Baker, Dr Alexander John
Research Scientist
-
University of Reading
Department of Meteorology
University of Reading
Earley Gate
Whiteknights Road
Reading
RG6 6ET
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2697-1350
- @alexbakey
- +44 118 378 7762
- https://alexbakey.wordpress.com/
I use observational data and high-resolution global climate models to study tropical and midlatitude storms—their frequency, tracks, and structures; how they intensify; how they interact with the oceans; and their role in extreme weather events. I’m also studying how well current climate models simulate the North Atlantic jet stream, which steers storms towards Europe. I’m interested in how anthropogenic climate change will reshape storm risk, and what we can learn from state-of-the-art climate models. Since 2016, I’ve received support from three major international programs: PRIMAVERA, ACSIS and nextGEMS. During 2018–2020, I worked with the hydrocarbon industry on tropical cyclone risk to offshore infrastructure. I’m part of a UK-US team that secured funding for a new four-year research program (Huracán) on tropical storm risk beyond the tropics, commencing in 2023. I help organise and run the biennial NCAS Climate Modelling Summer School, held at the University of Cambridge.
Publications
- Baker Alexander J.; Vannière Benoît; Vidale P. L.; On the Realism of Tropical Cyclone Intensification in Global Storm-Resolving Climate Models. Geophysical Research Letters, 51 (e2024GL109841) , [doi:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109841] Aug 2024
- Huang Huanping; Collins William D.; Patricola Christina M.; Ruprich-Robert Yohan; Ullrich Paul; Baker Alexander J.; Contrasting Responses of Atlantic and Pacific Tropical Cyclone Activity to Atlantic Multidecadal Variability. Geophysical Research Letters, 50 (10) , [doi:10.1029/2023gl102959] May 2023
- Huang Huanping; Collins William D.; Patricola Christina M.; Ruprich-Robert Yohan; Ullrich Paul; Baker Alexander J.; Contrasting Responses of Atlantic and Pacific Tropical Cyclone Activity to Atlantic Multidecadal Variability. Geophysical Research Letters, 50 (10) , [doi:10.1029/2023gl102959] May 2023
- Bhatia Kieran; Baker Alexander J.; Yang Wenchang; Vecchi Gabriel; Knutson Thomas; Murakami Hiroyuki; Kossin James; Hodges Kevin; Dixon Keith; Bronselaer Benjamin; Whitlock Carolyn; Author Correction: A potential explanation for the global increase in tropical cyclone rapid intensification. Nature Communications, 14 (1) , [doi:10.1038/s41467-023-36308-3] Jan 2023
- Bhatia Kieran; Baker Alexander J.; Yang Wenchang; Vecchi Gabriel; Knutson Thomas; Murakami Hiroyuki; Kossin James; Hodges Kevin; Dixon Keith; Bronselaer Benjamin; Whitlock Carolyn; Author Correction: A potential explanation for the global increase in tropical cyclone rapid intensification. Nature Communications, 13 (1) , [doi:10.1038/s41467-022-35497-7] Dec 2022
- Bhatia Kieran; Baker Alexander J.; Yang Wenchang; Vecchi Gabriel; Knutson Thomas; Murakami Hiroyuki; Kossin James; Hodges Kevin; Dixon Keith; Bronselaer Benjamin; Whitlock Carolyn; A potential explanation for the global increase in tropical cyclone rapid intensification. Nature Communications, 13 (1) , [doi:10.1038/s41467-022-34321-6] Nov 2022
- Sainsbury Elliott M.; Schiemann R.; Hodges Kevin I.; Baker Alexander J.; Shaffrey Len C.; Bhatia Kieran T.; Bourdin Stella; Can low-resolution CMIP6 ScenarioMIP models provide insight into future European post-tropical-cyclone risk?. Weather And Climate Dynamics, 3 (4) , 1359--1379, [doi:10.5194/wcd-3-1359-2022] Nov 2022
- Sainsbury Elliott M.; Schiemann Reinhard K. H.; Hodges Kevin I.; Baker Alexander J.; Shaffrey Len C.; Bhatia Kieran T.; Why Do Some Post-Tropical Cyclones Impact Europe?. Monthly Weather Review, 150 (10) , 2553--2571, [doi:10.1175/mwr-d-22-0111.1] Oct 2022
