Dr. Gabriel Pontes
- Position: Research Fellow in Climate Modelling
- Areas of expertise: Paleoclimate; Earth System Modelling; Ocean Circulation; El Nino-Southern; Oscillation (ENSO); Monsoons; climate variability.
- Email: G.Pontes@leeds.ac.uk
- Location: 10.05 Priestley building
- Website: Googlescholar | Researchgate | ORCID
Profile
I am currently Research Fellow in Climate Modelling within the Institute of Climate & Atmospheric Science. I earned my Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography and Climate Modelling from the University of Sao Paulo and have worked on a number of topics related to ocean circulation and ocean-ice-atmosphere interaction since that time.
Research interests
My work resolves around the oceans' role in the climate system, how oceans had been affected by ice sheets, carbon dioxide and solar radiation in the past and what we can learn from that to inform the future of the oceans. To achieve this I perform simulations with Earth System Models.
I have a wide range of research interests including:
- The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)
- Modes of climate variability. In particular, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
- Ocean-ice-atmosphere interactions
- The impact of high latitude changes on tropical rainfall
- Oceanic and atmospheric teleconnections
- Polar climates processes
- Earth System modelling
Research Projects:
- Past 2 Future: Towards fully paleo-informed future climate projection (2025-present – Funded by Horizon-Europe)
- PlioMIP3: Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project phase 3
- Assessing and understanding the teleconnections arising from a weakening of North Atlantic Deep Water formation due to meltwater runoff (2022-2025 – Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Sciences – ARC-Australia)
- Role of equatorial Pacific variability in the Earth System dynamics (2022-2022 – Funded by FAPESP-Brazil)
- Understanding the Mechanisms of the Mid-Pliocene Atlantic ITCZ Change and its impacts on tropical rainfall (2019-2020 – Funded by FAPESP-Brazil)
- The Mid-Pliocene South Atlantic and Southern Ocean circulations as reference for the 21st century climate (2017-2022 –Funded by FAPESP-Brazil)
Qualifications
- PhD, University of Sao Paulo
Professional memberships
- European Geosciences Union
Student education
Current external PhD students:
- Thauana Goncalves (University of Sao Paulo with Prof. Luigi Jovane)
Concluded external Master’s Students:
- Pedro Freire-Sousa (2025 – University of Sao Paulo with Prof. Ilana Wainer)