

Turner, Fiona E., Buck, Caitlin E., Jones, Julie M., Sime, Louise C. , Vallet, Irene M., Wilkinson, Richard D.. (2023) Reconstructing the Antarctic ice-sheet shape at the Last Glacial Maximum using ice-core data. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series C, 72 (). pp. 10.1093/jrsssc/qlad078

Gao, Qinggang, Sime, L.C. . (2023) Exploring the origin of Antarctic precipitation for an improved climatic interpretation of ice-core records. Past Global Changes Magazine, 31 (). pp. 10.22498/pages.31.2.86

Chadwick, Matthew , Sime, Louise , Allen, Claire , Guarino, Maria Vittoria . (2023) Model-data comparison of Antarctic winter sea-ice extent and Southern Ocean sea-surface temperatures during Marine Isotope Stage 5e. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 38 (). 11 pp. 10.1029/2022PA004600

Malmierca-Vallet, Irene , Sime, Louise C. , community members, the D-O. (2023) Dansgaard–Oeschger events in climate models: review and baseline Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3) protocol. Climate of the Past, 19 (). 28 pp. 10.5194/cp-19-915-2023

Sime, Louise C. , Sivankutty, Rahul, Malmierca Vallet, Irene , de Boer, Agatha M., Sicard, Marie. (2023) Summer surface air temperature proxies point to near-sea-ice-free conditions in the Arctic at 127 ka. Climate of the Past, 19 (). pp. 10.5194/cp-19-883-2023

Guarino, Maria Vittoria , Sime, Louise , Diamond, Rachel , Schroeder, David, Ridley, Jeff. (2023) The coupled system response to 250 years of freshwater forcing: Last Interglacial CMIP6–PMIP4 HadGEM3 simulations. Climate of the Past, 19 (). 17 pp. 10.5194/cp-19-865-2023

Corby, Tom, Baily, Gavin, Mckenzie, Jonathan, Sime, Louise , Lane, Giles, Dickson, Erin, Roussos, George. (2023) Political atmospherics: climate visualisations at the Manifest Data Lab. Journal of Visual Art Practice, 22 (). 7 pp. 10.1080/14702029.2022.2151192

2022

Sicard, Marie, de Boer, A.M., Sime, L.C. . (2022) Last Interglacial Arctic sea ice as simulated by the latest generation of climate models. Past Global Changes Magazine, 30 (). pp. 10.22498/pages.30.2.92

McClymont, Erin L., Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A. , Spencer-Jones, C.L., Wardley, T., West, M.D., Croudace, I.W., Berg, S., Grocke, D.R., Kuhn, G., Jamieson, S.S.R., Sime, L.C. , Phillips, R.A.. (2022) Snow petrel stomach-oil deposits as a new biological archive of Antarctic sea ice. Past Global Changes Magazine, 30 (). pp. 10.22498/pages.30.2.82

de Boer, Agatha M., Hutchinson, David K., Roquet, Fabien, Sime, Louise C. , Burls, Natalie J., Heuzé, Céline. (2022) The impact of Southern Ocean topographic barriers on the ocean circulation and the overlying atmosphere. Journal of Climate, 35 (). 17 pp. 10.1175/JCLI-D-21-0896.1

Crosta, Xavier, Kohfeld, Karen E., Bostock, Helen C., Chadwick, Matthew , Du Vivier, Alice, Esper, Oliver, Etourneau, Johan, Jones, Jacob, Leventer, Amy, Müller, Juliane, Rhodes, Rachel H., Allen, Claire S. , Ghadi, Pooja, Lamping, Nele, Lange, Carina, Lawler, Kelly-Anne, Lund, David, Marzocchi, Alice , Meissner, Katrin J., Menviel, Laurie, Nair, Abhilash, Patterson, Molly, Pike, Jennifer, Prebble, Joseph G., Riesselman, Christina, Sadatzki, Henrik, Sime, Louise C. , Shukla, Sunil K., Thöle, Lena, Vorrath, Maria-Elena, Xiao, Wenshen, Yang, Jiao. (2022) Antarctic sea ice over the past 130 000 years, Part 1: A review of what proxy records tell us. Climate of the Past, 18 (). pp. 10.5194/cp-18-1729-2022

