David Pugh

IScientifically I have worked in the field of the physics of the marine environment. The latter half of my career has also involved responsibilities for scientific management, related recently to Government policy and cross-Department co-ordination. Scientific research has continued, often fitted around other work and with students at the Southampton Oceanography Centre. International responsibilities have involved working through Intergovernmental and ICSU structures for improving international programmes, often as Chairman or Director of international committees and expert groups.

The core area of my research has been associated with sea level change and variability. Initial interest in the physics of sea level measurements (5, 11, 12, 16) lead to studies of non-linear tidal and surge processes in shallow water, based on both observational and theoretical approaches (9, 13, 21, 22, 28, 31, 32). The physics of tidal amphidrome movement related to spring-neap tidal cycles was studied in the Irish Sea, showing that semidiurnal amphidromes migrate substantially, varying between degenerate and real over a 14-day period. New techniques were developed for estimating flooding risks in coastal areas, based on the independent joint probabilities of tidal and meteorological influences. (17, 19) Similar techniques have been applied to estimating probabilities of extreme currents. More recently the separation of separate effects on sea levels: tides, surges and mean sea level, has lead to improved understanding of the causes of sea level variability, and of the possible effects of climate change (41, 42, 53). Recently new work has started on the importance of internal tides for driving the seiching around some Indian Ocean islands ( Mauritius and Rodriguez), and the Falklands. This lead to the publication( and reprinting) of a widely used book on Tides, surges and mean sea level (32).

 Additional geophysical interests include marine geothermal heat-flow, and the measurement of heat-flow through the sediments of deep lakes. The discovery and mapping of the bathymetry of Lago General Carreras in the Patagonian Andes proved it to be the deepest lake in South America, and the tenth deepest in the world (54). Lake work also includes measurements to understand the importance of seasonal heat exchanges between water and sediments as a contributor to sub-thermocline circulation.

Internationally I founded the Global Sea Level Observing System of the IOC (with Professor Klaus Wyrtki) and was its Chairman for 8 years. I have senior appointments in the IOC and ICSU. In IOC I chaired an Expert Group on ocean data exchange policy; a preparatory meeting for a UN Debate on Ocean Affairs; and the IOC Drafting Group for a Statement to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2002. I represent the United Kingdom at IOC Governing Body meetings; and at UNCLOS and Data Policy intergovernmental negotiating meetings. In addition I have been part of the UK Delegations the United Nations meetings on Oceans, in New York.

Within the United Kingdom I have worked on various co-ordinating activities which requires a diversifying of work and application of different skills. These include a detailed analysis of the importance of marine activities in the UK economy, as a basis for arguing for more funding for basic and applied research ( 51). I was also responsible for co-ordinating the UK input to the International Year of the Ocean (1998). The UK co-ordinating Groups for both data and marine observing systems ( including input to GOOS) are part of the IACMST Office which I ran.

Now that I am no longer in full-time employment, in addition to IOC and FAGS Presidencies, I am continuing research as a Visiting Professor at Liverpool University, and with some consultancies. These have included:

 + Sea level monitoring requirements assessment for the South Coast (SCOPAC). 1993

+ Membership of Steering Group for the DEFRA “Integrated Assessment of the State of the UK Seas” published March, 2005.

+ Guest lecturing Southampton University Civil Engineering. 2003 and 2004.

+ Assessment of Venice flooding risk publications, for University of Arizona on behalf of the Consorzio Venezia Nuova. 2005

+ Investigation of the socio-economic impacts of improved marine monitoring techniques for Glasgow University as part of EU BRIMOM Project. 2005

+ Marine activities and the UK economy. Consortium lead by The Crown Estate. 2007-8

+ Flooding risks and climate change around the UK, for The Crown Estate, 2008-2009.

Contact: d.pugh@mac.com