Need help from you guys for my Dissertation

[BarnetBlizzard]

I have always been obsessed with weather, and in particular, extreme weather events.  I have been visiting net weather daily for almost 9 years, and have been a member since 2008.  There is nothing more exciting for me then to anticipate and experience unusual weather events such as extreme snowfall, heat waves and storms.  

It would therefore make sense if i were to write my dissertation on extreme weather. However I have yet to decide on the title, and this is where I need help from you guys. I would like to write something to do with the frequency of extreme weather events occurring within the UK, and whether this is due to climate change.  However, the title has to be way more specific then that, and this is the bit I am struggling with.  Bare in mind the title has to enable me to conduct a significant amount of research. 

Any comments, discussion or suggestions would be welcomed!

 

Thanks a lot. 

[Midlands Ice Age]

I have always been obsessed with weather, and in particular, extreme weather events.  I have been visiting net weather daily for almost 9 years, and have been a member since 2008.  There is nothing more exciting for me then to anticipate and experience unusual weather events such as extreme snowfall, heat waves and storms.  

It would therefore make sense if i were to write my dissertation on extreme weather. However I have yet to decide on the title, and this is where I need help from you guys. I would like to write something to do with the frequency of extreme weather events occurring within the UK, and whether this is due to climate change.  However, the title has to be way more specific then that, and this is the bit I am struggling with.  Bare in mind the title has to enable me to conduct a significant amount of research. 

Any comments, discussion or suggestions would be welcomed!

 

Thanks a lot. 

 

BB..

Do you want to look back at historical data or stick with say the last 50 years?

 

MIA

[BarnetBlizzard]

BB..

Do you want to look back at historical data or stick with say the last 50 years?

 

MIA

 

I was thinking between the last 30 to 50 years, however another option is to go back further to the start of the general industrialisation period although I am not sure how readily available any data would be. 

[BornFromTheVoid]

I have always been obsessed with weather, and in particular, extreme weather events.  I have been visiting net weather daily for almost 9 years, and have been a member since 2008.  There is nothing more exciting for me then to anticipate and experience unusual weather events such as extreme snowfall, heat waves and storms.  

It would therefore make sense if i were to write my dissertation on extreme weather. However I have yet to decide on the title, and this is where I need help from you guys. I would like to write something to do with the frequency of extreme weather events occurring within the UK, and whether this is due to climate change.  However, the title has to be way more specific then that, and this is the bit I am struggling with.  Bare in mind the title has to enable me to conduct a significant amount of research. 

Any comments, discussion or suggestions would be welcomed!

 

Thanks a lot. 

 

What's your degree course?

 

The CET record is the longest instrumental temperature record on the planet, so that could be a good place to start. There download page is here 

I'm sure the Met Office would be able to direct you to many free data sets for the UK too.

[BarnetBlizzard]

What's your degree course?

 

The CET record is the longest instrumental temperature record on the planet, so that could be a good place to start. There download page is here 

I'm sure the Met Office would be able to direct you to many free data sets for the UK too.

 

I am studying environmental geography, so quite a range of topics I could have gone in to. Thanks very much, I'll check that out and is definitely a good place to start.  I am looking to make my question more focused, e.g whether the longevity and frequency of droughts in the UK has increased within the last 50 years, and whether this is set to continue.  

[Nouska]

I am studying environmental geography, so quite a range of topics I could have gone in to. Thanks very much, I'll check that out and is definitely a good place to start.  I am looking to make my question more focused, e.g whether the longevity and frequency of droughts in the UK has increased within the last 50 years, and whether this is set to continue.  

 

I think wind events have increased over recent years and possibly flooding too.

 

If the topic is purely UK focused, some interesting papers around with possible changes to local weather if the solar output continues to decline - it is a hot research topic currently.

[BarnetBlizzard]

I think wind events have increased over recent years and possibly flooding too.

 

If the topic is purely UK focused, some interesting papers around with possible changes to local weather if the solar output continues to decline - it is a hot research topic currently.

 

I was thinking of looking at solar activity so I'll look up some papers now. Thanks

[BornFromTheVoid]

I am studying environmental geography, so quite a range of topics I could have gone in to. Thanks very much, I'll check that out and is definitely a good place to start.  I am looking to make my question more focused, e.g whether the longevity and frequency of droughts in the UK has increased within the last 50 years, and whether this is set to continue.  

 

Like the solar stuff mentioned by Nouska, there's a lot of research ongoing at the moment on how the fast warming over the Arctic, which is reducing the temperature gradient to more southern latitudes, is influencing mid latitude weather. Jennifer Francis, James Overland and, closer to home, Ed Hanna in Sheffield do a lot of work on the topic. 

 

Reanalysis data would be handy to use too. Some of it goes back to 1851. You can check a bit out here

 

It's not much use for us to throw out exact topic ideas. You need to find something that fascinates you, that you'd willing to dedicate the time to and get a good result! I'm sure some people here can help with data sets, processing and stuff, but the basic idea really needs to be your own.

[BarnetBlizzard]

Like the solar stuff mentioned by Nouska, there's a lot of research ongoing at the moment on how the fast warming over the Arctic, which is reducing the temperature gradient to more southern latitudes, is influencing mid latitude weather. Jennifer Francis, James Overland and, closer to home, Ed Hanna in Sheffield do a lot of work on the topic. 

 

Reanalysis data would be handy to use too. Some of it goes back to 1851. You can check a bit out here

 

It's not much use for us to throw out exact topic ideas. You need to find something that fascinates you, that you'd willing to dedicate the time to and get a good result! I'm sure some people here can help with data sets, processing and stuff, but the basic idea really needs to be your own.

 

Okay great, that gives me an area to look in more detail.  The topic was created just so I could communicate with other people interested in the same topics, and see where that took me. 

 

Thanks

[Hector the Convector]

Hi BarnetBlizzard. Have you had anymore ideas with your title yet? I studied environmental science and geography a while back and done my dissertation on global warming and hurricane activity in the north Atlantic. Like you I originally wanted to conduct a UK based study but I really struggled to find the data (not that I'm trying to put you off!). I wrote to the met office twice and never heard back. But that was back in 2010...I think they use twitter alot now, so that may be a good place to ask them questions?

Hope it's going well mate!