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Professor Adrian James McDonald

Contact

Department: School of Earth and Environment ; School of Physical & Chemical Sciences

Email: adrian.mcdonald@canterbury.ac.nz

Direct Dial: +64 3 3692064

Office: Beatrice Tinsley Rm 416

Language: English

About
Research / Creative works
Supervision
Networks

Fields of Research

  • Extreme Weather Events in a Changing World
  • Satellite Remote Sensing
  • Climate modelling and climate model verification
  • Radar and Lidar remote sensing of the atmosphere
  • Clouds and Aerosols
  • Weather modelling and weather model verification
  • Atmospheric Dynamics

Researcher Summary

My research focuses on understanding processes relevant to the climate system, making fundamental atmospheric measurements (using a mixture of satellite remote sensing and surface observations), and the evaluation of environmental models. I am also an experienced field researcher and my team has participated in 20 Antarctic deployments and 5 Southern Ocean voyages. I also have a passion for science communication leading the award winning ‘Climate Change Series’ of public lectures, teaching how climate research can be used as an exemplar of how scientific issues are communicated and being a talented lecturer (3 nominations for the UCSA Lecturer of the Year).

Subject Area: Disciplines

  • Earth Sciences: Climatology
  • Environmental Studies: Environmental Studies
  • Physics: Atmospheric Physics

