Dr Ellen Dyer

Postdoctoral Researcher in African Climate Science

Profile

Ellen is a climate scientist in the who specialises in African climate systems and joined SoGE at the University of Oxford in 2016. Her current work focuses on understanding historical climate and future projections in models for Ethiopia and Kenya as part of the REACH project. She is also interested in how climate information is communicated and disseminated and is leading a study on climate information flows in the Awash Basin, Ethiopia. Ellen has also been a research associate on the LaunchPAD project (https://launchpad6.home.blog) to build a set of model evaluation diagnostics for Africa. With LaunchPAD, she has been a mentor and collaborator for early career research fellows at four African universities creating diagnostic metrics for global climate models. Previously, her work has used modelling experiments to examine the influence of the Indian Ocean on rainfall in the Sahel, and rainfall moisture sources and water isotopes in vapour in the Congo Basin.

Ellen's interests include understanding challenges in using climate information in Africa - from difficulties in capturing physical processes in models to the confidence users have in information at a local scale and everything in between. Ellen completed her PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the University of Toronto in 2016. She has a background in Physics and African Studies.

Selected publications

Journal articles

Lino, O., Mutemi, J., Dyer, E. et al. Characteristics of the Turkana low-level jet stream and the associated rainfall in CMIP6 models. Climate Dynamics (2022). doi:10.1007/s00382-022-06499-4
Armstrong, A., Dyer, E., Koehler, J., Hope, R. Intra-seasonal rainfall and piped water revenue variability in rural Africa, Global Environmental Change, Volume 76, (2022), doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2022.102592
Kuete, G., Mba, W.M., James, R., Dyer, E., Annor, T., Washington, R. How do coupled models represent the African Easterly Jets and their associated dynamics over Central Africa during the September–November rainy season? Climate Dynamics (2022). doi:10.1007/s00382-022-06467-y
Taguela, T.N., Pokam, W.M., Dyer, E. et al. Low-level circulation over Central Equatorial Africa as simulated from CMIP5 to CMIP6 models. Climate Dynamics (2022). doi:10.1007/s00382-022-06411-0
Dyer, E., Hirons, L. & Taye, M.T. (2022). July–September rainfall in the Greater Horn of Africa: the combined influence of the Mascarene and South Atlantic highs. Climate Dynamics. doi:10.1007/s00382-022-06287-0
Grasham, C. F., Calow, R., Casey, V., Charles, K. J., de Wit, S., Dyer, E., . . . Zaidi, H. (2021). Engaging with the politics of climate resilience towards clean water and sanitation for all. npj Clean Water, 4(1). doi:10.1038/s41545-021-00133-2
Dyer, E., & Washington, R. (2021). Kenyan long rains: A subseasonal approach to process-based diagnostics.Journal of Climate, 34(9), 3311-3326. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0914.1
Bussi, G., Whitehead, P. G., Jin, L., Taye, M. T., Dyer, E., Hirpa, F. A., . . . Charles, K. J. (2021). Impacts of climate change and population growth on river nutrient loads in a data scarce region: The upper awash river (Ethiopia). Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(3), 1-15. doi:10.3390/su13031254
Taye, M. T., Dyer, E., Charles, K. J., & Hirons, L. C. (2021). Potential predictability of the Ethiopian summer rains: Understanding local variations and their implications for water management decisions. Science of the Total Environment, 755. doi:10.1016/ j.scitotenv.2020.142604
Mahony, J., Dyer, E., & Washington, R. (2021). The precipitation patterns and atmospheric dynamics of the Serengeti National Park. International Journal of Climatology, 41(S1), E2051-E2072. doi:10.1002/joc.6831
Peng, J., Dadson, S., Hirpa, F., Dyer, E., Lees, T., Miralles, D. G., . . . Funk, C. (2020). A pan-African high-resolution drought index dataset. Earth System Science Data, 12(1), 753-769. doi:10.5194/essd-12-753-2020
Dyer, E., Washington, R., & Teferi Taye, M. (2020). Evaluating the CMIP5 ensemble in Ethiopia: Creating a reduced ensemble for rainfall and temperature in Northwest Ethiopia and the Awash basin. International Journal of Climatology, 40(6), 2964-2985. doi:10.1002/joc.6377
Hirpa, F. A., Alfieri, L., Lees, T., Peng, J., Dyer, E., & Dadson, S. J. (2019). Streamflow response to climate change in the Greater Horn of Africa. Climatic Change, 156(3), 341-363. doi:10.1007/s10584-019-02547-x
Taye, M. T., Dyer, E., Hirpa, F. A., & Charles, K. (2018). Climate change impact on water resources in the Awash basin, Ethiopia. Water (Switzerland), 10(11). doi:10.3390/ w10111560
Hirpa, F. A., Dyer, E., Hope, R., Olago, D. O., & Dadson, S. J. (2018). Finding sustainable water futures in data-sparse regions under climate change: Insights from the Turkwel River basin, Kenya. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 19, 124-135. doi:10.1016/ j.ejrh.2018.08.005
Dyer, E. L. E., Jones, D. B. A., Nusbaumer, J., Li, H., Collins, O., Veboreh, G., & Noone, D. (2017). Congo Basin precipitation: Assessing seasonality, regional interactions, and sources of moisture. Journal of Geophysical Research, 122(13), 6882-6898. doi:10.1002/2016JD026240
Dyer, E. L. E., Jones, D. B. A., Li, R., Sawaoka, H., & Mudryk, L. (2017). Sahel precipitation and regional teleconnections with the Indian Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research, 122(11), 5654-5676. doi:10.1002/2016JD026014

