National Oceanography Centre Scientist Receives MBE

The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) congratulates Dr Elizabeth Kent for receiving an MBE, awarded for services to tracking global temperatures, recognising her decades of research into improving historical sea surface temperature records. 

The award was announced in King Charles III’s New Year Honours list, which recognises the outstanding achievements of British citizens, recommended by the prime minister following an independent assessment process. 

For over three decades, Liz, who is Associate Head of the Marine Physics and Ocean Climate group at NOC, has performed research that underpins development of long-term global surface temperature records, helping to make them more accurate and consistent – crucial to the ability of the international science community to detect and describe human-induced climate change. 

This research, and the datasets built upon it, underpin climate assessments such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports, used by every policymaker, campaigner or researcher who wants to know or to show how the ocean and climate is changing.

Liz is part of a team at NOC working on historical marine surface observations. She has spent years studying the details of the observations, how they were made, recorded and stored. This insight helps reveal the true variations in marine surface temperature by reducing the impact of spurious effects such as changing measurement methods over time. 

By examining the origin and uncertainty of every measurement of sea surface and air temperature from commercial, naval and research ships since the 19th Century, Liz has been integral in ensuring the science community have access to the highest quality information possible. 

The award of an MBE furthers Kent’s national and global reputation as an innovative and world-leading researcher, which has previously been recognised by the award of the Royal Meteorological Society’s Adrian Gill Prize for 2013. 

NOC Chief Scientist Prof. Penny Holliday commented, “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.”

Commenting on her award, 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.”