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John Methven Reader in Atmospheric Dynamics Higher Degree Tutor for Meteorology Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, PO BOX 243, Earley Gate, Reading, RG6 6BB, United Kingdom. T: +44 118 378 6015 E: j.methven-at-reading.ac.uk |
My research interests cover two distinct areas:
1. The dynamics of weather systems with emphasis on the role of Rossby waves. These waves include large-scale meanders on jetstreams in the upper troposphere, as well as temperature waves propagating near the ground. Interactions between these upper and lower level waves can result in their mutual growth and the rapid amplification of cyclones and anticyclones.
2. Airborne transport of atmospheric constituents, such as water vapour and pollution, with emphasis on chemical transformation during inter-continental transport and its effects on the slowly varying background state of the atmosphere.
A theme common to both areas is the use of tracers to tag air masses and infer the recent history of air mass modification by non-conservative processes including diabatic heating, changes in the phase of water or photochemistry.
Within our department I collaborate with the Dynamical Processes Research Group and the Mesoscale Weather Processes Group .