Current responsibilities for BAS:

• Member of the Science Strategy Executive Group
• Team Leader of Ice Dynamics and Paleoclimate (IDP)
• Group head of IDP Earth System Modelling

Currently advertised PhD projects :

• Earth system dynamics during current and past warm climates. (BAS and University Cambridge )

Currently advertised PDRA positions:

• None

Current students and staff:

• Dr Xu Zhang, Scientist, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Dr Alison McLaren, Scientist, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Dr Irene Malmierca, Scientist, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Mr John Slattery, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Ms Huiling Zou, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Ms Rachel Diamond, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Ms Eliza Ziegler, PhD candidate (University of Heidelberg, Germany).
• Ms Estelle Lonyem Ngoumtsa, PhD candidate (University of Bristol, UK).

Previous students and staff:

• Dr Rahul Sivankutty, PDRA, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Dr Qinggang Gao, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Dr Matthew Chadwick, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Dr Vittoria Guarino, PDRA, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Ms Fiona Turner, PhD candidate (University of Sheffield, UK).
• Ms Irene Malmierca, PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Dr Kira Rehfeld, DFG Research Fellow (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Dr Max Holloway, PDRA, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Dr Emilie Capron, Senior scientist, (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Mr Max Holloway,  PhD candidate (British Antarctic Survey, UK).
• Dr Gisela Hiess, PDRA (British Antarctic Survey, UK).

Funding and major projects:

1. Institute Lead: MBIE NZ: Antarctic Sea-Ice Switch (ASIS) – Preparing for New Threats   *
2. WP1 and Institute Lead: EU-HE: Past-to-Future: Towards fully paleo-informed future climate projections (P2F). HE-101184070 [starts March 2025 ]
3. Co-Investigator. NERC Directed. Drivers and Impacts of Extreme Weather Events in Antarctica: EXTANT (NE/Y503307/1)
4. Co-Investigator. NERC National Capability Single Science (NC): UK Polar Research Expertise for Science and Society: PRESCIENT (grant number *)
5. Co-Investigator. NERC Directed. The Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to +2C: SWAIS2C. NE/X009386/1 [Ongoing]
6. Co-Investigator. NERC Directed. Assessing ocean-forced, marine-terminating glacier change in Greenland during climatic warm periods and its impact on marine productivity: KANG-GLAC. NE/V006509/1  [Ongoing]
7. Principal Investigator. NERC National Capability International. SURface FluxEs In AnTarctica: SURFEIT.  NE/X009319/1. [Ongoing]
8. Institute and ERC lead: EU DEEPICE: Understanding Deep Ice Core Proxies to Infer Past Antarctic Climate Dynamics, H2020 G.N.955750 [Ongoing]
9. Modelling lead: EU ERC Grant: ANTarctic Sea Ice Evolution from a novel biological archive: ANTSIE [Ongoing]
10. UK and modelling lead: NZ Marsden: Roosevelt Island Climate Evolution (RICE) Project [Ongoing]
11. WP2 and Institute  Lead: EU-H2020: Tipping Points in the Earths System: TiPES H2020 G.N. 820970 [Completed, Feb 2024]
12. Co-Investigator. AHRC: research grant: Materializing Data, Embodying Climate Change.  AH/S00369X/ [Completed]
13. Co-Investigator. EU-ERC Grant: Warm Climate Stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet in the last Interglacial: WACSWAIN. [Completed]
14. Principal Investigator. NERC Standard Grant: Retreat of Southern Hemisphere Sea Ice, 130 000 to 116 000 years BP. NE/P013279/1. [Completed]
15. Principal Investigator. NSF-NERC Standard Grant: Paleoclimate signatures of the climate response to West Antarctic ice sheet collapse. NE/P009271/1. [Completed]
16. Co-Investigator. Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures Grant: Reconstructing the past and predicting the future: what can ice cores tell us about climate? [Completed]
17. Principal Investigator. EPSRC-Feasibility Study Grant: Emulating the Isotope Response to Changes in the Geometry of the Greenland Ice Sheet. [Completed]
18. Co-Investigator. NERC Standard Grant: Late Quaternary changes in Westerly Winds over the Southern Ocean. NE/K004514/1. [Completed]
19. Principal Investigator. NERC New Investigator Grant: The Age Structure of the Greenland Ice Sheet. NE/J004804/1. [Completed]

Research interests

One of the key questions which has motivated Louise’s recent work is the question of how we can best use evidence of change during past warm climate periods to help understand and predict likely polar change over the coming centuries.  Closely linked to this, she has a strong interest in how we can evaluate, and improve, our climate models over the polar regions, and recently helped formulate the CMIP FastTrack modelling protocol that explores the impacts of abrupt sea ice loss (abrupt-127k). See also https://www.pmip-interglacials.de/.

