Caribbean agriculture under SRM: a case study in Jamaica
Project summary
The team led by Dr Leonardo Clarke is researching how SRM might affect the Caribbean’s future climate and its agriculture, an important component of the region’s economy. As increases in global temperatures continue unabated and its challenging effects on society become more evident, there have been suggestions that SRM may help slow global warming. There are however still few studies evaluating the effects of SRM on regions such as the Caribbean. Building on its previous project (2018-2021) which evaluated how SRM might affect temperature and rainfall patterns, the team will study how SRM may affect growth patterns and crop yields in Jamaica. The project is hosted on the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, and features a collaboration with the Institute of Meteorology in Cuba (INSMET).
The team
Dr Leonardo Clarke (PI)
University of the West Indies
Dr Leonardo A. Clarke is a Lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Kingston, Jamaica. He is also a Researcher with the Climate Studies Group, Mona (CSGM). His interest is in the mechanisms that drive present and future climate variability in the Caribbean, in particular the relationship between Caribbean precipitation and sea surface temperatures in the tropical North Atlantic and the equatorial Pacific. He will lead a Caribbean research team for the SRMGI-TWAS DECIMALS project.
Jayaka Campbell
University of the West Indies
JD Campbell is an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. He is a computational physicist with a focus on atmospheric sciences, more specifically, the generation of regional climate modelling scenarios at scales relevant to the small size and complex terrain of the nations of the Caribbean and its neighbours. His research includes examining the impact of climate, climate change and climate variability on the key economic drivers and social sectors (agriculture, water, health, etc.) of the Caribbean. Like so many before him, JD Campbell credits his success to the support of his family, friends and the seemingly never-ending guidance of his mentors.
Abel Centella
Institute of Meteorology, Cuba
Abel Centella is the current Director of the Basic Systems of the Institute of Meteorology in Cuba (INSMET) since 2017. INSMET provides meteorological services, training and research on weather and in climate fields. It is a pioneering institution which has been responsible for the investigation of climate impacts in Cuba and conducts adaptation assessments at the national level. Today, Mr Centella’s responsibilities include coordinating the operational processes of the observations, telecommunications and forecast systems of the Met Service in Cuba. He has held other positions at INSMET which include being the Science Director from 2002 to 2016, Head of the Climate Center from 1999 to 2001, and a Research Scientist from 1986 to 1999. Mr Centella’s experiences include being the Coordinator of the First National Communication of Cuba as well as the Coordinator of the National Climate Change Group in Cuba, being lead author of the ‘Variations and Changes of the Climate in Cuba’ National Report, authoring several publications related with climate change and variability and receiving the National Academic of Science of Cuba award for research on Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation in Cuba, being a member of the Caribbean Climate Change Modelling Group, and leading several research initiatives on regional climate modelling as well as regional projections including 1.5 warming.
Dale Rankin
University of the West Indies
Dale Rankine is an applied climate scientist who holds a PhD (with high commendation) from the University of the West Indies, Mona. His research interests focus on climate and crop simulation modelling, seeking to understand how climate change will affect different socioeconomic sectors. In his recent works on agriculture he has parameterised the FAO AquaCrop Model and explored drought stress impacts on sweet potato and irrigation effects on Cassava.
Dr Roxann Stennett-Brown
University of the West Indies
Roxann Stennett-Brown is currently the Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Matters and a lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus (UWI). She is also a member of the Climate Studies Group (CSG) at (UWI). Roxann is a recent graduate of UWI and her research interests as a graduate student were in statistical downscaling of climate and climate extremes. Some published work during her graduate years included “Future Caribbean Temperature and Rainfall Extremes from Statistical Downscaling” and “Caribbean Climate Change Vulnerability: Lessons from an Aggregate Index Approach”. Her current research interest includes heatwave analysis and solar radiation management for the Caribbean.
Dr Tannecia Stephenson
University of the West Indies
Dr Tannecia Stephenson is co-Director of the Climate Studies Group, Mona, and Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Physics at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Jamaica. Her research interests are Caribbean climate variability, climate extremes, seasonal predictions using statistical models, statistical downscaling and assessing comparative vulnerability using aggregate indices. She has been affiliated with a number of climate variability and change projects and has published a number of journal articles, technical reports and short monographs with collaborators. Her work experience includes conducting research as a visiting fellow at the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. Dr Stephenson has served on a number of international committees and teams, including the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) Science Advisory Team (CORDEX-SAT) and the Task Team on Guide to Climatological Practices (TT-GCP) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Fifth Open Panel of the Commission for Climatology (CCl) Experts (OPACE 5). She is also a lead author on Chapter 10 “Linking global to regional climate change” for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report.
Prof. Michael Taylor
University of the West Indies
Michael Taylor is the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of the West Indies, Mona. He also co-directs the Climate Studies Group, Mona (CSGM). His research focuses on determining the scientific imprint of climate change in and at the scale of the Caribbean islands. He was a coordinating lead author for chapter 3 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on 1.5 degrees.