Siddharth Gumber
Mountain Climate Modeller
I am a ‘Mountain Climate Modeller’ in the Modelling Group of the Atmosphere, Ice and Climate team. I am also a Senior Member of St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge. I am currently working with Dr Andrew Orr and Dr Hamish Pritchard on an ambitious new UKRI/NERC-funded Highlight project called ‘The Big Thaw: https://www.bas.ac.uk/project/the-big-thaw/) with an aim to assess past, present and future changes in global mountain water resources. Working within the ‘atmospheric modelling’ work package of this project, I am currently undertaking high-resolution atmospheric modelling work using the MetUM regional climate model (RCM) with the current state-of-the-art CASIM microphysics to address the question: How much snow accumulates in selected key mountain catchments, and how will it change?
Before moving to BAS, I earned undergraduate and doctoral degrees in Chemical and Mechanical Engineering (Fluid Mechanics) in India. My PhD led to conceptual advances on the re-distribution and transformation of vehicle-mediated particles into cloud droplets entailing solution non-ideal effects. This involved a collaboration with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune (Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India) under the aegis of the Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) (URL: https://www.tropmet.res.in/~caipeex/). Portions of my research were featured in IITM’s cloud physics lecture series following the International Conference on Cloud Physics and Precipitation, 2021 (URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNpMZPyCJSc).
Additionally, my work has garnered attention in the British media, including an article in New Scientist, a UK-based science magazine under the Daily Mail Trust and the Royal Meteorological Society of Great Britain (https://www.newscientist.com/article/2281560-a-1000-year-old-indian-temple-had-an-early-form-of-air-conditioning/).
Previous appointments and Education
- 2026-present Post-doctoral researcher, Mountain Atmospheric Modeller: Mountain gravity waves – TEAMx Project
- 2023-2026 Post-doctoral researcher, Mountain Climate Modeller: Snowfall modelling in mountainous regions- Himalayas, Alps, Rockies – The Big Thaw Project
- 2017-2023 PhD. Vellore Institute of Technology. Fluid Mechanics of the Atmosphere. Cloud Microphysics.
- 2017 B.Tech. Vellore Institute of Technology. Chemical Engineering (First Class Honours (1st)).
Research interests
Cloud Microphysics- Warm and Cold rain processes
Mountain Meteorology
Atmospheric Chemistry
Climate Change
Collaborations
Collaborations/Visits
Met Office, Exeter, U.K.
Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, U.K.
Center for Ocean, River, Atmosphere and Land Sciences (CORAL), Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India
Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India
School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore
National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India
School of Built Environment, University of Reading, U.K.
Publications from NERC Open Research Archive
2025
12) Gilbert, E., Torres-Alavez, J. A., Hofsteenge, M. G., van de Berg, W. J., Boberg, F., Christensen, O. B., van Dalum, C. T., Fettweis, X., Gumber, S., Hansen, N., Kittel, C., Lambin, C., Maure, D., Mottram, R., Olesen, M., Orr, A., Phillips, T., van Tiggelen, M., Verro, K., and Mooney, P. A.: The PolarRES dataset: a state-of-the-art regional climate model ensemble for understanding Antarctic climate, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4214, 2025
2024
11) Gumber, S., Bera, S., Ghosh, S. et al. Turbulence-induced droplet grouping and augmented rain formation in cumulus clouds. Scientific Reports, Nature, 14, 10298 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61036-z
2023
10) Ghosh, S., Barik, D.K., Renganayaki, P. et al. The impact of short-duration precipitation events over the historic Cauvery basin: a study on altered water resource patterns and associated threats. Scientific Reports, Nature, 13, 14095 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41417-6
2022
9) Gumber, S., Ghosh S. (2022) Quick Predictions of Onset Times and Rain Amounts from Monsoon Showers over Urban Built Environments. Atmosphere, 13, 370. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13030370
8) Gumber, S., & Ghosh, S. (2022) An experimental and modelling analysis of cloud droplet growth from vehicular emissions with non-ideal microphysics over an Asian megacity. Atmospheric Science Letters, 23(5), e1081. https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.1081
7) Gumber, S., Ghosh S, Bera S, Prabha TV. (2022) On the Importance of Non-Ideal Sulphate Processing of Multi-Component Aerosol Haze over Urban areas. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, Springer Nature 134, 37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-022-00877-7
6) Ghosh, S., Sathish Kumar, C. R., Gumber, S., Dobbie, S., & Yang, H. (2022) How Asian slum emissions impact local microclimates in polluted air masses. Atmospheric Science Letters, 23(12), e1124. https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.1124
2021
5) Ghosh, S., Bharadwaj, S.J., Bharadwaj, S.J., Gumber, S. (2021) Engineered bioclimatic responses in ancient settlements: a case study. Int J Biometeorology, Springer Nature, 65, 1967–1982. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-021-02153-6
2020
4) Gumber, S., Ghosh, S., Orr, A., Kumar, C.R.S., Pope. J. (2020) On the microphysical processing of aged combustion aerosols impacting warm rain microphysics over Asian megacities. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, Springer Nature, 139, 1479–1491. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-019-03042-0
3) Chandra, A., Ghosh, S., Doshi, N., Deshpande, S., Gumber, S. (2020) A Case Study on Assessing Cumulonimbus Induced Flight Vulnerabilities Over the Nepalese Himalayan Terrain. Pure and Applied Geophysics, Springer Nature, 177, 5041–5066. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-020-02541-w
2019
2) Kumar C.R.S., Ghosh S., Gumber S., Mishra, R., Yang, H. (2019) Carbonaceous Particle Scavenging and Thermal Comfort Augmentation with an Extended Green Facade Draped with Vernonia elaeagnifolia. EnvironmentAsia 12:6274.