Collaborations

Professional (collaborative) activities:

• 2025-          Member Royal Society Fellowships Panel,
• 2024-          Co-Lead of the CMIP-PMIP Interglacials Work Group
• 2024-2025 Chair of NERC award Panel B (Climate, Cryosphere and ESMs),
• 2023-2024 Visiting Fellow University of Dunedin, Dunedin, NZ
• 2022-2024 Science Advisory Group – Centre for Polar Observations and Modelling (CPOM-UK)
• 2021-2025 Visiting Fellow University of Victoria, Wellington, NZ
• 2018-2021 Member of the NERC Large Grant panel
• 2018-2020 Chair of the University of Cambridge C-CLEAR NERC DTP Climate and Environment panel: Awards 3-12 NERC PhD studentships
• 2018-2020 Steering Committee: SCAR Past Antarctic Ice Sheet (PAIS)
• 2017-2020 Steering Committee: PAGES Climate Variability Across Scales (CVAS)
• 2016-2022 Core panel A member for NERC: Attend 2-3 panel meetings per year
• 2016-2018 Management board member: GW4+ NERC DTP: Awards 28 NERC PhD studentships
• 2016-2017 Chaired interview panel: For GW4+ DTP across multiple sites.
• 2015-2017 Elected Work Group Leader: the Past Earth Network, Model-Data Comparisons

Polar Data Centre Datasets:

• Guarino, M. V., & Sime, L. (2022). Last Interglacial summer air temperature observations for the Arctic (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/9AB58D27-596A-472C-A13E-2DCD68612082
• Guarino, M. V., & Sime, L. (2021). HadCM3 and HadGEM3 LIG model outputs: A sea ice-free Arctic (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/9B138820-EEC3-43AE-A49B-068A9F5931A4
• Perren, B., Hodgson, D., Roberts, S., Sime, L., Van Nieuwenhuyze, W., Verleyen, E., & Vyverman, W. (2020). Fossil diatom and geochemistry data from a 700-year core from La Grange Cop, subantarctic Marion Island. (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/49A1EC0E-AE5F-4DF5-A59B-FA6DFF614678
• Malmierca Vallet, I., Domingo, D., Sime, L., & Voss, J. (2020). Surface elevation of 69 Greenland Ice Sheet morphologies and associated δ18O anomalies (with respect to Pre-industrial) simulated by HadCM3 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/35AED839-1634-4692-B6D6-4D6312953EB5
• Goursaud, S., Holloway, M., Sime, L., Wolff, E., Valdes, P., Steig, E., & Pauling, A. (2020). Global monthly outputs of orography, surface air temperature and water stable isotopes for the last interglacial for idealised Antarctic Ice Sheet simulations run by the isotope-enabled HadCM3 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/09330D14-7F2D-4C12-AD00-08A9CD1FB214
• Holloway, M. (2018). Southern Hemisphere winter sea ice concentration simulated by HadCM3 to best explain the early last interglacial Antarctic isotope peak [Data set]. Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation, UK. https://doi.org/10.5285/0F3D9228-2F4A-4F2C-BBE6-EE8A123DB58D

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

• Malmierca Vallet, I., Sime, L., Valdes, P., Klockmann, M., Vettoretti, G., & Slattery, J. (2024). HadCM3 model outputs: Spontaneous Dansgaard-Oeschger type oscillations (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/92b07757-3897-4a26-b93d-c508ffe93846

• Guarino, M., & Sime, L. (2022). Last Interglacial summer air temperature observations for the Arctic (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/9ab58d27-596a-472c-a13e-2dcd68612082

• Guarino, M., & Sime, L. (2021). HadCM3 and HadGEM3 LIG model outputs: A sea ice-free Arctic (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/9b138820-eec3-43ae-a49b-068a9f5931a4

• Goursaud, S., Holloway, M., Sime, L., Wolff, E., Valdes, P., Steig, E., & Pauling, A. (2020). Global monthly outputs of orography, surface air temperature and water stable isotopes for the last interglacial for idealised Antarctic Ice Sheet simulations run by the isotope-enabled HadCM3 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/09330d14-7f2d-4c12-ad00-08a9cd1fb214

• Perren, B., Hodgson, D., Roberts, S., Sime, L., Van Nieuwenhuyze, W., Verleyen, E., & Vyverman, W. (2020). Fossil diatom and geochemistry data from a 700-year core from La Grange Cop, subantarctic Marion Island. (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/49a1ec0e-ae5f-4df5-a59b-fa6dff614678

• Sime, L., Malmierca Vallet, I., Domingo, D., & Voss, J. (2019). Surface elevation of 69 Greenland Ice Sheet morphologies and associated δ18O anomalies (with respect to Pre-industrial) simulated by HadCM3 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01283

• Holloway, M. (2018). Southern Hemisphere winter sea ice concentration simulated by HadCM3 to best explain the early last interglacial Antarctic isotope peak (Version 1.0) [Data set]. Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation, UK. https://doi.org/10.5285/0f3d9228-2f4a-4f2c-bbe6-ee8a123db58d

1. ANTARCTICA INSYNC

   ANTARCTICA INSYNC brings together researchers from around the world including British Antarctic Survey to study the continent and the Southern Ocean at the same time.

