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Dr Daniel Kingston

Position:

Senior Lecturer

Qualifications:BSc (Shef), MSc (E Anglia), PhD (Birm)

Office Hours:

by email appointment

 

Teaching

GEOG286 Climatology
GEOG290 Field Research Methods
GEOG380 Field Research Studies (Science)
GEOG392 Climatology
GEOG461 Mountain Hydrology

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Research Interests

My research interests lie in the field of hydroclimatology, and particularly in understanding large-scale climate variation and how this is linked to changes in river flow. My work can largely be split into two themes:

(1) Processes linking present day climate variation to changes in surface hydrology, including evaporation, snow cover, river flow and lake levels. This work has involved statistical analyses of historical hydrological time series and the cascade of processes linking large-scale climate variation to regional and catchment-scale hydrological processes. Of particular interest is the characterisation of large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns (e.g. the Northern and Southern Annular Modes and the Southern Oscillation) and identification of the extent to which they can be used as predictors of surface hydrological variation. This work has focussed primarily on the North Atlantic and New Zealand regions.


(2) The uncertainty associated with how hydrological processes may respond under scenarios of climate change. This has involved offline coupling of catchment-scale hydrological models with climate model output, focussing on understanding the role of emissions, climate model and hydrological model-based uncertainty in shaping projections of 21st century hydrological change and associated implications for water resources. I have been involved with a number of such studies, both within New Zealand and globally, in part through the Global Scale Impacts of Climate Change project within the NERC-funded QUEST programme.

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Potential Future Projects

I would welcome inquiries from any student interested in topics based on climatology in general, and especially on links between the climate system, climate change and hydrological variation. Specific projects that I am hoping to develop include:

  • Uncertainty in hydrological models under climate change scenarios
  • Uncertainty in potential evapotranspiration under climate change
  • Spatial variability in the climate of Dunedin
  • Drought detection and attribution
  • Atmospheric rivers and floods in New Zealand
  • The role of Southern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation for the climate of New Zealand

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Postgraduate Student Supervision

PhD

  • J. Jones, Perceptions of and adaptive responses to climate change in the Caribbean: human mobility and climate change adaptation policy (co-supervisor, ongoing).
  • A. Jobst, (2017) Impacts of climate change on the hydrology of the Clutha catchment.

Masters

  • A. Dowson, Seasonal variation of surface albedo of the Gardens of Eden and Allah, Southern Alps, New Zealand (co-supervisor) (on-going)
  • K. Little, Physical controls on the mass balance of Brewster Glacier, Southern Alps (on-going).
  • R. Jones (2017) Uncertainty in climate change impacts on Southern Alps river flow: the role of hydrological model complexity.
  • J. Loft (2017) The influence of water scarcity and drought on the Lindis River, Central Otago.
  • J. Kidd (2015) Investigating the link between large-scale atmospheric circulation and drought in New Zealand.
  • L. Koedyk (2015) The impact of uncertainty in PET methods in the projection of river flow under climate change.
  • E. Reeves (2014) Modelling the hydrological impacts of land use change and integrating cultural perspectives in the Waikouaiti catchment, Otago, New Zealand (co-supervisor).
  • K. Duff (2013) Predicting flow response of the Kakanui river flow climate change and land use intensification (co-supervisor).
  • D. Gawith (2013) Water stress vulnerability in the Himalayas of Nepal (co-supervisor).
  • C. Webster (2012) Inter-annual variation in the physiographic controls on catchment-scale snow distribution in the central Southern Alps, New Zealand.

Honours

  • S. Peren (2014) Climate change and land use change on the Kakanui River.
  • G. Hampton (2012) Will the proposed Leith Lindsay protection scheme for the Lindsay Creek provide sufficient protection for a 1 in 100 year flood under 'dangerous' climate change?
  • D. Gawith (2011) The effects of climate change on runoff in the Lindis and Matukituki catchments, Central Otago, New Zealand.