https://doi.org/10.14456/EA.2019.46
2018
1) Ghosh, S., Gumber, S. & Varotsos, C. (2018) A sensitivity study of diffusional mass transfer of gases in tropical storm hydrometeors. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, Springer Nature, 134, 1083–1100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-017-2321-4
Conferences
- Gumber, S., Orr, A., Field, P., Pritchard, H., Covi, F., Deb, P., Girona-Mata, Marc, Widmann, M., Potter, E. (2024) Using novel lake-based snowfall measurements in the Rockies, Alps, and Himalayas to assess and optimise the representation of snowfall in the MetUM regional atmospheric model at kilometre grid-scales. 21st Conference on Mountain Meteorology, AMS, Idaho, US. URL: https://ams.confex.com/ams/21MOUNTAIN/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/444301
- Gumber, S., Orr, A., Field, P., Pritchard, H., Covi, F., Deb, P., Girona-Mata, Marc, Widmann, M., Potter, E. (2024) Using Novel Lake-based Snowfall Measurements in the Alps and Himalayas to optimise Cloud and Precipitation processes in a Regional Atmospheric Model (MetUM). European Geophysical Union (EGU), Vienna. URL: https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU24/EGU24-10043.html
- Gumber, S., Ghosh, S,, Bera, S,, Prabha, T.V. (2021) Chemical Processing and Non-ideality in CAIPEEX Microphysics. 18th International Conference on Clouds and Precipitation 2021, Pune under the aegis of International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS), an association of IUGG (International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics). URL: https://iccp2020.tropmet.res.in/fnd/program
- Gumber, S., Kumar, C.R.S., Ghosh, S., Varghese, J. (2018) Turbulent mixing and generation of short-lived climate forcers from an Asian Mega City: The Soot and Black Carbon Conundrum. Cambridge Particle Meeting, Cambridge University Engineering Department, Cambridge University, U.K. URL: https://cambridgeparticlemeeting.org/proceedings/2018
In News/Blogs
2024
Precipitation at the Third Pole: the race to understand Himalayan rainfall
Blog 11 December, 2024
2023
Link: Swarajyamag
Blog 10 September, 2023
For article: Ghosh, S., Barik, D.K., Renganayaki, P. et al. The impact of short-duration precipitation events over the historic Cauvery basin: a study on altered water resource patterns and associated threats. Scientific Reports, Nature, 13, 14095 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41417-6
2021
Link: A 1000-year-old Indian temple had an early form of air conditioning, New Scientist
Blog 18 June 2021
For article: Ghosh, S., Bharadwaj, S.J., Bharadwaj, S.J., Gumber, S. (2021) Engineered bioclimatic responses in ancient settlements: a case study.
Int J Biometeorol 65, 1967–1982. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-021-02153-6
Public Engagement/YouTube Lectures
- Was invited to give a talk at the ‘Pint of Science UK’ – annual science festival that aims to communicate contemporary scientific developments to the public by bringing scientists to pubs, cafés and other public places to share their research and findings – URL: https://pintofscience.co.uk/event/weather-wonders.
- Some of my PhD research was featured in IITM’s cloud physics lecture series following the International Conference on Cloud Physics and Precipitation, 2021 (URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNpMZPyCJSc)
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Senior Member (2024 to present), St. Edmunds College, University of Cambridge, U.K.
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Undergraduate Teaching Supervisor (2025 to present), Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, U.K.