Ellerhoff, Beatrice, Kirschner, Moritz J., Ziegler, Elisa, Holloway, Max D., Sime, Louise , Rehfeld, Kira. (2022) Contrasting state-dependent effects of natural forcing on global and local climate variability. Geophysical Research Letters, 49 (). 12 pp. 10.1029/2022GL098335

McClymont, Erin L., Bentley, Michael J., Hodgson, Dominic A. , Spencer-Jones, Charlotte L., Wardley, Thomas, West, Martin D., Croudace, Ian W., Berg, Sonja, Gröcke, Darren R., Kuhn, Gerhard, Jamieson, Stewart S.R., Sime, Louise , Phillips, Richard A.. (2022) Summer sea-ice variability on the Antarctic margin during the last glacial period reconstructed from snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) stomach-oil deposits. Climate of the Past, 18 (). pp. 10.5194/cp-18-381-2022

Patterson, Molly O., Levy, Richard H., Kulhanek, Denise K., van de Flierdt, Tina, Horgan, Huw, Dunbar, Gavin B., Naish, Timothy R., Ash, Jeanine, Pyne, Alex, Mandeno, Darcy, Winberry, Paul, Harwood, David M., Florindo, Fabio, Jimenez-Espejo, Francisco J., Läufer, Andreas, Yoo, Kyu-Cheul, Seki, Osamu, Stocchi, Paolo, Klages, Johann P., Lee, Jae Il, Colleoni, Florence, Suganuma, Yusuke, Gasson, Edward, Ohneiser, Christian, Flores, José-Abel, Try, David, Kirkman, Rachel, Koch, Daleen, Science Team, SWAIS 2C inc., Sime, Louise , Smith, James . (2022) Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to +2 °C (SWAIS 2C). Scientific Drilling, 30 (). pp. 10.5194/sd-30-101-2022

Chadwick, Matthew , Allen, Claire S. , Sime, Louise C. , Crosta, Xavier, Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter . (2022) Reconstructing Antarctic winter sea-ice extent during Marine Isotope Stage 5e. Climate of the Past, 18 (). pp. 10.5194/cp-18-129-2022

Sime, L. , Malmierca, I. , Diamond, R. , Schroeder, D.. (2022) Better forecasts of sea ice change? Melt puddles and melt models. Past Global Changes Horizons, 2 (). pp. 10.22498/pages.horiz.2.38

Chadwick, M. , Allen, C.S. , Sime, L.C. , Crosta, X., Hillenbrand, C.-D. . (2022) How does the Southern Ocean palaeoenvironment during Marine Isotope Stage 5e compare to the modern?. Marine Micropaleontology, 170 (). 14 pp. 10.1016/j.marmicro.2021.102066

2021

Corby, Tom, Baily, Gavin, Mackenzie, Jonathan, Lane, Giles, Dickson, Erin, Sime, Louise , Roussos, George. (2021) The Data Imaginaries of Climate Art: The Manifest Data Project. Leonardo, (). pp. 10.1162/leon_a_02136

Diamond, Rachel , Sime, Louise C. , Schroeder, David, Guarino, Maria-Vittoria . (2021) The contribution of melt ponds to enhanced Arctic sea-ice melt during the Last Interglacial. The Cryosphere, 15 (). 16 pp. 10.5194/tc-15-5099-2021

Bühler, Janica C., Roesch, Carla, Kirschner, Moritz, Sime, Louise , Holloway, Max D., Rehfeld, Kira. (2021) Comparison of the oxygen isotope signatures in speleothem records and iHadCM3 model simulations for the last millennium. Climate of the Past, 17 (). pp. 10.5194/cp-17-985-2021

