Previously I studied physics at Oxford, majoring in atmospheric physics and astrophysics. My masters project was about comparing the Winter North Atlantic jet stream produced in global circulation models (GCMs) with observations. This jet stream is observed to have three distinct states: characterised by it being positioned to the North, South and Centre of the North Atlantic. However, GCMs frequently fail to capture the jet's temporal variability seen in observations and part of my project involved understanding why this was the case. In addition, I completed a ten week summer project in 2015 with Lesley Gray on the effect of volcanic eruptions and other forcings on the Brewer-Dobson circulation in the stratosphere.
Current Research
My current research involves studying the structure of southern hemisphere jet streams. Jets are fast flowing currents of air in the atmosphere which have a peak velocity near the top of the troposphere. They indirectly owe their existence to the rotation of the earth and the fact that the equator receives more heat from the Sun than the poles.
In austral summer the southern hemisphere jet is fairly symmetric around a latitude circle, but in winter it forms a spiral which tightens around Antarctica. I want to understand more about why this pattern forms, what affects it and how it affects different regions in the southern hemisphere.
