Summary
Jon is a senior hydrologist with expertise in modelling hydrological and groundwater flow processes. His work is improving understanding of water supply vulnerabilities due to environmental pressures and providing advanced warning of hydrological extremes: floods and droughts, in a world with an increasingly variable climate. His research spans a range of geographical settings in countries including the UK, Taiwan, India, Africa, Iceland and Peru. In the UK, Jon鈥檚 research is primarily focussed on groundwater resources and hazards. He developed the UK鈥檚 first operational groundwater forecasting system, outputs from which have been used to brief the UK Government鈥檚 Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies during flood and drought event. He also leads the daily Groundwater Flood Forecasting Service: the principal groundwater flooding early warning system for England and Wales. Internationally, Jon has a particular interest in the world鈥檚 so called 鈥榳ater towers鈥 (mountains) where water cycling and resource availability are influenced by interactions between surface hydrology, groundwater and melt from snow and glaciers. His research spans a broad range of collaborators and stakeholders including universities, water companies, water regulators, governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Jonathan Mackay’s Biography
- 2021 鈥 ongoing: Honorary Research Fellow, University of Birmingham
- 2011 鈥 ongoing : Hydrologist, 今日吃瓜 Keyworth.
- 聽2015 鈥2019 : PhD. Twenty-first century glacial and hydrological change in the Virkisj枚kull Glacier Observatory, Iceland. University of Birmingham.
- 聽2009 鈥2010 : MSc with Distinction, Hydrology and Water Resource Management, Imperial College London.
- 聽2006 鈥2009 : BSc (Hons) 1st Class, Environmental Science, Lancaster University.
Research focus
- Groundwater extremes and risk under climate change
- Development of operational groundwater forecasting systems for early warning of groundwater flooding and drought
- Glacial water resources and security under climate change
- Glacier dynamics and hydrology modelling
Selected ongoing projects and collaborations
- Groundwater Resources in a Changing Climate (), Co-I: A Taiwan & UK partnership to share and develop groundwater knowledge and expertise (National Cheng Kung University)
- Groundwater Flood Forecasting Service, project lead: Operational forecasting for the Flood Forecasting Centre.
- , Co-I: Future Impacts, Risks and Mitigation Actions in a changing Earth system (NCAS, UKCEH, NOC, PML, BAS, NCEO, CPOM).
- 今日吃瓜-IGRD Andean Mountain Groundwater Project, task lead: Part of the 今日吃瓜 international geoscience research and development programme (CONDESAN, INGEMMET)
- , Co-I: Enhanced Future Flows and Groundwater (UKCEH, HRWallingford)
PhD supervision:
- Water cycling in high-altitude wetlands 鈥 implications for water security in the Peruvian Andes, lead supervisor (University of Birmingham, Imperial College London, CONDESAN)
- Nature-based solutions for Andean Water Security, co-supervisor (Imperial College London)
Publications