Goursaud, Sentia, Holloway, Max, Sime, Louise , Wolff, Eric, Valdes, Paul, Steig, Eric J., Pauling, Andrew. (2021) Antarctic Ice Sheet elevation impacts on water isotope records during the Last Interglacial. Geophysical Research Letters, 48 (). 10 pp. 10.1029/2020GL091412

Kageyama, Masa, Sime, Louise C. , Sicard, Marie, Guarino, Maria Vittoria , de Vernal, Anne, Schroeder, David, Stein, Ruediger, Malmierca Vallet, Irene , Abe-Ouchi, Ayako, Bitz, Cecilia, Braconnot, Pascale, Brady, Esther, Chamberlain, Matthew A., Feltham, Danny, Guo, Chuncheng, Lohmann, Gerrit, Meissner, Katrin, Menviel, Laurie, Morozova, Polina, Nisancioglu, Kerim H., Otto-Bliesner, Bette, O'ishi, Ryouta, Sherriff-Tadano, Sam, Stroeve, Julienne, Shi, Xiaoxu, Sun, Bo, Volodin, Evgeny, Yeung, Nicholas, Zhang, Qiong, Zhang, Zhongshi, Ziehn, Tilo. (2021) A multi-model CMIP6-PMIP4 study of Arctic sea ice at 127ka: Sea ice data compilation and model differences. Climate of the Past, 17 (). 26 pp. 10.5194/cp-17-37-2021

Otto-Bliesner, Bette, Brady, Esther, Zhao, Anni, Brierley, Chris, Axford, Yarrow, Capron, Emilie, Govin, Aline, Hoffman, Jeremy, Isaacs, Elizabeth, Kageyama, Masa, Scussolini, Paolo, Tzedakis, Polychronis C., Williams, Charlie, Wolff, Eric, Abe-Ouchi, Ayako, Braconnot, Pascale, Ramos Buarque, Silvana, Cao, Jian, de Vernal, Anne, Guarino, Maria Vittoria , Guo, Chuncheng, LeGrande, Allegra N., Lohmann, Gerrit, Meissner, Katrin, Menviel, Laurie, Nisancioglu, Kerim, O'ishi, Ryouta, Salas Y Melia, David, Shi, Xioaoxu, Sicard, Marie, Sime, Louise , Tomas, Robert, Volodin, Evgeny, Yeung, Nicolas, Zhang, Qiong, Zhang, Zhonghi, Zheng, Weipeng. (2021) Large-scale features of Last Interglacial climate: results from evaluating the lig127k simulations for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6)-Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP4).. Climate of the Past, 17 (). 32 pp. 10.5194/cp-17-63-2021

2020

Malmierca-Vallet, Irene , Sime, Louise C. , Valdes, Paul J., Tindall, Julia C.. (2020) Sea ice feedbacks influence the isotopic signature of Greenland ice sheet elevation changes: Last interglacial HadCM3 simulations. Climate of the Past, 16 (). 24 pp. 10.5194/cp-16-2485-2020

Perren, Bianca B. , Hodgson, Dominic A. , Roberts, Stephen J. , Sime, Louise , Van Nieuwenhuyze, Wim, Verleyen, Elie, Vyverman, Wim. (2020) Southward migration of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds corresponds with warming climate over centennial timescales. Communications Earth & Environment, 1 (). 8 pp. 10.1038/s43247-020-00059-6

Brown, Josephine R., Brierley, Chris M., An, Soon-Il, Guarino, Maria Vittoria , Stevenson, Samantha, Williams, Charles J.R., Zhang, Qiong, Zhao, Anni, Braconnot, Pascale, Brady, Esther C., Chandan, Deepak, D'Agostino, Roberta, Guo, Chuncheng, LeGrande, Allegra N., Lohmann, Gerrit, Morozova, Polina A., Ohgaito, Rumi, O'ishi, Ryouta, Otto-Bliesner, Bette, Peltier, Richard W., Shi, Xiaoxu, Sime, Louise , Volodin, Evgeny M., Zhang, Zhongshi, Weipeng, Zheng. (2020) Comparison of past and future simulations of ENSO in CMIP5/PMIP3 and CMIP6/PMIP4 models. Climate of the Past, 16 (). 29 pp. 10.5194/cp-2019-155

