Erin Walker

University of Bristol

Dangerous European storms under different levels of global warming

I am using a new tracking method, developed by Neil Massey, to track extratropical cyclones across the North Atlantic Ocean, using ERA5 reanalysis data. I will be investigating at what point under different levels of global warming do they become extreme and impacting western Europe. I am conducting an attribution study to understand a bit more about anthropogenic influences on extreme cyclones.

Why do you do what you do?

During my undergraduate degree I became more interested in atmospheric processes and wanted to direct my research in this direction. I have always been interested in storms, so completing a PhD that researches them appealed to me. I have spent time volunteering locally and overseas, focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals and this has motivated me to complete my research with respects to climate change and the impacts that may occur as a result.

Passions

I love being out in nature and so love hiking, kayaking and more recently I have become passionate about growing my own fruit and vegetables.

Challenges

I love to be challenged and to put myself out of my comfort zone, but what challenges me at the moment is learning how to code efficiently as I am relatively new to it. I am challenged by living away from family in Northern Ireland and finding time to spend out of the busy week to do things such as kayaking.