Helen Dacre Explained

Helen Dacre is a British scientist and athlete. She is currently professor of dynamical meteorology at the University of Reading.[1] Her work on modelling and predicting the path of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic ash plume was pivotal in the reopening of European airspace in a timely manner.[2] She has previously represented Great Britain in water polo at the European, Commonwealth and World Championships.[3]

Sporting career

Dacre represented Great Britain at a number of international water polo competitions.[3] [4] [5] At the 2003 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Dacre was a regular fixture in the GB line up.[6] [7] [8]

Research career

Dacre's research focuses on the development of extratropical cyclones, pollution transport through the atmosphere and volcanic ash dispersion.[9] Her cyclone tracking algorithms are in widespread operational use.[10] [11]

Dacre's volcanic ash dispersion model is central to the Met Office aviation safety forecasts.[12] Following the 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano, European airspace was closed with a cost to the global airline industry an estimated $200 million per day[13] Dacre's assessment of the accuracy of ash models is credited with reducing airspace closure times, in particular reducing the economic impact of the 2011 Grímsvötn eruption.[14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Helen Dacre.
  2. Web site: DR HELEN DACRE: PREDICTING THE DISPERSAL OF VOLCANIC ASH.
  3. Web site: Helen Dacre – STEMsational Figures. en-US. 2019-10-15. 23 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200923083211/http://stemsational-figures.co.uk/?page_id=98. dead.
  4. Web site: Lancaster, Sheffield Win British Water Polo Titles. 2006-07-10. Swimming World News. en-US. 2019-10-15.
  5. News: Team talk and an audience with Bill: the bargaining begins. Lord. Craig. 2003-06-26. The Times. 2019-10-15. en. 0140-0460.
  6. Web site: SwimNews.com - FINA WC Day 9 - Women's Water Polo Match 31 & 32. www.swimnews.com. 2019-10-15. 22 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201022030134/http://www.swimnews.com/News/view/2487. dead.
  7. Web site: SwimNews.com - FINA WC Day 7 - Women's Water Polo Match 25 & 26. www.swimnews.com. 2019-10-15. 14 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210514051232/http://swimnews.com/News/view/2471. dead.
  8. Web site: SwimNews.com - FINA WC Day 5 - Women's Water Polo Match 17 & 18. www.swimnews.com. 2019-10-15. 19 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210619185125/https://swimnews.com/News/view/2454. dead.
  9. Web site: Helen Dacre - Google Scholar Citations. scholar.google.co.uk. 2019-10-15.
  10. Neu. Urs. Akperov. Mirseid G.. Bellenbaum. Nina. Benestad. Rasmus. Blender. Richard. Caballero. Rodrigo. Cocozza. Angela. Dacre. Helen F.. Feng. Yang. Fraedrich. Klaus. Grieger. Jens. 2012-09-19. IMILAST: A Community Effort to Intercompare Extratropical Cyclone Detection and Tracking Algorithms. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 94. 4. 529–547. 10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00154.1. 0003-0007. free.
  11. Web site: Storms: Extratropical Cyclone Atlas. www.met.rdg.ac.uk. 2019-10-15.
  12. Web site: The current volcanic ash modelling setup at the London VAAC.
  13. News: How the 2010 ash cloud caused chaos: facts and figures. 2011-05-24. 2019-10-15. en-GB. 0307-1235.
  14. Web site: Case Study 2: Forecasting volcanic ash transport using satellite imagery and dispersion modelling CREDIBLE. www.credible.bris.ac.uk. en-US. 2019-10-15.