Guarino, Maria Vittoria , Sime, Louise C. , Schröeder, David, Malmierca Vallet, Irene , Rosenblum, Erica, Ringer, Mark, Ridley, Jeff, Feltham, Danny, Bitz, Cecilia, Steig, Eric J., Wolff, Eric, Stroeve, Julienne, Sellar, Alistair. (2020) Sea-ice-free Arctic during the Last Interglacial supports fast future loss. Nature Climate Change, 10 (). pp. 10.1038/s41558-020-0865-2

Williams, Charles J.R., Guarino, Maria Vittoria , Capron, Emilie, Malmierca Vallet, Irene , Singarayer, Joy S., Sime, Louise , Lunt, Daniel J., Valdes, Paul J.. (2020) CMIP6/PMIP4 simulations of the mid-Holocene and Last Interglacial using HadGEM3: comparison to the pre-industrial era, previous model versions and proxy data. Climate of the Past, 16 (). 22 pp. 10.5194/cp-16-1429-2020

Domingo, Dario, Malmierca Vallet, Irene , Sime, Louise , Voss, Jochen, Capron, Emilie. (2020) Using ice cores and Gaussian process emulation to recover changes in the Greenland Ice Sheet during the last interglacial. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 125 (). 19 pp. 10.1029/2019JF005237

Dalaiden, Quentin, Goosse, Hugues, Klein, François, Lenaerts, Jan T.M., Holloway, Max , Sime, Louise , Thomas, Elizabeth R. . (2020) How useful is snow accumulation in reconstructing surface air temperature in Antarctica? A study combining ice core records and climate models. The Cryosphere, 14 (). pp. 10.5194/tc-14-1187-2020

Guarino, Maria Vittoria , Sime, Louise , Schroeder, David, Lister, Grenville M.S., Hatcher, Rosalyn. (2020) Machine dependence and reproducibility for coupled climate simulations: the HadGEM3-GC3.1 CMIP Preindustrial simulation. Geoscientific Model Development, 13 (). pp. 10.5194/gmd-13-139-2020

Chadwick, Matthew , Allen, Claire S. , Sime, Louise C. , Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter . (2020) Analysing the timing of peak warming and minimum winter sea-ice extent in the Southern Ocean during MIS 5e. Quaternary Science Reviews, 229 (). 16 pp. 10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.106134

2019

Turner, Fiona, Wilkinson, Richard, Buck, Caitlin, Jones, Julie, Sime, Louise . (2019) Ice Cores and Emulation: Learning More About Past Ice Sheet Shapes.. In: 4th Bayesian Young Statisticians Meeting, BAYSM 2018 Warwick; United Kingdom, 2 July 2018 through 3 July 2018. Springer.

Bracegirdle, Thomas J. , Colleoni, Florence, Abram, Nerilie J., Bertler, Nancy A.N., Dixon, Daniel A., England, Mark, Favier, Vincent, Fogwill, Chris J., Fyfe, John C., Goodwin, Ian, Goose, Hugues, Hobbs, Will, Jones, Julie M., Keller, Elizabeth D., Khan, Alia L., Phipps, Steven J., Raphael, Marilyn N., Russell, Joellen, Sime, Louise , Thomas, Elizabeth R. , van den Broeke, Michiel R., Wainer, Ilana. (2019) Back to the Future: Using long-term observational and paleo-proxy reconstructions to improve model projections of Antarctic climate. Geosciences, 9 (). pp. 10.3390/geosciences9060255

Sime, Louise , Hopcroft, Peter O., Rhodes, Rachael H.. (2019) Impact of abrupt sea ice loss on Greenland water isotopes during the last glacial period. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116 (). pp. 10.1073/pnas.1807261116

