Dr Peter Levens
Peter currently works on the satellite-based (and ground-based) cloud products that are assimilated into the UK area model, UKV.
Areas of expertise
- Infrared satellite remote sensing
- Data assimilation
- Information content of observations
- Cloud products
Current activities
Peter’s work is on the surface-based ‘SurfaceCloud’ and satellite-based ‘GeoCloud’ products that are assimilated into the UKV model. These are both methods of deriving cloud fraction and cloud height from synoptic weather observations, routine meteorological aerodrome report observations, and observations from the SEVIRI instrument. He is currently working on porting the codes from the current system into the next-generation observation processing system, JOPA.
Career background
Peter joined the Met Office in 2019 as an EUMETSAT research fellow, investigating an alternative product to assimilate in place of infrared radiances known as Transformed Retrievals, before moving into his current role in 2022. Prior to that Peter completed a PhD in solar physics at the University of Glasgow, where the title of his thesis was “Diagnostics of solar tornado-like prominences”, from which he graduated in 2018. He also has a BSc in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Glasgow.