Dr Cristina Charlton-Perez
Cristina works on land surface data assimilation with a specific focus on assimilation of satellite-derived soil moisture observations.
Areas of expertise
- Data assimilation
- Land surface observations
- Land surface data assimilation
- Calibration and use of ceilometer and lidar observations
Current activities
Cristina is a senior scientist working on the assimilation of satellite-derived soil moisture observations in the UKV.
Cristina is based at the MetOffice@Reading Unit at the Department of Meteorology, University of Reading. She aims to collaborate with Met Office colleagues based in Exeter and University of Reading colleagues on many aspects of her work.
Career background
Cristina has been a member of the MetOffice@Reading since starting at the Met Office in 2008. Prior to joining the Met Office, Cristina worked as post-doctoral research scientist first at Columbia University in New York and then jointly at the University of Leeds and UCL. In her past work she designed and built a high-resolution model of ship plume chemistry and dynamics and worked on problems in tropical convection. She earned both an MSc and a PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of Colorado. Her thesis topic was on the simulation of interannual variability and intraseasonal variability in the tropical Pacific atmosphere and ocean with a focus on Tropical Pacific (Niño region) sea-surface temperature forecasts.
At the Met Office, Cristina has worked on developing code to incorporate radar reflectivity observations in data assimilation in the highest resolution versions of the Unified Model. She has also worked on creating a forward model for atmospheric backscatter and a near real-time monitoring system for the Met Office Lidarnet ceilometer network.