   Read more of: ANTARCTICA INSYNC

   

2. Creating Standards for Climate Experiments

   Eco-ICE studies whether making Arctic sea ice thicker could harm ocean life and creates tools to help decision-makers work out if climate projects are safe.

   Read more of: Creating Standards for Climate Experiments

   

3. PRESCIENT

   PRESCIENT supports long-term, strategically important measurements and capabilities for the wider science community.

   Read more of: PRESCIENT

   

4. Antarctic surface mass and energy exchanges

   SURFEIT unites UK and international scientists to study Antarctic ice and atmosphere interactions, improve sea-level projections, and support climate action.

   Read more of: Antarctic surface mass and energy exchanges

   

5. Adding water tracers to the UK Earth System Model

   The project adds water tracers, including stable isotopes, to the UK Earth system model (UKESM2). These tracers follow water through the model’s hydrological cycle.

   Read more of: Adding water tracers to the UK Earth System Model

   

6. Modelling Greenland’s abrupt ancient warming

   SDOO project investigates abrupt climate warming episodes recorded in Greenland ice cores, known as Dansgaard-Oeschger events, where temperatures rose by 10-15°C within a decade during the last glacial period.

   Read more of: Modelling Greenland’s abrupt ancient warming

   

7. Past Westerly Winds

   Past Westerly Winds research project used climate model simulations to investigate how Southern Ocean westerly winds behaved during the last glacial maximum.

   Read more of: Past Westerly Winds

   

8. Weddell Sea ice sheet and climate

   Studying ice response during past climate changes improves understanding of Antarctic ice sheet dynamics. This knowledge helps predict how ice sheets may behave under future warming scenarios.

   Read more of: Weddell Sea ice sheet and climate

   

9. Climate and Ice during the Last Interglacial

   This project studies the last Interglacial (129-116 thousand years ago, ka) when CO2 and global temperature were both higher than they were before human industrialisation. By examining Last Interglacial climate, we can gain insights into climate processes and feedbacks close to those expected by the end of the 21st century.

   Read more of: Climate and Ice during the Last Interglacial

   

10. Late Quaternary changes in the Westerly Winds over the Southern Ocean

    In this NERC-funded project, we are generating Southern Hemisphere Westerlies (SHW) proxy records from each of the three major sectors of the Southern Ocean, focusing on subantarctic islands situated in the core belt of the SHW.

    Read more of: Late Quaternary changes in the Westerly Winds over the Southern Ocean

    

12. iStar-D The contribution to sea-level rise from the Amundsen Sea sector of Antarctica

    iStar-D will identify the potential contribution to sea-level rise, from ice locked in the Amundsen Sea sector of Antarctica

    Read more of: iStar-D The contribution to sea-level rise from the Amundsen Sea sector of Antarctica

    

Some links to current major funded projects that I lead or co-lead:

NERC: Surface Fluxes in Antarctica: SURFEIT: PI Louise Sime (2.3m to BAS)

EU-H2020 Major European Grant: Tipping Points in the Earths System: Led by Dr Peter Ditlevsen (8 mill EUR in total): WP lead Louise Sime  (680K EUR to BAS)

AHRC: research grant: Materializing Data, Embodying Climate Change. Led by Professor Tom Corby: University of the Arts London. AH/S00369X/1 (685K), co-led by Dr Louise Sime. [LINK?]

ERC advanced grant: WACSWAIN. (3000K) Led by Prof Eric Wolff; co-investigator Dr Louise Sime.

NERC standard grant: Retreat of Southern Hemisphere Sea Ice, 130 000 to 116 000 years BP . Led by Dr Louise Sime: BAS (360K)

NSFGEO-NERC standard grant: Paleoclimate signatures of the climate response to West Antarctic ice sheet collapse. Joint US and UK project. Led by Dr Louise Sime: BAS (202K); and Prof Eric Steig; University of Washington (300K).

Links to major funded projects now finished, that I led or co-led:

NERC standard grant: Late Quaternary changes in the Westerly Winds over the Southern Ocean. Led by Dr Dom Hodgson, BAS (650K)l; co-led by Dr Louise Sime.