- Baker Alexander J.; Roberts Malcolm J.; Vidale Pier Luigi; Hodges Kevin I.; Seddon Jon; Vannière Benoît; Haarsma Rein J.; Schiemann Reinhard; Kapetanakis Dimitris; Tourigny Etienne; Lohmann Katja; Roberts Christopher D.; Terray Laurent; Extratropical Transition of Tropical Cyclones in a Multiresolution Ensemble of Atmosphere-Only and Fully Coupled Global Climate Models. Journal Of Climate, 35 (16) , 5283--5306, [doi:10.1175/jcli-d-21-0801.1] Aug 2022
- Sainsbury Elliott M.; Schiemann R.; Hodges Kevin I.; Baker Alexander J.; Shaffrey Len C.; Bhatia Kieran T.; Bourdin Stella; Can low-resolution CMIP6 ScenarioMIP models provide insight into future European Post-Tropical Cyclone risk?. [doi:10.5194/wcd-2022-46] Aug 2022
- Sainsbury Elliott M.; Schiemann R.; Hodges Kevin I.; Baker Alexander J.; Shaffrey Len C.; Bhatia Kieran T.; Bourdin Stella; Supplementary material to "Can low-resolution CMIP6 ScenarioMIP models provide insight into future European Post-Tropical Cyclone risk?". [doi:10.5194/wcd-2022-46-supplement] Aug 2022
- Athanasiadis Panos J.; Ogawa Fumiaki; Omrani Nour-Eddine; Keenlyside Noel; Schiemann Reinhard; Baker Alexander J.; Vidale Pier Luigi; Bellucci Alessio; Ruggieri Paolo; Haarsma Rein; Roberts Malcolm; Roberts Chris; Novak Lenka; Gualdi Silvio; Mitigating climate biases in the mid-latitude North Atlantic by increasing model resolution: SST gradients and their relation to blocking and the jet.. Journal Of Climate 1--61, [doi:10.1175/jcli-d-21-0515.1] Jul 2022
- Sainsbury Elliott M.; Schiemann Reinhard K. H.; Hodges Kevin I.; Baker Alexander J.; Shaffrey Len C.; Bhatia Kieran T.; What Governs the Interannual Variability of Recurving North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones?. Journal Of Climate, 35 (12) , 3627--3641, [doi:10.1175/jcli-d-21-0712.1] Jun 2022
- Baker Alexander J.; Global decline in frequency. Nature Climate Change, 12 (7) , 615--617, [doi:10.1038/s41558-022-01414-5] Jun 2022
- Bhatia Kieran; Baker Alexander J.; Yang Wenchang; Vecchi Gabriel; Knutson Thomas; Murakami Hiroyuki; Kossin James; Hodges Kevin; Dixon Keith; Whitlock Carolyn; Bronselaer Benjamin; Tropical Cyclone Rapid Intensification: An Explanation for the Global Increase. [doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1617224/v1] May 2022
- Baker Alexander J.; Vidale P. L.; Roberts Malcolm; Hodges Kevin; Seddon Jon; Tourigny Etienne; Lohmann Katja; Roberts Christopher; Terray Laurent; Impact of Atlantic multidecadal variability on North Atlantic tropical cyclones and extratropical transition. [doi:10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2314] Mar 2022
- Sainsbury Elliott M.; Schiemann R.; Hodges Kevin; Baker Alexander J.; Shaffrey Len C.; Bhatia Kieran; Why do some Recurving Tropical Cyclones Impact Europe as Post-Tropical Cyclones?. [doi:10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2456] Mar 2022
- Baker Alexander J.; Hodges Kevin I.; Schiemann Reinhard K. H.; Vidale Pier Luigi; Historical variability and lifecycles of North Atlantic midlatitude cyclones originating in the tropics. Journal Of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Geophys Res Atmos, n/a (n/a) , e2020JD033924, [doi:10.1029/2020JD033924] Apr 2021
- Baldini James U. L.; Lechleitner Franziska A.; Breitenbach Sebastian F. M.; van Hunen Jeroen; Baldini Lisa M.; Wynn Peter M.; Jamieson Robert A.; Ridley Harriet E.; Baker Alexander J.; Walczak Izabela W.; Fohlmeister Jens; Detecting and quantifying palaeoseasonality in stalagmites using geochemical and modelling approaches. Quaternary Science Reviews, 254, 106784, [doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106784] 2021