Voarintsoa, Ny Riavo G, Matero, Ilkka SO, Railsback, L Bruce, Gregoire, Lauren J, Tindall, Julia, Sime, Louise , Cheng, Hai, Edwards, R Lawrence, Brook, George A, Kathayat, Gayatri, Li, Xianglei, Rakotondrazafy, Amos Fety Michel, Razanatseheno, Marie Olga Madison. (2019) Investigating the 8.2 ka event in northwestern Madagascar: insight from data–model comparisons. Quaternary Science Reviews, 204 (). pp. 10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.11.030

Sime, L.C. , Carlson, A.E., Holloway, M. . (2019) On recovering Last Interglacial changes in the Antarctic ice sheet. Past Global Changes Magazine, 27 (). pp. 10.22498/pages.27.1.14

2018

De Boer, Agatha M., Pascual-Ahuir, Gavilan Estanislao, Stevens, David P., Chafik, Léon, Hutchinson, David K., Zhang, Qiong, Sime, Louise C. , Willmott, Andrew J.. (2018) Interconnectivity between volume transports through Arctic straits. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 123 (). pp. 10.1029/2018JC014320

Holloway, Max D. , Sime, Louise C. , Singarayer, Joy S., Tindall, Julia C., Valdes, Paul J.. (2018) Simulating the 128 ka Antarctic climate response to Northern Hemisphere ice sheet melting using the isotope-enabled HadCM3. Geophysical Research Letters, 45 (). pp. 10.1029/2018GL079647

Malmierca Vallet, Irene , Sime, Louise C. , Tindall, Julia C, Capron, Emilie , Valdes, Paul J, Vinther, Bo M. (2018) Simulating the Last Interglacial Greenland stable water isotope peak: the role of Arctic sea ice changes. Quaternary Science Reviews, 198 (). pp. 10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.07.027

Saunders, Krystyna M., Roberts, Stephen J. , Perren, Bianca , Butz, Christoph, Sime, Louise , Davies, Sarah, Van Nieuwenhuyze, Wim, Grosjean, Martin, Hodgson, Dominic A. . (2018) Holocene dynamics of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds and possible links to CO2 outgassing. Nature Geoscience, 11 (). pp. 10.1038/s41561-018-0186-5

2017

Holloway, Max D. , Sime, Louise C. , Allen, Claire S. , Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter , Bunch, Pete, Wolff, Eric, Valdes, Paul J.. (2017) The spatial structure of the 128 ka Antarctic sea ice minimum. Geophysical Research Letters, 44 (). pp. 10.1002/2017GL074594

Rhodes, Rachael H., Brook, Edward J., McConnell, Joseph R., Blunier, Thomas, Sime, Louise C. , Faïn, Xavier, Mulvaney, Robert . (2017) Atmospheric methane variability: Centennial-scale signals in the Last Glacial Period. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 31 (). pp. doi:10.1002/2016GB005570

2016

Sime, Louise S. , Hodgson, Dominic , Bracegirdle, Thomas J. , Allen, Claire , Perren, Bianca , Roberts, Stephen , de Boer, Agatha M.. (2016) Sea ice led to poleward-shifted winds at the Last Glacial Maximum: the influence of state dependency on CMIP5 and PMIP3 models. Climate of the Past, 12 (). pp. doi:10.5194/cp-12-2241-2016

Holloway, Max D. , Sime, Louise C. , Singarayer, Joy S., Tindall, Julia C., Bunch, Pete, Valdes, Paul J.. (2016) Antarctic last interglacial isotope peak in response to sea ice retreat not ice-sheet collapse. Nature Communications, 7 (). 9 pp. doi:10.1038/ncomms12293

Holloway, Max D. , Sime, Louise C. , Singarayer, Joy S., Tindall, Julia C., Valdes, Paul J.. (2016) Reconstructing paleosalinity from δ18O: Coupled model simulations of the Last Glacial Maximum, Last Interglacial and Late Holocene. Quaternary Science Reviews, 131 (). pp. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.07.007

