Dr Anthony J. Baran

Areas of expertise

• Electromagnetic and light scattering;

• Radiative transfer theory;

• Numerical methods;

• Cloudy satellite remote sensing;

• Cloud microphysics.

Publications by Anthony

Current activities

Anthony is currently responsible for the development of models that predict ice crystal scattering and absorption at wavelengths of importance to the energetics of the Earth's atmosphere. He is leading the development of a new parametrization for the single-scattering properties of cirrus that can be applied to GCM and to the retrieval of cirrus microphysical and macrophysical properties from space-based instrumentation. This is the first parametrization that links directly an important GCM prognostic variable such as ice water content and in-cloud temperature to the single-scattering properties of cirrus in a manner that is consistent with the cloud physics scheme in an operational GCM. The ice crystal models developed can also be used to predict microwave radiative transfer through cirrus as well as the radar reflectivity of cirrus at 94 GHz. Thus, this same ice crystal model can, in principle, be simultaneously applied to any region of the electromagnetic spectrum of importance to the Earth's atmosphere. Work is currently underway to validate the model against airborne observations of cirrus obtained with the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurement (FAAM) BAe-146 aircraft. The model will also be developed for the case of mixed phase cloud. With colleagues from France and America the model is also being tested against global space-based measurements of cirrus.

Anthony is also currently involved in a NERC consortium bid called 'Cirrus And Radiation in the TRopical Atmosphere (CARTA)' which is a joint study between the Met Office and UK Universities to study the radiative, microphysical, and macrophysical properties of tropical cirrus as well as how biomass burning aerosol in the Indonesian region might influence the subsequent development of cirrus in the outflow regions of deep convective cloud.

Career background

Anthony graduated from the University of London, Queen Mary and Westfield College, with a degree in Physics with Astrophysics in 1986. This was followed by an MSc from the Queens University, Belfast in 1987 and two years at the University College of North Wales, Bangor researching into the theory of laser-plasma interactions. He then gained a certificate in post-compulsory education from the Roehampton institute in 1989 and a further MSc with distinction in mathematical modelling from the University of Sunderland.

He joined the Met Office in September 1990 and since that time has been active in a number of groups within the Met Office such as the Atmospheric Physical Processes Group where he conducted research into a variety of forecasting techniques and Satellite Applications. In Satellite Applications he developed improved cirrus radiative transfer models to better utilise operational sounder satellites. He then joined the Meteorological Research Flight in 1997 conducting cirrus radiative transfer research using the Met Office C130 aircraft and atmospheric particulate electromagnetic scattering work.   Whilst working for the Met Office, Anthony completed a PhD in 1997 at University College London on The Remote Sensing Of Cirrus.

In 2003, when the Met Office moved to Exeter, the Meteorological Research Flight became the Observational Based Research section where Anthony continues his research to this day.

External Recognition

• Visiting Professor at the Laboratory of Atmospheric Optics at the University of Lille, France, when in attendance at that university.

• Honorary visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Hertfordshire, England.

• Invited contributing author to the 2007 light scattering review textbook entitled "Light Scattering Reviews 2" edited by A. Kokhanovsky.