An external view of the Met Office building at night.

Dr Gill Martin

Gill leads the study of hydrological cycle processes in observations and their representation in models.

Areas of expertise

  • Climate model development and evaluation

  • Representation of ASM in general circulation models

  • Influence of vertical and horizontal resolution in models

  • Sensitivity of modelled climate processes and phenomena to physical parametrizations

  • Stratocumulus and cumulus cloud microphysics

My Publications - Martin, G

Current activities

Gill manages and delivers scientific research in the study of hydrological processes in observations and their simulation in models, particularly the Unified Model. Her aim is to improve understanding and modelling of hydrological processes, to understand the role of water in large-scale modes of variability and to quantify and reduce uncertainty in hydrological predictions.

Gill co-leads (with Dr Andy Turner) a joint Monsoon Working Group (MonWG) between Met Office and NCAS Climate and including contributions from Korea Meteorological Administration and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (India). The Monsoon Working Group aims to improve understanding of the Asian summer monsoon and its representation in global models on all timescales from weather forecasting to climate prediction.

Gill is contributing to the management of a project to develop an improved global atmospheric model capable of providing regional predictions on seasonal to decadal timescales. Her particular interest is in improving the representation of the Asian summer monsoon and its variability and teleconnections.

Career background

Gill joined the Met Office in September 1990 and initially worked with the Met Research Flight C-130 Hercules aircraft to investigate the microphysical properties of low-level clouds, where she developed a parametrisation of droplet effective radius in stratocumulus clouds, and its relationship to aerosol concentration. She took part in international observational campaign (ASTEX, Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment) in June 1992, examining the transition from stratocumulus to trade wind cumulus clouds. She investigated the microphysical interaction between stratocumulus and penetrating cumulus clouds and the relationship to drizzle formation as part of her PhD study at University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, sponsored by the Met Office.

In 1996, Gill moved to the Atmospheric Processes and Parametrizations strategic area where she worked on two European Union funded projects;  SHIVA (Studies of the Hydrology, Influence and Variability of the Asian summer monsoon) and PROMISE (PRedictability and variability Of Monsoons and the agricultural and biological ImpactS of climatE change), examining the effects of model horizontal resolution and physical parametrisations on the simulation of the Asian Summer Monsoon in the Unified Model. Gill also worked with Dr Adrian Lock and others in testing and developing a non-local boundary layer scheme, including investigating impacts of vertical resolution. She subsequently worked with Alan Grant to improve the parametrisation of convection and its links with the boundary layer scheme.

Gill became manager of the Climate Model Development and Evaluation Group in December 2002. She was involved in the development and evaluation of several climate configurations of the Unified Model while continuing work on understanding and modelling the Asian summer monsoon. Gill took up management of the new Global Water Cycle group in April 2010.