Imogen Wadlow

Profile

I am a fourth-year PhD student in the Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosol group in the Institute of Climate and Atmospheric Science (ICAS) and the Boundary Layer, Clouds and Precipitation group in the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, funded by the Panorama Doctoral Training Partnership.

My research focuses on Arctic aerosol–cloud interactions, and utilising observations to improve the representation of aerosols in global climate models. My current research investigates the processes controlling cloud-forming aerosols in the Arctic, using observations of aerosol microphysical properties and chemical composition to evaluate and improve simulated aerosols in the United Kingdom Earth System Model (UKESM). This research combines novel observational constraints with perturbed parameter ensembles and Gaussian process emulators to identify structural weaknesses in models and inform priorities for model development and future observational strategies.

My interest in polar aerosols began through research experiences investigating the provenance of air masses in East Antarctica at the Australian Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre with Dr. Andrew Klekociuk, and during my first field deployment measuring aerosol chemical composition and microphysical properties aboard the Australian icebreaker, RSV Aurora Australis with the CAMMPCAN project (Chemical and Mesoscale Mechanisms of Polar Cell Aerosol Nucleation). These experiences informed my Master's research on improving Southern Ocean aerosol representation in the Australian climate model ACCESS-CM2 under the supervision of Prof. Robyn Schofield. During my PhD, I have been involved in several polar field campaigns. These include supporting long-term aerosol measurements while deployed at Summit Station, Greenland with the ICECAPS-ACE (Integrated Characterization of Energy, Clouds, Atmospheric state, and Precipitation at Summit, Greenland - Aerosol Cloud Experiment) project, measuring Ice Nucleating Particles on the RRS Sir David Attenborough as part of the SOC (Southern Ocean Clouds) campaign, and most recently installing and maintaining surface radiation and remote-sensing instrumentation at Troll Station, Antarctica, as part of the TONE-ICO (Troll Observing Network Integrated Cloud Observatory) project.

Combining observational and modelling perspectives provides a unique understanding of both the strengths and limitations of model evaluation, grounded in an appreciation of the complexities, uncertainties, and limitations of atmospheric measurements. I am particularly committed to strengthening collaboration between observational and modelling communities and supporting approaches that integrate observations more effectively into climate model development (see blog post here).

Research interests

• Aerosol observations
• Arctic and Antarctic aerosol-cloud interactions
• Perturbed-parameter ensembles

Qualifications

• MSc Atmospheric Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
• BSc (Chemistry) & BA (Politics), Macquarie University, Australia

Research groups and institutes

• Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science
• Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosols