NOC researcher awarded MBE for work on climate change

Dr Elizabeth Kent, who works at Southampton's National Oceanography Centre, was recognised in King Charles III’s New Year Honours list.

This list honours the achievements of British citizens, recommended by the prime minister after an independent assessment process.

For more than 30 years, Dr Kent has been working on improving historical sea surface temperature records.

Dr Liz Kent (Image: NOC)

This work is crucial for making long-term global surface temperature records more accurate and consistent.

These records help the international science community in detecting and describing human-induced climate change.

They are also used in climate assessments like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports.

These reports are important for policymakers, campaigners, and researchers who want to understand or show how the ocean and climate are changing.

Dr Kent, who is the associate head of the Marine Physics and Ocean Climate group at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), is part of a team working on historical marine surface observations.

She has spent years studying the details of these observations, including how they were made, recorded, and stored.

This helps reveal the true variations in marine surface temperature by reducing the impact of changing measurement methods over time.

Dr Kent said: "I am honoured that my contribution to improving historical marine data has been recognised in this way. This wouldn’t have been possible without the long-term support that the National Oceanography Centre provides for this work."

NOC chief scientist Professor Penny Holliday said: "Liz has been instrumental in ensuring that the sea surface temperature datasets used globally are as accurate as possible.

"Her expertise helps to ensure that hundreds of years of historical temperature data are continually improved and better understood, enabling us all to have the highest quality data when investigating global climate change."

Dr Kent has examined every measurement of sea surface and air temperature from commercial, naval, and research ships since the 19th Century.

Her work has been vital in ensuring the science community has access to the highest quality information possible.

The NOC congratulated Dr Kent on her award, recognising her decades of research.