NERC new investigator grant: The Age Structure of the Greenland ice sheet from Airborne Radar Data (ASGARD). Led by Dr Louise Sime: BAS (79K)

1. Ancient Antarctic ice loss offers insights into future climate scenarios

   Scientists from the University of Cambridge and British Antarctic Survey have used ice core records to draw new conclusions about how Antarctica was affected by increased global temperatures over 100,000 years ago.

   Read more of: Ancient Antarctic ice loss offers insights into future climate scenarios

   

2. Record low Antarctic sea ice ‘extremely unlikely’ without climate change

   Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have found that the record-low levels of sea ice around Antarctica in 2023 were extremely unlikely to happen without the influence of climate change.

   Read more of: Record low Antarctic sea ice ‘extremely unlikely’ without climate change

   

3. Team heads for Antarctica to study global warming effects

   A research mission to Antarctica will study the effects of global warming on the West Antarctic ice sheet.

   Read more of: Team heads for Antarctica to study global warming effects

   

4. DEEPICE: Network of young researchers to unveil past climate change in Antarctica

   A network of international researchers launches a European collaboration this week ( 14 October 2021). This collaboration will train a new generation of scientists to understand how past climate changes […]

   Read more of: DEEPICE: Network of young researchers to unveil past climate change in Antarctica

   

5. Past evidence supports complete loss of Arctic sea-ice by 2035

   A new study, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, supports predictions that the Arctic could be free of sea ice by 2035. High temperatures in the Arctic […]

   Read more of: Past evidence supports complete loss of Arctic sea-ice by 2035

   

6. Arctic sea ice loss in past linked to abrupt climate events

   A new study on ice cores shows that reductions in sea ice in the Arctic in the period between 30-100,000 years ago led to major climate events. During this period, […]

   Read more of: Arctic sea ice loss in past linked to abrupt climate events

   

7. FEATURED PAPER: Winds and sea ice

   It is thought that wind changes over the Southern Ocean may have been critical in driving changes in CO2 between cold ice-world and warm-world climates. Because of inconsistencies between the […]

   Read more of: FEATURED PAPER: Winds and sea ice

   

8. FEATURED PAPER: Sea-ice reduction

   A team of British climate scientists comparing today’s environment with the warm period before the last ice age has discovered a 65% reduction of Antarctic sea ice around 128,000 years […]

   Read more of: FEATURED PAPER: Sea-ice reduction

   

9. New Antarctic ice discovery aids future climate predictions

   A team of British climate scientists comparing today’s environment with the warm period before the last ice age has discovered a 65% reduction of Antarctic sea ice around 128,000 years […]

   Read more of: New Antarctic ice discovery aids future climate predictions

   

10. PRESS RELEASE: Warmer spells detected in ice cores

    Mysteriously warm times in Antarctica A new study of Antarctica’s past climate reveals that temperatures during the warm periods between ice ages (interglacials) may have been higher than previously thought. […]

    Read more of: PRESS RELEASE: Warmer spells detected in ice cores

    

Some recent invites:

2024 CMIP7 FastTrack invited seminar on the abruptLIG CMIP7 FastTrack protocol (June 2024).

2024 LIG workshop in Stockholm, Sweden, Invited speaker on Last Interglacials (May 2024).

2024 EGU2024, Highlight talk: Last Interglacial and CMIP6 (April 2024).

2024 Bern, Switzerland: Abrupt sea ice loss and polar changes (March 2024).

2023 GRISO workshop in Bergen, Norway: First Invited Keynote: Arctic and Greenland Ice Sheet change during the Last Interglacial (April, 2023).

2023 Dunedin, NZ, Icesheet change during past Interglacials (Feb, 2023).

2022 Wellington, NZ, Sea level rise and icesheet change during past Interglacials (Dec, 2022).

2022 EGU: Invited talk: Diversity in Interglacials – past warm periods.

2022 DEEPICE FINSE winter school lecturer: https://deepice.cnrs.fr/deepice-events/

2021 Glasgow COP26:  Invited panel member: Climate Risk & Tipping Points in the Polar Regions (Panel + Q&A)

2021 University of the Arts COP26 event speaker/panellist: Ask a Climate Scientist: COP, Science, Culture and Politics

Some press coverage of our groups work:

The Guardian: www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/19/sea-levels-could-rise-bysix-to-nine-metres-over-time-new-study-warns

The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/west-antarctic-ice-sheet-sea-level-rise-global-warming-climate-change-british-antarctic-survey-a7195481.html

The Mail Online: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3743104/Antarcticas-sea-ice-said-vulnerable-sudden-retreat.html

The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/08/16/world/europe/16reuters-climatechange-antarctica.html?ref=world&_r=0

• Team Leader, Ice Dynamics and Paleoclimate
• BAS member of the NERC Peer review College, NERC Peer review College
• Member of the Sea Ice Prediction Network, Sea Ice Prediction Network