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Publications

Cullen, N. J., Gibson, P. B., Mölg, T., Conway, J. P., Sirguey, P., & Kingston, D. G. (2019). The influence of weather systems in controlling mass balance in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1029/2018JD030052

Little, K., Kingston, D. G., Cullen, N. J., & Gibson, P. B. (2019). The role of atmospheric rivers for extreme ablation and snowfall events in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Geophysical Research Letters. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1029/2018GL081669

Jobst, A. M., Kingston, D. G., Cullen, N. J., & Schmid, J. (2018). Intercomparison of different uncertainty sources in hydrological climate change projections for an alpine catchment (upper Clutha River, New Zealand). Hydrology & Earth System Sciences, 22(6), 3125-3142. doi: 10.5194/hess-22-3125-2018

Dowson, A. J., Cullen, N. J., Sirguey, P., & Kingston, D. (2018). Glacier surface albedo from modis data and links to annual mass balance for the Gardens of Eden and Allah, Southern Alps, New Zealand. Proceedings of the New Zealand Snow and Ice Research Group (SIRG) Workshop. (pp. 8). Retrieved from https://sirgnz.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/sirg-2018-programme.pdf

Cullen, N. J., Anderson, B., Sirguey, P., Conway, J. P., Little, K., Kingston, D., … Lorrey, A. (2018). Mass balance and climate of Brewster Glacier. Proceedings of the New Zealand Snow and Ice Research Group (SIRG) Workshop. (pp. 3). Retrieved from https://sirgnz.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/sirg-2018-programme.pdf

Journal - Research Article

Cullen, N. J., Gibson, P. B., Mölg, T., Conway, J. P., Sirguey, P., & Kingston, D. G. (2019). The influence of weather systems in controlling mass balance in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1029/2018JD030052

Little, K., Kingston, D. G., Cullen, N. J., & Gibson, P. B. (2019). The role of atmospheric rivers for extreme ablation and snowfall events in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Geophysical Research Letters. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1029/2018GL081669

Jobst, A. M., Kingston, D. G., Cullen, N. J., & Schmid, J. (2018). Intercomparison of different uncertainty sources in hydrological climate change projections for an alpine catchment (upper Clutha River, New Zealand). Hydrology & Earth System Sciences, 22(6), 3125-3142. doi: 10.5194/hess-22-3125-2018

Laaha, G., Gauster, T., Tallaksen, L. M., Vidal, J.-P., Stahl, K., Prudhomme, C., … Kingston, D., … Wong, W. K. (2017). The European 2015 drought from a hydrological perspective. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences, 21(6), 3001-3024. doi: 10.5194/hess-21-3001-2017

Stagge, J. H., Kingston, D. G., Tallaksen, L. M., & Hannah, D. M. (2017). Observed drought indices show increasing divergence across Europe. Scientific Reports, 7, 14045. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-14283-2

Ionita, M., Tallaksen, L. M., Kingston, D. G., Stagge, J. H., Laaha, G., Van Lanen, H. A. J., … Haslinger, K. (2017). The European 2015 drought from a climatological perspective. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences, 21(3), 1397-1419. doi: 10.5194/hess-21-1397-2017

Jobst, A. M., Kingston, D. G., Cullen, N. J., & Sirguey, P. (2017). Combining thin-plate spline interpolation with a lapse rate model to produce daily air temperature estimates in a data-sparse alpine catchment. International Journal of Climatology, 37(1), 214-229. doi: 10.1002/joc.4699

Schulz, L., & Kingston, D. (2017). GCM-related uncertainty in river flow projections at the threshold for “dangerous” climate change: The Kalu Ganga river, Sri Lanka. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 62(14), 2369-2380. doi: 10.1080/02626667.2017.1381965

Thompson, J. R., Crawley, A., & Kingston, D. G. (2017). Future river flows and flood extent in the Upper Niger and Inner Niger Delta: GCM-related uncertainty using the CMIP5 ensemble. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 62(14), 2239-2265. doi: 10.1080/02626667.2017.1383608

Gawith, D., Hill, D., & Kingston, D. (2017). Determinants of vulnerability to the hydrological effects of climate change in rural communities: Evidence from Nepal. Climate & Development, 9(1), 50-65. doi: 10.1080/17565529.2015.1067184

