Anna Katavouta

Anna Katavouta

Ocean-Climate Scientist
National Oceanography Centre

Publications

  1. Holt J., A. Katavouta, J. Hopkins, et al. (2025) Future climate projections in the global coastal ocean, Progress in Oceanography, 235, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103497. Message: Review article exploring the challenges, solutions and benefits of developing a better coordinated and global approach to future climate impacts modelling of the coastal ocean in the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development project Future Coastal Ocean Climates (FLAME; part of the CoastPredict programme). Contribution: I contributed to the conceptions and writing of the manuscript, and the generation of the figures. Highlights: Introduction of the concept for a framework for a Global Coastal Ocean Model Intercomparison Project.
  2. Jardine, J.E., J. Holt, S.L. Wakelin, A. Katavouta, & D. Partridge (2025). An asymmetric change in circulation and nitrate transports in the Bay of Bengal, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 130, e2024JC021670. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JC021670. Message: Future changes in coastal nitrate pathways around the coast of the Bay of Bengal are controlled by climate-induced changes in surface circulation. Contribution: I contributed to the development and running of the numerical model and writing of the manuscript.
  3. Rulent J., M.K. James, P. Rameshwaran, J.E. Jardine, A. Katavouta, S. Wakelin, R. Jayathilaka, K. Arulananthan, J. Holt, M.A. Sutton & Y. Artioli (2024). Modelling pollutants transport scenarios based on the X-Press Pearl disaster, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 209, Part A https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117129. Message: Pollutants spread depends on accident timing more than release rate, and may reach neighbouring countries. Contribution: I advised and contributed to the model and experiments development and implementation. Highlights: Introducing a simpler, affordable scenario approach to inform the management of chemical spills without a fully developed operational oceanographic system.
  4. Williams, R.G., A.J Meijers, V.M. Roussenov, A. Katavouta, P. Ceppi, J.P. Rosser, & P. Salvi (2024). Asymmetries in the Southern Ocean Contribution to Global Heat and Carbon Uptake, Nature Climate Change, 14, 823–831 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02066-3. Message: The large asymmetry in the Southern Ocean in heat uptake versus ocean carbon uptake over the historical period in state-of-the-art climate models is attributed to suppressed heat uptake by northern oceans from enhanced aerosol forcing. Contribution: I led the carbon analysis and contributed to the interpretation of the results and writing. Highlights: The past is not a reliable indicator of the future, where greenhouse gases increasingly dominate radiative forcing, with the northern oceans becoming increasingly as important as the Southern Ocean for heat uptake.
  5. Turner K.E., D.M. Smith, A. Katavouta, & R.G. Williams (2023). Reconstructing ocean carbon storage with CMIP6 Earth system models and synthetic Argo observations, Biogeosciences, 20, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1671-2023. Message: A new method for reconstructing ocean carbon using T/S observations. Contribution: I advised Turner during her PhD and guided the application of the methodologies and analysis. Highlights: PhD student paper, chosen as a highlight paper by Biogeosciences</em>.
  6. Williams R.G., C. Paulo, V. Roussenov, A. Katavouta & A.J.S. Meijers (2023). The role of the Southern Ocean in the global climate response to carbon emissions. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A., 381: 20220062, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2022.0062. Message: The role of the Southern Ocean in sequestering heat and carbon in CMIP6 models, including the contribution from different physical-climate and carbon-cycle feedbacks to the inter-model differences in heat and carbon storage in the Southern Ocean. Contribution: I contributed to the concept, analysis and writing. Highlights: Special-issue on heat and carbon uptake in the Southern Ocean.
  7. Polton J., J. Harle, J. Holt, A. Katavouta, et al. (2023). Reproducible and Relocatable Regional Ocean Modelling: Fundamentals and practices, Geoscientific Model Development, 16, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-1481-2023. Message: The concept of Reproducibility for regional modelling is developed: advocating standardised methods & practices. Contribution: I contributed to the concept, writing and methods. Highlights: Release of regional model-configuration examples targeting the NEMO-user community.
  8. Wilson J.D., O. Andrews, A. Katavouta et al. (2022). The biological carbon pump in CMIP6 models: 21st century trends and uncertainties, PNAS, 119, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2204369119. Message: CMIP6 Earth System models project a consistent increase in the carbon sequestration by the Biological Carbon Pump over the next century. Contribution: The first three authors jointly conceived the study, with me leading the analysis and interpretation for the separation of the biological vs solubility carbon pumps. Highlights: Featured in a NOC-University of Bristol press release. This study was initiated through my participation in the COP26- CMIP6 Data Hackathon 2021.
