Dr Douglas Clark

Dr Douglas Clark

Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Maclean Building
Benson Lane
Crowmarsh Gifford
Wallingford
Oxfordshire
OX10 8BB
Tel: +44 (0)1491 838800
Fax: + 44 (0)1491 692424
E-mail: Dr Douglas Clark
 

Current work

I am a land surface modeller, interested in hydrology land-atmosphere interactions. Most of my work uses the JULES land surface model. In terms of CEH topics, I contribute to the topics Biogeochemistry and Climate System Processes (BGC2) and Science for Water Management (WA3).

My current or recent work includes:

  • implementing new process descriptions (e.g. dynamic vegetation and soil chemistry) in a climate model (the QUEST Earth System Model). In this my role is to assist collaborators with model development and consolidate  contributions in a single code base, and to test the new model.
  • improving the representation of runoff and snow processes in JULES. This involves new process descriptions and evaluation against observations.

Research interests

I am interested in modelling all aspects of terrestrial hydrology and, increasingly, how these interact with other aspects of biogeochemical cycles. Much of my work concerns global or regional scales - i.e. it tends to look at the large areas typical of climate models. In particular, I am interested in:

  • the representation of subgrid variability in land surface models. Originally this was targeted at runoff generation mechanisms, but variability of soil wetness is very important for many other biogeochemical processes, such as methane production. I am interested in extending the use of simple “tiling” schemes to these other parts of a land surface model. The aim is to represent the important sources of variability as simply as possible.
  • high-latitude (or cold season) processes – snow and frozen ground.
  • making the hydrology of land surface schemes more realistic, for example by including representations of dams and reservoirs.

Brief CV

1998 - present: Land surface modeller at CEH. Areas of activity have included:

  • Improving the representation of hydrological processes (especially runoff generation and snow processes) in the JULES land surface model
  • Implementing new descriptions of biogeochemical processes in the QUEST Earth System Model (QESM)
  • Development of JULES code and documentation, and user support
  • Land surface model intercomparison projects with MOSES and JULES
  • High resolution modelling of the interaction between soil moisture and the rainfall from tropical squall lines

1995-1998: PhD Meteorology, University of Reading

1994-1995: Research assistant developing a model of continental-scale hydrology, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne

1993-1994: MSc Engineering Hydrology, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne

1990-1993: BSc Meteorology, University of Reading

Selected publications

See also the NERC Open Research Archive.

Shaffrey, L.C., I. Stevens, W.A. Norton, M.J. Roberts, P.L. Vidale, J.D. Harle, A. Jrrar, D.P. Stevens, M.J. Woodage, M.E. Demory, J.Donners, D.B. Clark, A.Clayton, J.W. Cole, S.S. Wilson, W.M. Connolley, T.M. Davies, A.M. Iwi, T.C. Johns, J.C. King, A.L. New, J.M. Slingo, A.Slingo, L. Steenman-Clark, G.M. Martin, 2009, UK-HiGEM: The New U.K. High Resolution Global Environment Model -Model description and basic evaluation, J.Climate, 22 (8): 1861–1896. doi: 10.1175/2008JCLI2508.1

Clark, D.B. and N. Gedney, 2008, Representing the effects of subgrid variability of soil moisture on runoff generation in a land surface model, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, 113, D10111, doi:10.1029/2007JD008940.

Clark, D.B., C.M. Taylor and A.J.Thorpe, 2004, Feedback between the Land Surface and Rainfall at Convective Length Scales, Journal of Hydrometeorology: 5(4): 625-639.

A. Boone, F. Habets, J. Noilhan, D. Clark, P. Dirmeyer, S. Fox, Y. Gusev, I. Haddeland, R. Koster, D. Lohmann, S. Mahanama, K. Mitchell, O. Nasonova, G.-Y. Niu, A. Pitman, J. Polcher, A. B. Shmakin, K. Tanaka, B.van den Hurk, S. Vérant, D. Verseghy, P. Viterbo, and Z.-L. Yang, 2004, The Rhône-Aggregation Land Surface Scheme Intercomparison Project: An Overview, Journal of Climate, 17 (1): 187–208.

Bowling, L.C., D.P. Lettenmaier, B. Nijssen, L.P. Graham, D.B. Clark, M. El Maayar, R. Essery, S. Goers, Y.M.Gusev, F. Habets, B. van den Hurk, J. Jin, D. Kahan, D. Lohmann, X. Ma, S. Mahanama, D. Mocko, O. Nasonova, G.-Y. Niu, P. Samuelsson, A.B. Shmakin, K. Takata, D. Verseghy, P. Viterbo, Y. Xia, Y. Xue, Z.-L. Yang, 2003, Simulation of high latitude hydrological processes in the Torne-Kalix basin: PILPS Phase 2(e), 1: Experiment design and summary intercomparisons, Global and Planetary Change, 38 (1-2): 1-30.

Nijssen, B., L.C. Bowling, D.P. Lettenmaier, D.B. Clark, M. El Maayar, R. Essery, S. Goers, Y.M. Gusev, F. Habets, B. van den Hurk, J. Jin, D. Kahan, D. Lohmann, X. Ma, S. Mahanama, D. Mocko, O. Nasonova, G.-Y. Niu, P. Samuelsson, A.B. Shmakin, K. Takata, D. Verseghy, P. Viterbo, Y. Xia, Y. Xue, Z.-L. Yang, 2003, Simulation of high latitude hydrological processes in the Torne-Kalix basin: PILPS Phase 2(e), 2: Comparison of model results with observations, Global and Planetary Change, 38 (1-2): 31-53.

Essery, R. and D.B. Clark, 2003, Developments in the MOSES 2 land-surface model for PILPS 2e, Global and Planetary Change, 38 (1-2): 161-164.

Clark, D.B., C.M. Taylor, A.J. Thorpe, R.J. Harding and M.E. Nicholls, 2003, The  influence of spatial variability of boundary-layer moisture on tropical continental squall lines, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 129: 1101-1121.

Taylor, C.M. and D.B. Clark, 2001, The diurnal cycle and African easterly waves: A land surface perspective, The Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 127: 845-867.

Clark, D.B., Y. Xue, R.J. Harding and P.J. Valdes, 2001, Modeling the impact of land surface degradation on the climate of tropical north Africa, Journal of Climate, 14(8): 1809-1822.