Kingston, D., Lavers, D. A., & Hannah, D. M. (2016). Floods in the Southern Alps of New Zealand: The importance of atmospheric rivers. Hydrological Processes, 30(26), 5063-5070. doi: 10.1002/hyp.10982

Koedyk, L. P., & Kingston, D. G. (2016). Potential evapotranspiration method influence on climate change impacts on river flow: A mid-latitude case study. Hydrology Research, 47(5), 951-963. doi: 10.2166/nh.2016.152

Thompson, J. R., Crawley, A., & Kingston, D. G. (2016). GCM-related uncertainty for river flows and inundation under climate change: The Inner Niger Delta. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 61(13), 2325-2347. doi: 10.1080/02626667.2015.1117173

Kingston, D. G., Webster, C. S., & Sirguey, P. (2016). Atmospheric circulation drivers of lake inflow for the Waitaki River, New Zealand. International Journal of Climatology, 36(3), 1102-1113. doi: 10.1002/joc.4405

Kingston, D. G., Stagge, J. H., Tallaksen, L. M., & Hannah, D. M. (2015). European-scale drought: Understanding connections between atmospheric circulation and meteorological drought indices. Journal of Climate, 28(2), 505-516. doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00001.1

Webster, C. S., Kingston, D. G., & Kerr, T. (2015). Inter-annual variation in the topographic controls on catchment-scale snow distribution in a maritime alpine catchment, New Zealand. Hydrological Processes, 29(6), 1096-1109. doi: 10.1002/hyp.10224

Thompson, J. R., Laizé, C. L. R., Green, A. J., Acreman, M. C., & Kingston, D. G. (2014). Climate change uncertainty in environmental flows for the Mekong River. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59(3-4), 935-954. doi: 10.1080/02626667.2013.842074

Kingston, D. G., Fleig, A. K., Tallaksen, L. M., & Hannah, D. M. (2013). Ocean-atmosphere forcing of summer streamflow drought in Great Britain. Journal of Hydrometeorology, 14(1), 331-344. doi: 10.1175/JHM-D-11-0100.1

Thompson, J. R., Green, A. J., & Kingston, D. G. (2013). Potential evapotranspiration-related uncertainty in climate change impacts on river flow: An assessment for the Mekong River basin. Journal of Hydrology, 510, 259-279. doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.12.010

Thompson, J. R., Green, A. J., Kingston, D. G., & Gosling, S. N. (2013). Assessment of uncertainty in river flow projections for the Mekong River using multiple GCMs and hydrological models. Journal of Hydrology, 486, 1-30. doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.01.029

Gawith, D., Kingston, D. G., & McMillan, H. (2012). The effects of climate change on runoff in the Lindis and Matukituki catchments, Otago, New Zealand. Journal of Hydrology (New Zealand), 51(2), 121-135.

Kingston, D. G., Eastwood, W. J., Jones, P. I., Johnson, R., Marshall, S., & Hannah, D. M. (2012). Experiences of using mobile technologies and virtual field tours in Physical Geography: Implications for hydrology education. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences, 16(5), 1281-1286. doi: 10.5194/hess-16-1281-2012

Todd, M. C., Taylor, R. G., Osborn, T. J., Kingston, D. G., Arnell, N. W., & Gosling, S. N. (2011). Uncertainty in climate change impacts on basin-scale freshwater resources: Preface to the special issue: The QUEST-GSI methodology and synthesis of results. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences, 15(3), 1035-1046. doi: 10.5194/hess-15-1035-2011

Singh, C. R., Thompson, J. R., Kingston, D. G., & French, J. R. (2011). Modelling water-level options for ecosystem services and assessment of climate change: Loktak Lake, northeast India. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 56(8), 1518-1542. doi: 10.1080/02626667.2011.631012

Hughes, D. A., Kingston, D. G., & Todd, M. C. (2011). Uncertainty in water resources availability in the Okavango River Basin as a result of climate change. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences, 15(3), 931-941. doi: 10.5194/hess-15-931-2011