2014

Capron, Emilie , Govin, Aline, Stone, Emma J., Masson-Delmotte, Valérie, Mulitza, Stefan, Otto-Bliesner, Bette, Sime, Louise C. , Waelbroeck, Claire, Wolff, Eric W.. (2014) Temporal and spatial structure of multi‐millennial temperature changes at high latitudes during the Last Interglacial. Quaternary Science Reviews, 103 (). pp. 10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.08.018

Sime, Louise C. . (2014) Greenland deglaciation puzzles. Science, 345 (). pp. 10.1126/science.1257842

Sime, Louise C. , Karlsson, Nanna B., Paden, John D., Gogineni, S. Prasad. (2014) Isochronous information in a Greenland ice sheet radio-echo sounding dataset. Geophysical Research Letters, 41 (). pp. 10.1002/2013GL057928

2013

Kohfeld, K.E., Graham, R.M., de Boer, A.M., Sime, L.C. , Wolff, E.W., Le Quéré, C., Bopp, L.. (2013) Southern Hemisphere westerly wind changes during the Last Glacial Maximum: paleo-data synthesis. Quaternary Science Reviews, 68 (). pp. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.01.017

Sime, Louise C. , Risi, Camille, Tindall, Julia C., Sjolte, Jesper, Wolff, Eric W., Masson-Delmotte, Valérie, Capron, Emilie . (2013) Warm climate isotopic simulations: what do we learn about interglacial signals in Greenland ice cores?. Quaternary Science Reviews, 67 (). pp. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.01.009

Sime, Louise C. , Kohfeld, Karen E., Le Quere, Corinne, Wolff, Eric, de Boer, Agatha M., Graham, Robert M., Bopp, Laurent. (2013) Southern Hemisphere westerly wind changes during the Last Glacial Maximum: model-data comparison. Quaternary Science Reviews, 64 (). pp. 10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.12.008

Sime, Louise C. , Masson-Delmotte, V., Risi, C., Sjolte, J.. (2013) Sea surface temperature controls on warm climate water isotopes in Greenland ice cores. PAGES News, 21 (). pp. 10.22498/pages.21.1.28

Royles, Jessica , Sime, Louise C. , Hodgson, Dominic A. , Convey, Peter , Griffiths, Howard. (2013) Differing source water inputs, moderated by evaporative enrichment, determine the contrasting δ18OCELLULOSE signals in maritime Antarctic moss peat banks. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 118 (). pp. doi:10.1002/jgrg.20021

Masson-Delmotte, Valerie, Capron, E. , Goosse, H., Pol, K., Siddall, M., Sime, L. , Bradley, S., Stenni, B.. (2013) Antarctic interglacial climate variability and implications for changes in ice sheet topography. PAGES News, 21 (). pp. 10.22498/pages.21.1.18

2012

Mulvaney, Robert , Abram, Nerilie J., Hindmarsh, Richard C.A. , Arrowsmith, Carol, Fleet, Louise, Triest, Jack, Sime, Louise , Alemany, Olivier, Foord, Susan. (2012) Recent Antarctic Peninsula warming relative to Holocene climate and ice shelf history. Nature, 489 (). pp. 10.1038/nature11391

2011

Sime, Louise , Lang, Nicola, Thomas, Elizabeth , Benton, Ailsa, Mulvaney, Robert . (2011) On high-resolution sampling of short ice cores: dating and temperature information recovery from Antarctic Peninsula virtual cores. Journal of Geophysical Research, 116 (). 17 pp. 10.1029/2011JD015894

Sime, Louise C. , Hindmarsh, Richard C.A. , Corr, Hugh. (2011) Automated processing to derive dip angles of englacial radar reflectors in ice sheets. Journal of Glaciology, 57 (). pp.