- Sainsbury Elliott M.; Schiemann R.; Hodges Kevin I.; Shaffrey Len C.; Baker Alexander J.; Bhatia Kieran T.; How Important Are Post-Tropical Cyclones for European Windstorm Risk?. Geophysical Research Letters, 47 (18) , [doi:10.1029/2020gl089853] Sep 2020
- Bador Margot; Boé Julien; Terray Laurent; Alexander Lisa V.; Baker Alexander J.; Bellucci Alessio; Haarsma Rein; Koenigk T.; Moine Marie‐Pierre; Lohmann Katja; Putrasahan Dian A.; Roberts Chris; Roberts Malcolm; Scoccimarro Enrico; Schiemann R.; Seddon Jon; Senan Retish; Valcke Sophie; Vannière Benoît; Impact of Higher Spatial Atmospheric Resolution on Precipitation Extremes Over Land in Global Climate Models. Journal Of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 125 (13) , [doi:10.1029/2019jd032184] Jul 2020
- Bhatia Kieran; Baker Alexander J.; Vecchi Gabriel; Murakami Hiroyuki; Kossin James; Vidale P. L.; Hodges Kevin; Knutson Thomas; An Environmental Explanation for the Recent Increase in Tropical Cyclone Intensification. [doi:10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-18644] Mar 2020
- Fabiano F.; Christensen H. M.; Strommen K.; Athanasiadis P.; Baker Alexander J.; Schiemann R.; Corti S.; Euro-Atlantic weather Regimes in the PRIMAVERA coupled climate simulations: impact of resolution and mean state biases on model performance. Climate Dynamics, 54 (11) , 5031--5048, [doi:10.1007/s00382-020-05271-w] 2020
- Roberts Malcolm J.; Baker Alexander J.; Blockley Ed W.; Calvert Daley; Coward Andrew; Hewitt Helene; Jackson Laura C.; Kuhlbrodt T.; Mathiot Pierre; Roberts Christopher D.; Schiemann R.; Seddon Jon; Vannière Benoît; Vidale P. L.; Description of the resolution hierarchy of the global coupled HadGEM3-GC3.1 model as used in CMIP6 HighResMIP experiments. Geoscientific Model Development, 12 (12) , 4999--5028, [doi:10.5194/gmd-12-4999-2019] Dec 2019
- Baker Alexander J.; Schiemann Reinhard; Hodges Kevin I.; Demory Marie-Estelle; Mizielinski Matthew S.; Roberts Malcolm J.; Shaffrey Len C.; Strachan Jane; Vidale Pier Luigi; Enhanced Climate Change Response of Wintertime North Atlantic Circulation, Cyclonic Activity, and Precipitation in a 25-km-Resolution Global Atmospheric Model. Journal Of Climate, 32 (22) , 7763--7781, [doi:10.1175/jcli-d-19-0054.1] Nov 2019
- Roberts Malcolm J.; Baker Alexander J.; Blockley Ed W.; Calvert Daley; Coward Andrew; Hewitt Helene T.; Jackson Laura C.; Kuhlbrodt T.; Mathiot Pierre; Roberts Christopher D.; Schiemann R.; Seddon Jon; Vannière Benoît; Vidale P. L.; Description of the resolution hierarchy of the global coupled HadGEM3-GC3.1 model as used in CMIP6 HighResMIP experiments. Geoscientific Model Development Discussions 1--47, [doi:10.5194/gmd-2019-148] Jun 2019
- Baker Alexander J.; Sodemann Harald; Baldini James U. L.; Breitenbach Sebastian F. M.; Johnson Kathleen R.; van Hunen Jeroen; Zhang Pingzhong; Seasonality of westerly moisture transport in the East Asian summer monsoon and its implications for interpreting precipitation δ18O. Journal Of Geophysical Research, 120 (12) , 5850--5862, [doi:10.1002/2014jd022919] 2015
- Baker Alexander J.; Mattey David P.; Baldini James U. L.; Reconstructing modern stalagmite growth from cave monitoring, local meteorology, and experimental measurements of dripwater films. Earth And Planetary Science Letters, 392, 239–249, [doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2014.02.036] Apr 2014
Engagements
- https://theconversation.com/severe-storms-from-tropics-reach-europe-once-every-five-years-on-average-new-research-159669, May 2021
- https://www.newscientist.com/article/2288675-hurricane-ida-was-almost-certainly-made-worse-by-climate-change/, August 2021
- https://www.ft.com/content/d1c95303-39be-49c3-8bae-7044cb2df7b5, January 2021