Kingston, D. G., Hannah, D. M., Lawler, D. M., & McGregor, G. R. (2011). Regional classification, variability, and trends of northern North Atlantic river flow. Hydrological Processes, 25(7), 1021-1033. doi: 10.1002/hyp.7655

Kingston, D. G., Thompson, J. R., & Kite, G. (2011). Uncertainty in climate change projections of discharge for the Mekong River Basin. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences, 15(5), 1459-1471. doi: 10.5194/hess-15-931-2011

Kingston, D. G., & Taylor, R. G. (2010). Projected impacts of climate change on groundwater and stormflow in a humid, tropical catchment in the Ugandan Upper Nile Basin. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences Discussions, 14(5), 1913-1944. doi: 10.5194/hessd-7-1913-2010

Xu, H., Taylor, R. G., Kingston, D. G., Jiang, T., Thompson, J. R., & Todd, M. C. (2010). Hydrological modeling of River Xiangxi using SWAT2005: A comparison of model parameterizations using station and gridded meteorological observations. Quaternary International, 226(1-2), 54-59. doi: 10.1016/j.quaint.2009.11.037

Kingston, D. G., Thompson, J. R., & Kite, G. (2010). Uncertainty in climate change projections of discharge for the Mekong River Basin. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences Discussions, 7(4), 5991-6024. doi: 10.5194/hessd-7-5991-2010

Singh, C. R., Thompson, J. R., French, J. R., Kingston, D. G., & Mackay, A. W. (2010). Modelling the impact of prescribed global warming on runoff from headwater catchments of the Irrawaddy River and their implications for the water level regime of Loktak Lake, northeast India. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences, 14(9), 1745-1765. doi: 10.5194/hess-14-1745-2010

Singh, C. R., Thompson, J. R., French, J. R., Kingston, D. G., & Mackay, A. W. (2010). Modelling the impact of prescribed global warming on water resources of headwater catchments of the Irrawaddy River and their implications for Loktak Lake, northeast India. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences Discussions, 7(3), 2781-2828. doi: 10.5194/hessd-7-2781-2010

Todd, M. C., Taylor, R. G., Osborne, T., Kingston, D., Arnell, N. W., & Gosling, S. N. (2010). Quantifying the impact of climate change on water resources at the basin scale on five continents: A unified approach. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences Discussions, 7, 7485-7519. doi: 10.5194/hessd-7-7485-2010

Kingston, D. G., & Taylor, R. G. (2010). Sources of uncertainty in climate change impacts on river discharge and groundwater in a headwater catchment of the Upper Nile Basin, Uganda. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences, 14(7), 1297-1308. doi: 10.5194/hess-14-1297-2010

Hughes, D. A., Kingston, D. G., & Todd, M. C. (2010). Uncertainty in water resources availability in the Okavango River Basin as a result of climate change. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences Discussions, 7(4), 5737-5768. doi: 10.5194/hessd-7-5737-2010

Kingston, D. G., Hannah, D. M., Lawler, D. M., & McGregor, G. R. (2009). Climate–river flow relationships across montane and lowland environments in northern Europe. Hydrological Processes, 23(7), 985-996. doi: 10.1002/hyp.7202

Kingston, D. G., Todd, M. C., Taylor, R. G., Thompson, J. R., & Arnell, N. W. (2009). Uncertainty in the estimation of potential evapotranspiration under climate change. Geophysical Research Letters, 36, L20403. doi: 10.1029/2009GL040267

Kingston, D. G., McGregor, G. R., Hannah, D. M., & Lawler, D. M. (2007). Large-scale climatic controls on New England river flow. Journal of Hydrometeorology, 8(3), 367-379. doi: 10.1175/JHM584.1

Kingston, D. G., Lawler, D. M., & McGregor, G. R. (2006). Linkages between atmospheric circulation, climate and streamflow in the northern North Atlantic: Research prospects. Progress in Physical Geography, 30(2), 143-174. doi: 10.1191/0309133306pp471ra

