Dr Fiona Carse
Fiona works as a marine observations specialist, improving the Met Office's access to oceanographic and meteorological measurements from new and existing observing networks.
Areas of expertise
- Ocean observing networks, including Argo
- Marine data management
Current activities
Overall job purpose: Identify, evaluate and obtain access to new (or make better use of existing) in-situ marine observations that could improve Met Office products and services. Work with other organisations to improve and increase the amount of observations available to the Met Office's ocean modelling groups, who use marine observations for data assimilation and verification. Work with the Marine Network Manager on planning and management of UK Argo float operations.
Marine mammal temperature and salinity profiles in high latitudes: studying the impact of a new observations dataset on the Met Office's short range global ocean forecasting model fields. Marine mammals, mostly elephant seals, are gathering temperature and salinity profiles up to 2000 metres deep in high latitude regions of the ocean, where few other in-situ observations are available in real time. By carrying out data-denial experiments, it was found that seal salinity values were often biased high. This study led to a recommendation that mammal temperature profiles only should be assimilated into the operational ocean forecasting system, until salinity values can be bias-corrected in near-real time.
Career background
Prior to joining the Met Office, Fiona worked in environmental data analysis and statistics for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency for five years. She held various marine and ecology data management roles in the Natural Environment Research Council before joining SEPA.
Fiona has a PhD entitled 'Lake and ocean vertical mixing using sulphur hexafluoride tracer techniques' from the University of East Anglia and a BSc in Environmental Sciences from Lancaster University.