Sime, Louise , Wolff, Eric. (2011) Antarctic accumulation seasonality. Nature, 479 (). 6 pp. 10.1038/nature10613

Masson-Delmotte, V., Buiron, D., Ekaykin, A., Frezzotti, M., Gallee, H., Jouzel, J., Krinner, G., Landais, A., Motoyama, H., Oerter, H., Pol, K., Pollard, D., Ritz, C., Schlosser, E., Sime, Louise C. , Sodemann, H., Stenni, B., Uemura, R., Vimeux, F.. (2011) A comparison of the present and last interglacial periods in six Antarctic ice cores. Climate of the Past, 7 (). pp. 10.5194/cp-7-397-2011

Masson-Delmotte, V., Braconnot, P., Hoffman, G., Jouzel, J., Kageyama, M., Landais, A., Lejeune, Q., Risi, C., Sime, Louise , Sjolte, J., Swingedouw, D., Vinther, B.. (2011) Sensitivity of interglacial Greenland temperature and delta 18 O: ice core data, orbital and increased CO2 climate simulations.. Climate of the Past, 7 (). pp. 10.5194/cp-7-1041-2011

Levine, James G., Wolff, Eric W., Jones, Anna E. , Sime, Louise C. . (2011) The role of atomic chlorine in glacial-interglacial changes in the carbon-13 content of atmospheric methane. Geophysical Research Letters, 38 (). 6 pp. 10.1029/2010GL046122

Levine, J.G., Wolff, E.W., Jones, A.E. , Sime, L.C. , Valdes, P.J., Archibald, A.T., Carver, G.D., Warwick, N.J., Pyle, J.A.. (2011) Reconciling the changes in atmospheric-methane sources and sinks between the Last Glacial Maximum and the pre-industrial era. Geophysical Research Letters, 38 (). 6 pp. 10.1029/2011GL049545

2010

Abram, Nerilie J., Thomas, Elizabeth R. , McConnell, Joseph R., Mulvaney, Robert , Bracegirdle, Thomas J. , Sime, Louise C. , Aristarain, Alberto J.. (2010) Ice core evidence for a 20th century decline in sea ice in the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research, 115 (). 9 pp. 10.1029/2010JD014644

Hodgson, Dominic A. , Sime, Louise C. . (2010) Palaeoclimate Southern westerlies and CO2. Nature Geoscience, 3 (). pp. 10.1038/ngeo970

Wolff, E.W., Barbante, C., Becagli, S., Bigler, M., Boutron, C.F., Castellano, E., de Angelis, M., Federer, U., Fischer, H., Fundel, F., Hansson, M., Hutterli, Manuel, Jonsell, U., Karlin, T., Kaufmann, P., Lambert, F., Littot, G.C., Mulvaney, Robert , Rothlisberger, Regine, Ruth, U., Severi, M., Siggard-Andersen, M.L., Sime, Louise , Steffensen, J.P., Stocker, T.F., Traversi, R., Twarloh, B., Udisti, R., Wagenbach, D., Wegner, A.. (2010) Changes in environment over the last 800,000 years from chemical analysis of the EPICA Dome C ice core. Quaternary Science Reviews, 29 (). pp. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.06.013

2009

Sime, Louise , Wolff, Eric, Oliver, K.I.C., Tindall, J.C.. (2009) Evidence for warmer interglacials in East Antarctic ice cores. Nature, 462 (). pp. 10.1038/nature08564

Sime, Louise C. , Marshall, Gareth J. , Mulvaney, Robert , Thomas, Elizabeth R. . (2009) Interpreting temperature information from ice cores along the Antarctic Peninsula: ERA40 analysis. Geophysical Research Letters, 36 (). 5 pp. 10.1029/2009GL038982

Tindall, J. C., Valdes, P.J., Sime, Louise C. . (2009) Stable water isotopes in HadCM3: isotopic signature of El Nino-Southern Oscillation and the tropical amount effect. Journal of Geophysical Research, 114 (). 12 pp. 10.1029/2008JD010825

2008

Rothlisberger, R., Mudelsee, M., Bigler, M., de Angelis, M., Fischer, H., Hansson, M., Lambert, F., Masson-Delmotte, V., Sime, L. , Udisti, R., Wolff, E.W.. (2008) The Southern Hemisphere at glacial terminations: insights from the Dome C ice core. Climate of the Past, 4 (). pp.