Research/Scholarly/Creative Works

(Displaying research/scholarly/creative work for last six years)
Journal Articles
  • Farooq U., Rack W., McDonald A. and Howell S. (2023) Representation of sea ice regimes in the Western Ross Sea, Antarctica, based on satellite imagery and AMPS wind data. Climate Dynamics 60(1-2): 227-238. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00382-022-06319-9.
  • Kuma P., Bender FA-M., Schuddeboom A., McDonald AJ. and Seland Ø. (2023) Machine learning of cloud types in satellite observations and climate models. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 23(1): 523-549. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-523-2023.
  • Schuddeboom AJ. and McDonald AJ. (2023) Understanding Internal Cluster Variability Through Subcluster Metric Analysis in a Geophysical Context. Earth and Space Science 10(1) http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2022ea002373.
  • Aves AR., Revell LE., Gaw S., Ruffell H., Schuddeboom A., Wotherspoon NE., Larue M. and Mcdonald AJ. (2022) First evidence of microplastics in Antarctic snow. Cryosphere 16(6): 2127-2145. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2127-2022.
  • Bhatti YA., Revell LE. and McDonald AJ. (2022) Influences of Antarctic Ozone Depletion on Southern Ocean Aerosols. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 127(18) http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2022JD037199.
  • Guyot A., Protat A., Alexander SP., Klekociuk AR., Kuma P. and McDonald A. (2022) Detection of supercooled liquid water containing clouds with ceilometers: development and evaluation of deterministic and data-driven retrievals. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 15(12): 3663-3681. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3663-2022.
  • Södergren AH. and McDonald AJ. (2022) Quantifying the Role of Atmospheric and Surface Albedo on Polar Amplification Using Satellite Observations and CMIP6 Model Output. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 127(12) http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2021JD035058.
  • Thomas A., McDonald A., Renwick J., Tradowsky JS., Bodeker GE. and Rosier S. (2022) Increasing temperature extremes in New Zealand and their connection to synoptic circulation features. International Journal of Climatology http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/joc.7908.
  • Dale ER., Kremser S., Tradowsky JS., Bodeker GE., Bird LJ., Olivares G., Coulson G., Somervell E., Pattinson W. and Barte J. (2021) The winter 2019 air pollution (PM2.5) measurement campaign in Christchurch, New Zealand. Earth System Science Data 13(5): 2053-2075. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2053-2021.
  • Kremser S., Harvey M., Kuma P., Hartery S., Saint-Macary A., McGregor J., Schuddeboom A., von Hobe M., Lennartz ST. and Geddes A. (2021) Southern Ocean cloud and aerosol data: a compilation of measurements from the 2018 Southern Ocean Ross Sea Marine Ecosystems and Environment voyage. Earth System Science Data 13(7): 3115-3153. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3115-2021.
  • Kuma P., J. McDonald A., Morgenstern O., Querel R., Silber I. and J. Flynn C. (2021) Ground-based lidar processing and simulator framework for comparing models and observations (ALCF 1.0). Geoscientific Model Development 14(1): 43-72. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-43-2021.
  • McErlich C., McDonald A., Schuddeboom A. and Silber I. (2021) Comparing Satellite- and Ground-Based Observations of Cloud Occurrence Over High Southern Latitudes. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 126(6) http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033607.
  • McFarquhar GM., Bretherton CS., Marchand R., Protat A., DeMott PJ., Alexander SP., Roberts GC., Twohy CH., Toohey D. and Siems S. (2021) Observations of clouds, aerosols, precipitation, and surface radiation over the southern ocean. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 102(4): E894-E928. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0132.1.
  • Schuddeboom AJ. and McDonald AJ. (2021) The Southern Ocean Radiative Bias, Cloud Compensating Errors, and Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity in CMIP6 Models. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 126(22) http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2021JD035310.
  • Dale ER., Katurji M., McDonald AJ., Voss P., Rack W. and Seto D. (2020) A Comparison of AMPS Forecasts Near the Ross Sea Polynya With Controlled Meteorological Balloon Observations. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 125(20) http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030591.
  • Farooq U., Rack W., McDonald A. and Howell S. (2020) Long-term analysis of sea ice drift in the western Ross sea, Antarctica, at high and low spatial resolution. Remote Sensing 12(9) http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/RS12091402.
  • Hartery S., Toohey D., Revell L., Sellegri K., Kuma P., Harvey M. and McDonald AJ. (2020) Constraining the Surface Flux of Sea Spray Particles From the Southern Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 125(4) http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2019JD032026.
  • Klekociuk AR., French WJR., Alexander SP., Kuma P. and McDonald AJ. (2020) The state of the atmosphere in the 2016 southern Kerguelen Axis campaign region. Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 174: 104550. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2019.02.001.
  • Kuma P., McDonald AJ., Morgenstern O., Alexander SP., Cassano JJ., Garrett S., Halla J., Hartery S., Harvey MJ. and Parsons S. (2020) Evaluation of Southern Ocean cloud in the HadGEM3 general circulation model and MERRA-2 reanalysis using ship-based observations. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 20(11): 6607-6630. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-6607-2020.
  • McDonald AJ. and Cairns LH. (2020) A New Method to Evaluate Reanalyses Using Synoptic Patterns: An Example Application in the Ross Sea/Ross Ice Shelf Region. Earth and Space Science 7(1) http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2019EA000794.
  • Revell LE., Kremser S., Hartery S., Harvey M., Mulcahy JP., Williams J., Morgenstern O., Mcdonald AJ., Varma V. and Bird L. (2019) The sensitivity of Southern Ocean aerosols and cloud microphysics to sea spray and sulfate aerosol production in the HadGEM3-GA7.1 chemistry-climate model. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 19(24): 15447-15466. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-15447-2019.
  • Schuddeboom A., Varma V., McDonald AJ., Morgenstern O., Harvey M., Parsons S., Field P. and Furtado K. (2019) Cluster-Based Evaluation of Model Compensating Errors: A Case Study of Cloud Radiative Effect in the Southern Ocean. Geophysical Research Letters 46(6): 3446-3453. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2018GL081686.
  • Jolly B., Kuma P., McDonald A. and Parsons S. (2018) An analysis of the cloud environment over the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf using CloudSat/CALIPSO satellite observations: The importance of synoptic forcing. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 18(13): 9723-9739. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9723-2018.
  • McDonald AJ. and Parsons S. (2018) A Comparison of Cloud Classification Methodologies: Differences Between Cloud and Dynamical Regimes. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 123(19): 11-193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2018JD028595.
  • Schuddeboom A., McDonald AJ., Morgenstern O., Harvey M. and Parsons S. (2018) Regional Regime‐Based Evaluation of Present‐Day General Circulation Model Cloud Simulations Using Self‐Organizing Maps. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 123(8): 4259-4272. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2017JD028196.
  • Dale ER., McDonald AJ., Coggins JHJ. and Rack W. (2017) Atmospheric forcing of sea ice anomalies in the Ross Sea polynya region. Cryosphere 11(1): 267-280. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-267-2017.
  • Dennison F., McDonald A. and Morgenstern O. (2017) The evolution of zonally asymmetric austral ozone in a chemistry-climate model. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 17(22): 14075-14084. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-14075-2017.
  • Friedrich LS., McDonald AJ., Bodeker GE., Cooper KE., Lewis J. and Paterson AJ. (2017) A comparison of Loon balloon observations and stratospheric reanalysis products. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 17(2): 855-866. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-855-2017.
  • Södergren AH., McDonald AJ. and Bodeker GE. (2017) An energy balance model exploration of the impacts of interactions between surface albedo, cloud cover and water vapor on polar amplification. Climate Dynamics : 1-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00382-017-3974-5.