Kingston, D. G., McGregor, G. R., Hannah, D. M., & Lawler, D. M. (2006). River flow teleconnections across the northern North Atlantic region. Geophysical Research Letters, 33, L14705. doi: 10.1029/2006GL026574

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Journal - Research Other

Van Lanen, H. A. J., Laaha, G., Kingston, D. G., Gauster, T., Ionita, M., Vidal, J.-P., … Van Loon, A. F. (2016). Hydrology needed to manage droughts: The 2015 European case. Hydrological Processes, 30(17), 3097-3104. doi: 10.1002/hyp.10838

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Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper

Kingston, D. G., & McMecking, J. (2015). Precipitation delivery trajectories associated with extreme river flow for the Waitaki River, New Zealand. Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, 369, (pp. 19-24). doi: 10.5194/piahs-369-19-2015

Kingston, D. G., Webster, C. S., & Sirguey, P. (2014). Large-scale climate control on lake inflow in the Waitaki basin, New Zealand. Proceedings of FRIEND-Water: Hydrology in a Changing World: Environmental and Human Dimensions (IAHS Publication 363). (pp. 138-144). Wallingford, UK: IAHS Press. [Full Paper]

Hannah, D. M., Fleig, A. K., Kingston, D. G., Stagge, J. H., & Wilson, D. (2014). Connecting streamflow and atmospheric conditions in Europe: State-of-the-art review and future directions. In T. M. Daniell (Ed.), Proceedings of Flow Regime from International Experimental and Network Data (FRIEND)-Water Conference: Hydrology in a Changing World: Environmental and Human Dimensions. 363, (pp. 401-406). [Full Paper]

Kingston, D. G., Fleig, A. K., Tallaksen, L. M., & Hannah, D. M. (2010). North Atlantic sea surface temperature, atmospheric circulation and summer drought in Great Britain. In E. Servat, S. Demuth, A. Dezetter & T. Daniell (Eds.), Proceedings of the Sixth World FRIEND Conference: Global Change: Facing Risks and Threats to Water Resources. (pp. 598-604). Wallingford, UK: International Association of Hydrological Science. [Full Paper]

Kingston, D. G., Hannah, D. M., McGregor, G. R., & Lawler, D. M. (2007). Assessing large-scale hydroclimatological variability and linkages across northwest Europe. Proceedings of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) International Seminar: Climatic and Anthropogenic Impacts on the Variability of Water Resources. (pp. 19-26). Paris: UNESCO/IHP. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001502/150251m.pdf

Kingston, D. G., Hannah, D. M., Lawler, D. M., & McGregor, G. R. (2006). Interactions between large-scale climate and river flow across the northern North Atlantic margin. In S. Demuth, A. Gustard, E. Planos, F. Scatena & E. Servat (Eds.), Proceedings of the Fifth World FRIEND Conference: Climate Variability and Change: Hydrological Impacts. (pp. 350-352). Wallingford, UK: International Association of Hydrological Science. [Full Paper]

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Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Dowson, A. J., Cullen, N. J., Sirguey, P., & Kingston, D. (2018). Glacier surface albedo from modis data and links to annual mass balance for the Gardens of Eden and Allah, Southern Alps, New Zealand. Proceedings of the New Zealand Snow and Ice Research Group (SIRG) Workshop. (pp. 8). Retrieved from https://sirgnz.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/sirg-2018-programme.pdf

Cullen, N. J., Anderson, B., Sirguey, P., Conway, J. P., Little, K., Kingston, D., … Lorrey, A. (2018). Mass balance and climate of Brewster Glacier. Proceedings of the New Zealand Snow and Ice Research Group (SIRG) Workshop. (pp. 3). Retrieved from https://sirgnz.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/sirg-2018-programme.pdf

Jobst, A. M., Kingston, D. G., & Cullen, N. J. (2015). Development of a model chain for climate change impact assessment in the Clutha catchment. In C. Ergler & S. Connelly (Eds.), Proceedings of the Postgraduate Symposium. (pp. 43). Dunedin, New Zealand: Department of Geography, University of Otago. [Abstract]

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