Reports

Murgatroyd, A., Charles, K.J., Chautard, A., Dyer, E., Grasham, C., Hope, R., Hoque, S.F., Korzenevica, M., Munday, C., Alvarez-Sala, J., Dadson, S., Hall, J.W., Kebede, S., Nileshwar, A., Olago, D., Salehin, M., Ward, F., Washington, R., Yeo, D. and Zeleke, G. (2021) Water Security for Climate Resilience Report. University of Oxford: REACH, UK.
Hope, R., Katuva, J., Nyaga, C., Koehler, J., Charles, K., Nowicki, S., Dyer, E., Olago, D., Tanui, F., Trevett, A., Thomas, M., and Gladstone, N. (2021). Delivering safely-managed water to schools in Kenya. REACH Working Paper 8, University of Oxford, UK.

Publications

Journal (20)

Open

Taye M and Dyer E, ‘Hydrologic Extremes in a Changing Climate: A Review of Extremes in East Africa’ (2024) 10 Current Climate Change Reports 1

Korzenevica-Proud M, Ng’asike P, Ngikadelio M, and others, ‘From Fast to Slow Risks: Shifting Vulnerabilities of Flood-Related Migration in Lodwar, Kenya’ (2024) 43 Climate Risk Management

Annor T, Ackon A, James R, and others, ‘Heat Band, Rain Band and Heat Low Migration: Process-Based Evaluation of Some CMIP6 GCMs over West Africa’ (2024) 62 Climate Dynamics 791

Gebrechorkos S, Peng J, Dyer E, and others, ‘Global High-Resolution Drought Indices for 1981-2022’ (2023) 15 Earth System Science Data 5449

Kuete G, Mba W, James R, and others, ‘How Do Coupled Models Represent the African Easterly Jets and Their Associated Dynamics over Central Africa During the September–November Rainy Season?’ (2023) 60 Climate Dynamics 2907

Mwanthi A, Mutemi J, Dyer E, and others, ‘Representation of land–atmosphere Coupling Processes over Africa in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6’ (2023) 62 Climate Dynamics 8389

Armstrong A, Dyer E, Koehler J, and others, ‘Intra-Seasonal Rainfall and Piped Water Revenue Variability in Rural Africa’ (2022) 76 Global Environmental Change 102592

Taguela T, Pokam W, Dyer E, and others, ‘Low-Level Circulation over Central Equatorial Africa As Simulated from CMIP5 to CMIP6 Models’ (2022) 62 Climate Dynamics 8333

Dyer E, Hirons L and Taye M, ‘July-September Rainfall in the Greater Horn of Africa: The Combined Influence of the Mascarene and South Atlantic Highs’ (2022) 59 Climate Dynamics 3621

Grasham C, Calow R, Casey V, and others, ‘Engaging With the Politics of Climate Resilience towards Clean Water and Sanitation for All’ (2021) 4 npj Clean Water

Dyer E and Washington R, ‘Kenyan Long Rains: A Subseasonal Approach to Process-Based Diagnostics’ (2021) 34 Journal of Climate 3311

Bussi G, Whitehead P, Jin L, and others, ‘Impacts of Climate Change and Population Growth on River Nutrient Loads in a Data Scarce Region: The Upper Awash River (Ethiopia)’ (2021) 13 Sustainability

Taye M, Dyer E, Charles K, and others, ‘Potential Predictability of the Ethiopian Summer Rains: Understanding Local Variations and Their Implications for Water Management Decisions’ (2020) 755 Science of The Total Environment

Mahony J, Dyer E and Washington R, ‘The Precipitation Patterns and Atmospheric Dynamics of the Serengeti National Park’ (2020) 41 International Journal of Climatology E2051

Peng J, Dadson S, Hirpa F, and others, ‘A Pan-African High-Resolution Drought Index Dataset’ (2020) 12 Earth System Science Data 753

Dyer E, Washington R and Taye M, ‘Evaluating the CMIP5 Ensemble in Ethiopia: Creating a Reduced Ensemble for Rainfall and Temperature in Northwest Ethiopia and the Awash Basin’ (2019) 40 International Journal of Climatology 2964

Taye M, Dyer E, Hirpa F, and others, ‘Climate Change Impact on Water Resources in the Awash Basin, Ethiopia’ (2018) 10 Water 1560

Hirpa F, Dyer E, Hope R, and others, ‘Finding Sustainable Water Futures in Data-Sparse Regions under Climate Change: Insights from the Turkwel River Basin, Kenya’ (2018) 19 Journal of Hydrology Regional Studies 124

Dyer E, Jones D, Nusbaumer J, and others, ‘Congo Basin Precipitation: Assessing Seasonality, Regional Interactions, and Sources of Moisture’ (2017) 122 Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 6882

Dyer E, Jones D, Li R, and others, ‘Sahel Precipitation and Regional Teleconnections With the Indian Ocean’ (2017) 122 Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 5654

Report (1)

Open

Taye M, Haile A, Dessalegn M, and others, ‘Flood Adaptation and Mitigation in the Awash Basin: Responding to New Climate Patterns. REACH Synthesis Report’ (University of Oxford 2024)