An external view of the Met Office building at night.

Dr Patrick Hyder

Pat works on the evaluation and development of ocean-only and coupled climate global/regional models.

Areas of expertise

  • Global and regional ocean model evaluation and development.

  • Ocean and shelf seas processes, and their representation in models.

  • Coupled processes, including air-sea interactions, and their representation in coupled models.

  • Near surface coupled model biases

Publications by Dr Patrick Hyder

Current activities

Pat works within the Ocean Modelling team of the Oceans, Cryosphere and Dangerous Climate Change section. The Ocean Modelling team focus on the development and evaluation of global and regional ocean models used for operational short-term ocean forecasting; seasonal and decadal forecasting; and climate prediction.

Currently Pat's work includes:

  • The evaluation and assessment of Met Office ocean models employed in the seamless forecasting suite.

  • The evaluation and interpretation of resolution-related benefits of increasing resolution in ocean models in coupled and ocean-only configuration.  Pat led the ocean development for the new Met Office 12th degree ocean resolution coupled models, and defined traceable ocean configurations at ¼ and 1 degree.

  • Leading a group of atmospheric and ocean scientists termed a Process Evaluation Group on Southern Ocean biases in HadGEM3 under the INTEGRATE assessment project.

  • Providing advice on shelf seas processes and their representation in regional ocean and coupled models, including the new UKEP01.  Also currently scoping the requirements to include tides in the Met Office global coupled models.

  • Leading Met Office Oceanographic training, including coordinating 5 day courses on general oceanography and the role of the ocean in weather and climate (joint MO/NERC).

  • Evaluating hindcast and operational Open Ocean NEMO model runs against observations to assess performance.

Career background

Pat has worked on ocean and climate model evaluation and development at the Met Office since 2004.  He has also worked since 1988 as an oceanographer, in research for University of Wales, Bangor; Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences; and NOAA fisheries/University of Hawaii, and as a consultant for several commercial companies, including FUGRO GEOS.  He has a BSc in Physics with Oceanography (University of Southampton, 1988), an MSc in Physical Oceanography (University of Wales, Bangor, 1992) and PhD in Physical Oceanography (University of Wales, Bangor, 1997).
 
Pat has a broad but detailed knowledge of ocean and climate process and their representation in 3D global/regional models, and simplified process and analytical models, and a good understanding of ocean and marine meteorology observations, obtained through participating in around 40 cruises.

External recognition/responsibilities

  • 1991-92 Darbyshire prize for School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor.

  • 2005-2007 SIMORC project advisory board member (gained support in 2003 for the release of offshore industry data to the research community for model evaluation from the Oil and Gas Producers group, leading to the SIMORC project).

  • Panel member for Southern Ocean Observing System Air-sea flux panel.

  • Met Office coordinating for Oceans in Weather and Climate joint MO/NERC advanced training course.

  • Visiting fellow at University of Southampton/National Oceanography Centre.