Student Supervision

Displaying all items.
    Current
  • PhD - Schuddeboom A: Southern Ocean Cyclones
  • Completed
  • PhD - Baumgaertner A: Observations of Middle Atmosphere Dynamics over Antarctica (2007)
  • PhD - Carey-Smith T: The design, construction and initial operation of the Canterbury University ST radar (2003)
  • PhD - Chen C: PhD at Colorado University at Boulder
  • PhD - Coggins J: Studies of the meteorology and climatology of Ross Island and the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica (2013)
  • PhD - Dale E: Interactions between changing weather patterns and the Antarctic cryosphere in the Ross Sea Region (2020)
  • PhD - Dennison F: Ozone-Climate Links in the Southern Hemisphere (2016)
  • PhD - Farook U: Sea ice thickness through satellite imagery and altimetry (2021)
  • PhD - Hartery SP: Aerosol–cloud interactions over the Southern Ocean (2021)
  • PhD - Hay T: MAX-DOAS measurements of bromine explosion events in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica (2010)
  • PhD - Huck P: The coupling of dynamics and chemistry in the Antarctic stratosphere (2007)
  • PhD - Jolly B: Surface Meteorology and tropospheric clouds near Ross Island in Antarctica (2016)
  • PhD - Kruetzmann N: Analysis of Internal Boundaries and Transition Regions in Geophysical Systems with Advanced Processing Techniques
  • PhD - Kuma P: Comparing remotely sensed observations of clouds and aerosols in the Southern Ocean with Climate model simulations (2020)
  • PhD - Monahan K: [Book] An examination of the transition region between the troposphere and stratosphere using tracer space (2008)
  • PhD - Parsons S: Climate Variability: changing weather patterns over New Zealand (2015)
  • PhD - Price D: Assessment of Antarctic sea ice by surface validated satellite measurements (2014)
  • PhD - Smith M: Madeleine Smith, 2011-2016, Investigating the polar stratospheric vortex edge region using reanalysis and satellite tracer data (2016)
  • PhD - Sodergren H: Using simple models to improve understanding of the interactions between components of the climate system (2019)
  • PhD - Soja R: Dynamics of the Solar System Meteoroid Population (2010)
  • PhD - Thomas G: A New Instrument for Atmospheric Aerosol Measurement (2001)
  • PhD - Wurl D: Optimal estimation retrieval of aerosol microphysical properties in the lower stratosphere from SAGE II satellite observations (2007)
  • Masters - Dennison F: Analysis of PSC Formation using Parcel Temperature Histories (2013)
  • Masters - Fullick S: Energy Balance Models with three phases of water feedback (2013)
  • Masters - Geldenhuis A: The atmospheric gravity wave transfer function above Scott Base (2008)
  • Masters - Grahn J: Untitled Masters thesis (2012)
  • Masters - Kruetzmann N: Application of Complexity Measures to Stratospheric Dynamics (2008)
  • Masters - Mace E: Comparison of toddler and adult exposure to urban air pollution in Christchurch, New Zealand (2019)
  • Masters - Ward R: Controls of the Sea Ice Extent in the Ross Sea and Development of a Wireless Sensor Network (2011)
  • Masters - Wheaton S: Post-Pinatubo Stratospheric Aerosol Loading (2007)
  • Honours - Dennison F: Elliptical Diagnostics of the Annual Cycle in Antarctic Sea Ice as Simulated by Global Climate Models (2011)
  • Honours - Emerich P: QBO? (2005)
  • Honours - Fraedrich L: Google-Loon measurements of the stratosphere (2015)
  • Honours - Lublow B: The Effect of Precipitation_x000B_on VHF Radar Returns (2003)
  • Honours - Monahan K: Futher Studies on the Effect of Precipitation on VHF Radar Returns (2004)
  • Honours - Patterson A: Bridging the Climate_Weather Gap: Self Organising Maps and Cyclone Evolution (2015)
  • Honours - Ridden-Harper R: Clouds over the Southern Ocean (2015)
  • Honours - Schuddeboom A: Cyclones over the Southern Ocean (2014)

Review and Refereeing

Displaying all items.
  • Journal refereeing ( 2001 - 2023)
  • Referee for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ( 1997 - 2002)
  • Reviewer for the following journals: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Geophysical Research Letters, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteor ( 2000 - 2005)

Research Groups

  • Centre for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)
  • Earth Atmosphere Processes
  • Gateway Antarctica

Equipment

  • Birdlings flat radar facility
  • Campbell weather station
  • MF radar transmitter (x2)
  • Vaisala CL51 Ceilometer
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