Tim Reid

Contact:
t.d.reid@dundee.ac.uk
Tel:+44 (0)1382 384336
Fax:+44 (0)1382 388588
Postal Address:
Geography
School of the Environment
University of Dundee
Perth Rd
Dundee
DD1 4HN

Research

Research Interests

General Research Interests

Environmental modelling, Atmosphere-surface interactions, Ice physics.

Debris-covered glaciers

I joined Dundee in November 2009 with funding from the ACQWA project, to investigate the melt rates and mass balance of debris-covered glaciers. Debris layers have a very significant impact on glacier thermodynamics, and have been seen to expand in recent years, so it is important that such glaciers are studied to the same extent as 'clean' debris-free glaciers. I will be working to develop numerical melt models for debris-covered ice, which can be coupled to climate model predictions and hydrological catchment models to forecast downstream runoff. The models will be tested using data collected by Dundee scientists and partner institutions. I will also study changes in supraglacial debris cover extent on mountain glaciers since the 1980s using a combination of digital elevation models and satellite imagery, as a basis for estimating the likely total expansion in debris cover by 2050.

Environmental Decision Support Systems

I am also interested in incorporating research findings into computerised 'decision support' tools for policy-makers to evaluate possible outcomes of their decisions. For example, I previously worked on a decision support system for the management of radioactively contaminated land, on behalf of the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority. We developed a user-friendly interface in which potential nuclear accidents could be simulated. The software used meteorological inputs to predict where the contaminants may be deposited, calculate how much would find its way into the human food chain via soil, plants and animals, and assess the effectiveness of various countermeasures that the government could take. As the culmination of 15+ years of research across Europe, incorporating several models and vast amounts of spatial data, this represents a good example of how well-established science can be incorporated into user-friendly systems for informing non-scientists.

Antarctic lake ice

My PhD focussed on the thermodynamic modelling of freshwater lakes in the Antarctic. Such lakes contain pristine plankton ecosystems, which biologists believe may be especially vulnerable to climate change. My fieldwork, supported by EPSRC and the Australian Antarctic Division, involved deploying an automated probe on Crooked Lake in the Vestfold Hills. We collected high-resolution data on the atmospheric conditions above the lake, ice temperature and ice thickness, and conditions in the water column, which I used to develop a physically-based model of the ice layer.

Model optimisation and selection

I am interested in comparing methods for the optimisation, sensitivity analysis, and selection of models. Environmental modelling, in particular, gives rise to situations where one must assess how much detail is required to model a given system; too little detail may risk missing out some important behaviour, while too much complexity raises the danger of 'over-fitting' to short-term data. In the absence of long-term data for testing models, it is useful to apply mathematical constructs such as 'model selection criteria', which attempt to add some objectivity to such decisions. Such tools are in early stages of development with respect to environmental modelling.

Science communication

I have a long-standing interest in communicating science to non-specialists, to inspire the general public and our next generation of young scientists. My work includes delivering talks and workshops in schools and at public events, developing classroom materials and equipment for teachers, and science writing for various publications. I have been on contract with Nature Publishing Group as a freelance writer since 2007, writing and editing short 'research highlights', interviews and occasional longer features. I believe that these communications make complex work more accessible, help specialist scientists to place their work in a wider context, and may encourage the formation of multidisciplinary research projects.

Background

Academic Background

Year	Degree/University
2005	PhD (Environmental Science) University of Nottingham
2001	BSc (Physics with Meteorology) University of Edinburgh

Appointments

Year	Title/University
2009-	Postdoctoral Research Assistant, University of Dundee
2007-2009	Freelance Science Writer, on contract to Nature Publishing Group
2007-2009	Science Communicator (part-time), University of Edinburgh
2005-2007	Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Nottingham

Selected Recent Publications

Reid T and Crout N (2008) A thermodynamic model of freshwater Antarctic lake ice. Ecological Modelling 210(3), 231-241.

Reid T and Crout N (2004) Selecting appropriate models of Antarctic lake ice. Proceedings of the IASTED International Conference on Environmental Modelling and Simulation, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, November 2004.

Palethorpe B, Hayes-Gill B, Crowe J, Sumner M, Crout N, Foster M, Reid T, Benford S, Greenhalgh C and Laybourn-Parry J (2004) Real-time physical data acquisition through a remote sensing platform on a polar lake. Limnology and Oceanography Methods 2: 191-201.