Sime, Louise C. , Tindall, Julia C., Wolff, Eric W., Connolley, William M., Valdes, Paul J.. (2008) Antarctic isotopic thermometer during a CO2 forced warming event. Journal of Geophysical Research, 113 (). 16 pp. doi:10.1029/2008JD010395

Some links to current major funded projects that I lead or co-lead:

NERC: Surface Fluxes in Antarctica: SURFEIT: PI Louise Sime (2.3m to BAS)

EU-H2020 Major European Grant: Tipping Points in the Earths System: Led by Dr Peter Ditlevsen (8 mill EUR in total): WP lead Louise Sime (680K EUR to BAS)

AHRC: research grant: Materializing Data, Embodying Climate Change. Led by Professor Tom Corby: University of the Arts London. AH/S00369X/1 (685K), co-led by Dr Louise Sime. [LINK?]

ERC advanced grant: WACSWAIN. (3000K) Led by Prof Eric Wolff; co-investigator Dr Louise Sime.

NERC standard grant: Retreat of Southern Hemisphere Sea Ice, 130 000 to 116 000 years BP . Led by Dr Louise Sime: BAS (360K)

NSFGEO-NERC standard grant: Paleoclimate signatures of the climate response to West Antarctic ice sheet collapse. Joint US and UK project. Led by Dr Louise Sime: BAS (202K); and Prof Eric Steig; University of Washington (300K).

Links to major funded projects now finished, that I led or co-led:

NERC standard grant: Late Quaternary changes in the Westerly Winds over the Southern Ocean. Led by Dr Dom Hodgson, BAS (650K)l; co-led by Dr Louise Sime.

NERC new investigator grant: The Age Structure of the Greenland ice sheet from Airborne Radar Data (ASGARD). Led by Dr Louise Sime: BAS (79K)

Some recent invites:

2024 CMIP7 FastTrack invited seminar on the abruptLIG CMIP7 FastTrack protocol (June 2024).

2024 LIG workshop in Stockholm, Sweden, Invited speaker on Last Interglacials (May 2024).

2024 EGU2024, Highlight talk: Last Interglacial and CMIP6 (April 2024).

2024 Bern, Switzerland: Abrupt sea ice loss and polar changes (March 2024).

2023 GRISO workshop in Bergen, Norway: First Invited Keynote: Arctic and Greenland Ice Sheet change during the Last Interglacial (April, 2023).

2023 Dunedin, NZ, Icesheet change during past Interglacials (Feb, 2023).

2022 Wellington, NZ, Sea level rise and icesheet change during past Interglacials (Dec, 2022).

2022 EGU: Invited talk: Diversity in Interglacials – past warm periods.

2022 DEEPICE FINSE winter school lecturer: https://deepice.cnrs.fr/deepice-events/

2021 Glasgow COP26: Invited panel member: Climate Risk & Tipping Points in the Polar Regions (Panel + Q&A)

2021 University of the Arts COP26 event speaker/panellist: Ask a Climate Scientist: COP, Science, Culture and Politics

Some press coverage of our groups work:

The Guardian: www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/19/sea-levels-could-rise-bysix-to-nine-metres-over-time-new-study-warns

The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/west-antarctic-ice-sheet-sea-level-rise-global-warming-climate-change-british-antarctic-survey-a7195481.html

The Mail Online: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3743104/Antarcticas-sea-ice-said-vulnerable-sudden-retreat.html

The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/08/16/world/europe/16reuters-climatechange-antarctica.html?ref=world&_r=0

Team Leader, Ice Dynamics and Paleoclimate
BAS member of the NERC Peer review College, NERC Peer review College
Member of the Sea Ice Prediction Network, Sea Ice Prediction Network

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Louise Sime

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Louise Sime

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