Leading climate scientist wins prestigious award

Leading climate scientist wins prestigious award

A leading climate scientist has received a prestigious international award in recognition of his pioneering and innovative research.

Professor Adam Scaife received the Copernicus Medal 2018 for his collaborative research on the causes, simulation and prediction of climate variability.

Adam is Professor of applied mathematics at the University of Exeter and head of Monthly to Decadal Prediction at the Met Office, he was presented with the medal at a ceremony during the Royal Meteorological Society’s Atmospheric Science Conference.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Professor Scaife said: “I am truly delighted to receive this award. It is encouraging and humbling to have my work recognised in this way and I want to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of all of my collaborators and everyone in my research group. Together, we have uncovered exciting new results on long-range predictability of the atmosphere.”

Professor Scaife’s research group issues climate forecasts on a regular basis and develops long range predictions for adaptation to climate variability and change. Adam conducts research on climate variability and has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles on the mechanisms, improved computer modelling and predictability of regional climate.

His group recently made an important breakthrough in seasonal forecasting which allows skilful prediction and new applications of long range forecasts for Europe and North America.

In recent years, Adam was also awarded the American Geophysical Union’s ASCENT Award and the Royal Meteorological Society’s Adrian Gill prize. The Copernicus Medal is awarded by an international and interdisciplinary panel, and is presented annually. 

It recognises ingenious, innovative work in the geosciences, planetary and space sciences, and exceptional efforts in international collaboration in scientific research.

Date: 5 July 2018