Dr Simon Holgate

Sea Level Scientist

Leader of Oceans2025 Work Package 10.7 (UK Contributions to GLOSS).

Scientist in the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level and Programme 1 of Oceans2025.

Awards

IMarEST Denny Medal winner 2009.

Current projects

Integrating sea level observations and models (Oceans2025 NERC core science). Working with the Hadley Centre to validate models of sea level rise by comparing the patterns of variability between those models and observations.

Real-Time Telemetry Systems for Sea Level Data (Oceans2025 NERC core science). Producing real-time data transmission systems based on an embedded Linux platform to return sea level information in real-time from remote locations for use as part of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System, as well as for research purposes in the South Atlantic and Antarctic.

Extending Sea Level Records in the Dee and Mersey Estuaries with Palaeoecological Based Transfer Functions. Collaborating with colleagues at the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University to extend the long tide gauge record that we have from Liverpool. We are using the present day distribution of foraminifera from the upper inter-tidal zone of the salt marsh to produce a transfer function which can be used as a proxy for MHWS.

Research interests

Observations of sea level: Using tide gauges, satellite altimetry and models to explore global sea level changes and spatial variability.

Data telemetry: Platforms (especially those based on Linux) for acquiring and communicating sea level data.

Neural networks: Prediction of sea level variability and examination of patterns with Self Organising Maps.

Current Appointments

Challenger Society for Marine Science: Council Member with responsibility for local event organising.

Honorary Research Fellow in the University of Liverpool, Department of Earth Sciences.

POL PhD Studentship co-ordinator.

Publications

Woodworth, P. L., White, N. J., Jevrejeva, S., Holgate, S. J., Church, J. A. and Gehrels, W. R. (2008). "Evidence for the accelerations of sea level on multi-decade and century timescales", International Journal of Climatology, DOI: 10.1002/joc.1771.

Holgate, S. J., Woodworth, P. L., Foden, P. R. and Pugh, J. (2008). "A study of delays in making tide gauge data available to tsunami warning centers", Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 25 (3) pp. 475-481.

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Holgate, S. J., Foden, P., Pugh, J. and Woodworth, P. L. (2008) "Real time sea level data transmission from tide gauges for tsunami monitoring and long term sea level rise observations", Journal of Operational Oceanography, 1 (1) pp. 3-8.

Holgate, S. J., Jevrejeva, S., Woodworth, P. L. and Brewer, S. C. (2007) "Comment on: 'A Semi-Emprical Approach to Projecting Future Sea-Level Rise'", Science, 317 (5846) pp. 1866

Woodworth, P.L., Holgate, S., Foden, P. and Pugh, J. (2007) "New sea level stations for Africa and the North Western Indian Ocean", Planet Earth, Natural Environment Research Council

Holgate, S. J., Woodworth, P. L., Foden, P. and Pugh, J. (2007) "A Study of Delays in Transmitting Tide Gauge Data to Tsunami Warning Centres", Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology (in press)

Holgate, S. J., Foden, P. and Pugh, J. (2007) "Tsunami Monitoring System: Implementing Global Real Time Telemetry", Sea Technology, 48 (3) pp. 37-40

Holgate, S. J. (2007) "On the decadal rates of sea level change during the twentieth century", Geophysical Research Letters, 34, L01602

Jevrejeva, S., Grinsted, A., Moore, J. C. and Holgate, S. J. (2006) "Nonlinear trends and multiyear cycles in sea level records", Journal of Geophysical Research, 111, C09012

Smith, D. E., Bradley, L. J., and Holgate, S. J. (2006) "Gibraltar Harbour: Site Survey and Installation of a Radar Tide Gauge" Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, Internal Document no. 179.

Woodworth, P. L., Hughes, C. W., Blackman, D. L., Stepanov, V. N., Holgate, S. J., Foden, P. R., Pugh, J. P., Mack, S., Hargreaves, G. W., Meredith, M. P., Milinevsky, G., Fierro Contreras, J. J. (2005) "Antarctic Peninsula sea levels: a real-time system for monitoring Drake Passage transport", Antarctic Science, 19 (3), pp. 429-436

Woodworth, P. L., Blackman, D. L., Foden, P., Holgate, S. J., Horsburgh, K., Knight, P. J., Smith, D. E., Macleod, E. A. and Bradshaw, E. (2005) "Evidence for the Indonesian Tsunami in British tidal records", Weather, 60 (9), pp. 263-267

Holgate, S. J. and Woodworth, P. L. (2004) "Evidence for enhanced coastal sea level rise during the 1990s", Geophysical Research Letters, 31, L07305

Holgate, S. J. (2005) "B Type Pressure Gauges in the South Atlantic". In Holgate, S. J. and Aarup T. (Eds.) "Workshop on New Technical Developments in Sea and Land Level Observing Systems", Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Workshop Report No. 193, pp. 18-21

Holgate, S. J. and Aarup T. (2005) (Editors) "Workshop on New Technical Developments in Sea and Land Level Observing Systems", Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Workshop Report No. 193