WORK
Dr Stephen Lewis, who works in the OU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, constructs models for comparative studies of dynamical meteorology and climate processes on different planets.
Having completed his doctorate modelling the Giant Planets and, in particular, Jupiter’s Great Red Spot – the anticyclonic storm which has raged on the planet for at least the 440 years that humans have been able to see it – Stephen has spent much of the last few years studying the Martian atmosphere and is now working with colleagues on an atmosphere model of Venus.
“I seem to be getting nearer to the Earth,” he says. “I started far out in the Solar System and am now modelling atmospheres more like our own, although the recent discovery of planets orbiting other stars offers new challenges.
“Planetary atmospheres fascinate me,” adds Stephen, who says he has always been motivated by astronomy.
“The puzzle is about these weather systems thrashing about. Why does Jupiter have its Great Red Spot? Why does it have such a stable, high-pressure system compared with our changeable weather on Earth?”
Since 1991 Stephen has been working with scientists at Oxford University, the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique in Paris and Spain’s Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia in Spain to develop a global model of Mars’ atmosphere able to simulate present day Martian weather conditions and carbon dioxide, dust and water cycles.
Study of the Martian atmosphere also increases knowledge of the Earth. “It’s a similar atmosphere in many ways – a thin atmosphere surrounding a solid planet with almost the same rotation rate,” says Stephen, “I am increasingly interested in problems involving the Earth's paleoclimate and climate change in the deep past. This has included attempts to model neoproterozoic (around 750Ma BP) frozen "Snowball Earth" states in a coupled atmosphere-ocean climate model.”
Stephen’s field of interest also includes analysis and interpretation of spacecraft observations of planetary atmospheres. His work has also included developing a data assimilation scheme for analysis of observations of the Martian atmosphere from Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Express and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter – his work is currently being used on the latter craft currently in orbit around the Red Planet.
PLAY
Stephen is married with a son and two daughters “so I spend a lot of my spare time running a taxi service to a variety of sporting, musical and social events”. He also enjoys walking in the countryside near his home in Buckinghamshire.
KEY DATES
June 1963 Born central London
1984 Graduated with MA in Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge
1984-8 Doctoral research at University of Oxford – studied Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
April 1991 – married Bridget
1992 Became a father to a son
1994 Daughter was born
1998 Second daughter born
2001 Appointed to a University Lecturership at Oxford.
2005 Mars Climate Sounder launches successfully on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, currently orbiting the Red Planet
October 2005 Was appointed RCUK Academic Fellow at the OU.