  9. Mitchell D.M., E.J. Stone, O.D. Andrews, J.L. Bamber, R.J. Bingham, J. Browse, M. Henry, D.M. MacLeod, J.M. Morten, C.A. Sauter, C.J. Smith, J. Thomas, S.I. Thomson, J.D. Wilson, and the rest of the Bristol CMIP6 Data Hackathon participants (including A. Katavouta) (2022). The Bristol CMIP6 Data Hackathon, Weather, 77, https://doi.org/10.1002/wea.4161. Message: Data Hackathon to interrogate the most advanced climate model datasets and develop new research ideas, and create new networks and outreach opportunities in the lead up to COP26. Outreach paper
  10. Katavouta A., J. Polton, J. Harle & J. Holt (2022). Effect of tides on the Indonesian Seas circulation and their role on the volume, heat and salt transports of the Indonesian Throughflow, JGR-Oceans, 127, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JC018524. Message: Demonstrated, for the first time, the role of tidal residual currents on regulating the pathway of water from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean through the Indonesian Seas. Contribution: I conceived and wrote the study, and conducted the experiments, analysis and interpretation. Highlights: Release of the SEAsia model, which still supports the NOC capability for projections in the region and my collaboration with University of Malaysia at Terengganu.
  11. Katavouta A. & R.G. Williams (2021). Ocean carbon cycle feedbacks in CMIP6 models: contributions from different basins, Biogeosciences, 18, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3189-2021. Message: Over the next century, the Atlantic Ocean will store a disproportionally large amount of anthropogenic carbon relative to its size due to a strong local physical ventilation and an influx of carbon transported from the Southern Ocean. However, the Atlantic Ocean will experience the largest reduction in carbon uptake due to a feedback from a weakening of the meridional overturning. Contribution: I conceived and wrote the study, and conducted the analysis & interpretation. Highlights: Extension of my internatio-nally recognised work on carbon feedbacks; led to my invited seminar at Princeton University.
  12. Williams R.G., A. Katavouta & V. Roussenov (2021). Regional Asymmetries in Ocean Heat and Carbon Storage due to Dynamic Redistribution in Climate Model Projections, Journal of Climate, 34(10), 3907-3925, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0519.1. Message: Projected changes in circulation drive a redistribution of the pre-existing heat and carbon in the ocean, which leads to regional asymmetries between climate-change induced heat and carbon anomalies in the ocean. Contribution: I led the climate model analysis and the experiments with the idealised model, and contributed to conceiving the concept, interpretation of results and writing of the manuscript.
  13. Williams R.G., P. Ceppi & A. Katavouta (2020). Controls of the Transient Climate Response to Emissions by physical feedbacks, heat uptake and carbon cycling, Environmental Research Letters, 15, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab97c9. Message: The spread in the climate response to emissions amongst the CMIP6 models is, to first order, due to their large differences in the representation of physical climate feedbacks, particularly from the effect of clouds. Contribution: I conducted the analysis and interpretation for the ocean heat uptake and carbon cycling, and contributed to the writing of the manuscript. Highlights: Used and cited in Chapters 4 & 5 of the IPCC AR6 (WP1).
  14. Arora V.K., A. Katavouta R.G. Williams, C.D. Jones, V. Brovkin, P. Friedlingstein, J. Schwinger, L. Bopp, et al., (2020). Carbon-concentration and carbon-climate feedbacks in CMIP6 models, and their comparison to CMIP5 models, Biogeosciences, 17, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4173-2020. Message: The carbon feedbacks are more uncertain over land than over the ocean in Earth System Models, reflecting the dominant effect of biological processes over land. In contrast, over the ocean these feedbacks are primarily controlled by carbonate chemistry and physical ventilation, which is more consistently represented in models. Contribution: I led the study’s ocean component (methods, analysis, interpretation, writing). Highlights: Activity related to the WCRP Grand Challenge on Carbon Feedbacks; used and cited in Chapters 5 & 7 of the IPCC AR6 (WP1).
  15. Williams R.G., A. Katavouta & P. Goodwin (2019). Carbon-Cycle Feedbacks Operating in the Climate System, Current Climate Change Reports, 5, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40641-019-00144-9. Message: The effect of the carbon feedbacks to the climate response to emissions is of comparable magnitude with that of the physical climate feedbacks in CMIP5 Earth System Models. Contribution: The 3 authors jointly conceive and wrote the study and I conducted the analysis for the carbon feedbacks. Highlights: Invited submission; used and cited in Chapter 5 of the IPCC AR6 (WP1).
