Dr Cristina Charlton-perez

Biography

Cristina works on land surface data assimilation with a specific focus on assimilation of satellite-derived soil moisture observations. She is a member of the Earth System Data Assimilation Team but is based at MetOffice@Reading Unit at the Department of Meteorology, University of Reading. 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 forecastsSouthern Oscillation (ENSO). 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.

Research Interest

Assimilation of satellite-derived soil moisture observations in the UKV.