Kaitlin Naughten is an ocean modeller specialising in interactions between the Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Southern Ocean, and the broader climate system. Her research primarily focuses on the future of Antarctic ice shelf cavities in a warming climate. Kaitlin has specialised in regional settings (Weddell Sea, Amundsen Sea) as well as circum-Antarctic and global. She co-developed ÚaMITgcm, one of the first successful coupled ice-sheet/ocean models. She is now a member of the core development team for the UK Earth System Model, the world’s only global climate model with a fully coupled Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Employment and education

2022-present: Ocean/Ice Climate Modeller (BAS)
2020-2022: Ocean/Ice Modeller Amundsen Sea (BAS)
2018-2020: Ocean/Ice Modeller MITgcm (BAS)
2014-2018: PhD (University of New South Wales, Australia)
2010-2014: BSc (University of Manitoba, Canada)

Management experience

Line manager of Nicolas Dettling, postdoc (2025-present)
Line manager of Birgit Rogalla, postdoc (2023-present)
Line manager of Tarkan Bilge, postdoc (2023-present)
Primary supervisor of Katherine Turner, PhD student with Southampton (2022-present)
Primary supervisor of Joren Janzing, MSc student with Utrecht (2021-2022)

Outreach

Expert witness to the UK Government’s Environmental Audit Sub-Committee on Polar Research (2023)
Kaitlin’s Nature Climate Change paper, “Unavoidable future increase in West Antarctic ice-shelf melting over the twenty-first century”, was the #7 most covered climate paper of 2023.

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

Publications before joining BAS

Please note Kaitlin’s former surname Alexander.

Naughten, K.A., Meissner, K.J., Galton-Fenzi, B.K., England, M.H., Timmermann, R., Hellmer, H.H. (2018) Future projections of Antarctic ice shelf melting based on CMIP5 scenarios. Journal of Climate, 31: 5243-5261, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0854.1.

Naughten, K.A., Meissner, K.J., Galton-Fenzi, B.K., England, M.H., Timmermann, R., Hellmer, H.H., Hattermann, T., Debernard, J.B. (2018) Intercomparison of Antarctic ice-shelf, ocean, and sea-ice interactions simulated by MetROMS-iceshelf and FESOM 1.4. Geoscientific Model Development, 11: 1257-1292, doi:10.5194/gmd-11-1257-2018.

Naughten, K.A., Galton-Fenzi, B.K., Meissner, K.J., England, M.H., Brassington, G.B., Colberg, F., Hattermann, T., Debernard, J.B. (2017) Spurious sea ice formation caused by oscillatory ocean tracer advection schemes. Ocean Modelling, 116: 108-117, doi:10.1016/j.ocemod.2017.06.010.

Alexander, K., Meissner, K.J., Bralower, T.J. (2015) Sudden spreading of corrosive bottom water during the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. Nature Geoscience, 8: 458-461, doi:10.1038/ngeo2430.

Alexander, K., Easterbrook, S.M. (2015) The software architecture of climate models: a graphical comparison of CMIP5 and EMICAR5 configurations. Geoscientific Model Development, 8: 1221-1232, doi:10.5194/gmd-8-1221-2015.

Meissner, K.J., Bralower, T.J., Alexander, K., Dunkley Jones, T., Sijp, W., Ward, M. (2014) The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum: How much carbon is enough? Paleoceanography, 29: 946-963, doi:10.1002/2014PA002650.

Bralower, T.J., Meissner, K.J., Alexander, K., Thomas, D.J. (2014) The dynamics of global change at the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum: A data-model comparison. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 15: 3830-3848, doi:10.1002/2014GC005474.

Zickfeld, K., Eby, M., Weaver, A.J., Alexander, K., et al. (2013) Long-Term Climate Change Commitment and Reversibility: An EMIC Intercomparison. Journal of Climate, 26: 5782-5809, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00584.1.

Eby, M., Weaver, A.J., Alexander, K., et al. (2013) Historical and idealized climate model experiments: an intercomparison of Earth system models of intermediate complexity. Climate of the Past, 9: 1111-1140, doi:10.5194/cp-9-1111-2013.

Weaver, A.J., Sedlacek, J., Eby, M., Alexander, K., et al. (2012) Stability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation: A model intercomparison. Geophysical Research Letters, 39: L20709, doi:10.1029/2012GL053763.

• Turner, K., & Naughten, K. (2024). Analysis output of the MITgcm ocean model data for the Amundsen Sea (1920 to 2100) (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/8a2b18eb-4720-4a40-a52a-b8f571b26b28

• Naughten, K., Holland, P., & De Rydt, J. (2023). Amundsen Sea MITgcm model output forced with CESM1 historical and future climate scenarios, 1920-2100 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/b692f76f-eac8-466a-a008-32e9ba3e7b44

• Naughten, K. (2022). Amundsen Sea MITgcm model output forced with Pacific Pacemaker Ensemble, 1920-2013 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/a4ea4d64-169a-4981-a64d-c2604b52522e

1. SO-WISE

   SO-WISE addresses a critical knowledge gap in understanding how warm ocean water reaches and melts the undersides of West Antarctic ice shelves, which is currently the largest source of uncertainty in global sea level rise projections.

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2. Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative – Key outcomes

   A series of events and activities to raise awareness of opportunities in UK Polar Science

   Read more of: Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative – Key outcomes

   

• TerraFIRMA
• AnthroFAIL
• ISOTIPIC
• DEFIANT

1. Make sure stammered voices are heard

   Blog: Ocean modeller Dr Kaitlin Naughten discusses what we can do as individuals and as institutions to support our colleagues who stammer.

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1. Increased West Antarctic Ice Sheet melting ‘unavoidable’

   The West Antarctic Ice Sheet will continue to increase its rate of melting over the rest of the century, no matter how much we reduce fossil fuel use, according to British Antarctic Survey (BAS) research published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change.

   Read more of: Increased West Antarctic Ice Sheet melting ‘unavoidable’

   

2. New link between greenhouse gases and sea-level rise

   Researchers have used advanced ocean modelling techniques to reveal how greenhouse gas emissions contribute to warmer oceans and resulting melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

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3. The world’s largest iceberg

   An enormous iceberg has calved from the western side of the Ronne Ice Shelf, in Antarctica. The iceberg, newly named A-76, measures around 4320 sq km in size and is […]

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4. Celebrating International Day of Women & Girls in Science

   International Day of Women and Girls in Science today (11 February) is a celebration of women and girls in science and is organised by UNESCO and UN-Women. To mark this […]

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5. Study shows melting ice sheets will disrupt climate

   Water entering the oceans from melting ice sheets could cause extreme weather and a change in ocean circulation not currently accounted for in global climate policies, a new study published […]

   Read more of: Study shows melting ice sheets will disrupt climate