Christopher Scott (scientist)

Christopher John Scott (né Davis) is a British scientist and professor of space and atmospheric physics at the University of Reading.[1] His research focuses on the boundary and links between the atmosphere and space. He is the former project scientist for the Heliospheric Imager instruments on NASA's twin STEREO spacecraft.[2][3]

Education and research career

Scott attended Brockenhust College,[4] before completing a BSc in Physics with Planetary & Space Physics at Aberystwyth University in 1989. He was awarded a PhD in upper atmosphere and auroral physics at the University of Southampton in 1993.[1] After his PhD, he moved to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, initially to support the EISCAT ionospheric radar, before taking up a number of research posts, including project scientist for the Heliospheric Imagers on the twin STEREO spacecraft.[5] At the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Scott worked closely with Richard Harrison and Mike Lockwood. In 2010, Scott moved to the University of Reading.

Research highlights

Scott's primary research focus is on the ionosphere, particularly perturbations from below by atmospheric phenomenon. Scott was the first scientist to demonstrate lightning effects on the 'sporadic E' layer; transient, localized patches of relatively high electron density in the mid-ionosphere, which significantly affect radio-wave propagation.[6] He subsequently investigated the relation between lightning occurrence and magnetic structures in the solar wind.[7][8][9][10][11] Scott has also used novel datasets to study how pressure waves from the lower atmosphere can lead to disturbances in the ionosphere, most notably using records of the London Blitz World War II bombing raids and ionospheric measurements from Slough.[12][13][14][15][16]

Using the Heliospheric Imager instruments on the STEREO spacecraft, Scott made the first observations of a solar eruption tracked continuously from the Sun to the Earth.[17]

Public outreach and citizen science

Scott is actively involved in the public communication and promotion of science. He has made numerous appearances on TV and radio, most notably the BBC’s Sky at Night,[18] Newsnight, BBC Radio 4’s Today programme,[19] BBC2's James May's Man Lab,[20] ITN news, and the Discovery Channel. He was science adviser for episode 1 of the BBC series ‘Seven Wonders of the Solar System’

Scott is the co-founder of the citizen science "Solar Stormwatch" project, to track solar eruptions in heliospheric imager data.[21][22][23]

References
  1. "Christopher Scott | University of Reading".
  2. "Seeing the Sun from all Angles". www.birmingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  3. "RAL Space Humankind sees sun as never before..." www.ralspace.stfc.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  4. College, Brockenhurst (9 December 2015). "A former Brock student who became university professor gives meteorology presentation | Brockenhurst College | Brock is one of the most successful Sixth Form colleges in the UK, offering A levels, Vocational, Adult Learning, Apprenticeships, Business courses". www.brock.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  5. Eyles, C. J.; Harrison, R. A.; Davis, C. J.; Waltham, N. R.; Shaughnessy, B. M.; Mapson-Menard, H. C. A.; Bewsher, D.; Crothers, S. R.; Davies, J. A.; Simnett, G. M.; Howard, R. A. (1 February 2009). "The Heliospheric Imagers Onboard the STEREO Mission". Solar Physics. 254 (2): 387–445. doi:10.1007/s11207-008-9299-0. ISSN 1573-093X.
  6. Davis, C. J.; Johnson, C. G. (June 2005). "Lightning-induced intensification of the ionospheric sporadic E layer". Nature. 435 (7043): 799–801. doi:10.1038/nature03638. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 15944700.
  7. Scott, C. J.; Harrison, R. G.; Owens, M. J.; Lockwood, M.; Barnard, L. (May 2014). "Evidence for solar wind modulation of lightning". Environmental Research Letters. 9 (5): 055004. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/9/5/055004. ISSN 1748-9326.
  8. Morelle, Rebecca (15 May 2014). "Active Sun sparks lightning strikes". Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  9. Moskvitch, Katia (2014). "Lightning linked to solar wind". Nature News. doi:10.1038/nature.2014.15229.
  10. Clark, Stuart (15 May 2014). "Sun's activity triggers lightning strikes". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  11. Simons, Paul (27 May 2014). "Weather eye: does space trigger lightning?". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  12. WWII bombing affected the Ionosphere (Earth affects Space) - BBC News - 26th September 2018, retrieved 2 November 2019
  13. "Shockwaves From WWII Bombing Raids Rippled the Edges of Space". Science. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  14. at 08:00, Katyanna Quach 27 Sep 2018. "Bombing raids during WWII sent out shockwaves powerful enough to alter the Earth's ionosphere". www.theregister.co.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  15. "Impact of WWII bombing raids felt at edge of space". European Geosciences Union (EGU). Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  16. Scott, Chris; Major, Patrick. "World War II bombing raids in London and Berlin struck the edge of space, our new study reveals". The Conversation. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  17. Davis, C. J.; Davies, J. A.; Lockwood, M.; Rouillard, A. P.; Eyles, C. J.; Harrison, R. A. (2009). "Stereoscopic imaging of an Earth-impacting solar coronal mass ejection: A major milestone for the STEREO mission". Geophysical Research Letters. 36 (8). doi:10.1029/2009GL038021. ISSN 1944-8007.
  18. "BBC Four - The Sky at Night, The Sun in Splendour". BBC. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  19. "BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, IPCC report, Cairngorms Connect project, grass pea, the Sun exhibition at Science Museum". BBC. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  20. Episode #3.2, retrieved 2 November 2019
  21. "Solar-Storm Watch". Scientific American. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  22. "Scientists launch Solar Stormwatch to ask public for help in understanding the Sun". Royal Museums Greenwich | UNESCO World Heritage Site In London. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  23. Schenkman, Lauren (24 December 2010). "Storm Chasers". Science. 330 (6012): 1729. doi:10.1126/science.330.6012.1729-d. ISSN 0036-8075.
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