  16. Katavouta A., R.G. Williams & P. Goodwin (2019). The effect of ocean ventilation on the Transient Climate Response to Emissions, Journal of Climate, 32. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0829.1. Message: The effect of ocean ventilation on the climate response to emissions is dominated by thermal processes over days to centuries, but by carbon processes on longer timescales. Contribution: I conceived and wrote the study, developed the idealised models and conducted the analysis and interpretation. Highlights: Used and cited in Chapter 5 of the IPCC AR6 (WP1).
  17. Goodwin P., R. G. Williams, V. M. Roussenov, & A. Katavouta (2019). Climate sensitivity from both physical and carbon cycle feedbacks, Geophysical Research Letters, 46, 7554–7564, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL082887. Message: A new framework for including the effects of carbon feedbacks into the definition of the Equilibrium Climate Response to Emissions. Contribution: I contributed to the analysis, interpretation of results and writing of the manuscript.
  18. Katavouta A., R.G. Williams, P. Goodwin & V.M. Roussenov (2018). Reconciling Atmospheric and Oceanic Views of the Transient Climate Response to Emissions, Geophysical Research Letters, 45, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL0778497. Message: A new view of the transient response to carbon emissions that reveals the control of the ocean carbonate chemistry on the proportionality of surface warming to carbon emissions. Contribution: I conceived and wrote the study, and conducted the analysis and interpretation. Highlights: Used and cited in Chapter 5 of the IPCC AR6 (WP1).
  19. Goodwin P., A. Katavouta, V.M. Roussenov, G.L. Foster, E.J. Rohling & R.G. Williams (2018). Pathways to 1.5oC and 2oC warming based on observational and geological constraints, Nature Geoscience, 11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-017-0054-8. Message: A new approach estimating that at the current emission rate warming targets of 1.5oC and 2oC will be reached in 17-18 and 35-41 years, respectively. Contribution: I led the ocean heat uptake and storage analysis and writing. Highlights: Used and cited in Chapter 5 of the IPCC AR6 (WP1).
  20. Chegini F., Y. Lu, A. Katavouta & H. Ritchie (2018). Coastal upwelling off Southwest Nova Scotia simulated with a high-resolution baroclinic ocean model, Journal of Geophysical Research, 123, 2318-2331, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC013431. Message: The Scotian Current variability is identified as the main driver of the seasonal modulations of the tidally induced upwelling in the region. Contribution: I contributed to the design of the analysis and interpretation of results.
  21. Katavouta A. & K.R. Thompson (2016). Downscaling ocean conditions with application to the Gulf of Maine, Scotian Shelf & adjacent deep ocean, Ocean Modelling, 104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2016.05.007. Message: A new method for improving the downscaling of ocean conditions by suppressing the unrealistic decoupling between the regional-scale dynamics and the large-scale ocean patterns in regional models. Contribution: I conceived and wrote the study, developed the methodologies and conducted the analysis and interpretation. Highlights: Led to my collaboration with CMCC (started on 2023) and the adoption of the method for the Adriatic Sea model by my visiting PhD student.
  22. Katavouta A., K.R. Thompson, Y. Lu & J.W. Loder (2016). Interaction Between the Tidal and Seasonal Variability of the Gulf of Maine and Scotian Shelf Region, Journal of Physical Oceanography, 46, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-15-0091.1. Message: A seasonal current pattern in the Gulf of Maine is identified, for the first time, and explained in terms of the interaction between the barotropic tide, bathymetry and seasonal variability in stratification. Contribution: I conceived and wrote the study, developed the methodologies and conducted the analysis and interpretation. Highlights: Release of my GoMSS model that contributed to the operational system used by Fisheries & Oceans Canada.
  23. Katavouta A. & P.G. Myers (2014). Sea-ice concentration multivariate assimilation for the Canadian East coast in a coupled sea ice-ocean model, Atmosphere-Ocean, 52, 418-433. https://doi.org/10.1080/07055900.2014.954096. Message: A new scheme that enables sea ice/ocean coupled models to better accommodate the assimilation of sea ice observations by updating the upper ocean state. Contribution: I conceived and wrote the study, developed the methodologies and conducted the analysis and interpretation.
  24. Katavouta A. & K.R. Thompson (2013). Downscaling Ocean Conditions: Experiments with a quasi-geostrophic model, Ocean Modelling, 72, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2013.10.001. Message: A novel method for downscaling ocean conditions by extracting meaningful information for small-scale ocean features from the time history of the associated large-scale ocean circulation. Contribution: I conceived and wrote the study, developed the methodologies and conducted the analysis and interpretation. Highlights: Introducing a modified atmospheric spectral nudging scheme for ocean applications.