Christopher Jack
Deputy Director
Christopher has a background in computer science and ocean/atmospheric science with particular expertise in high performance computing and computing platforms and dynamical and statistical modeling and analysis. Over the past 10 years Christopher has also built extensive experience in science-society engagement and communications, and more recently, decision making under uncertainty and multi/trans-disciplinary research. This experience has been developed through a mix of consulting/advisory activities as well as academic research activities in partnerships with a wide network of collaborators across the region and internationally. His current research activities are focused on the intersection of urban contexts and climate risk through projects such as UrbanARK and FRACTAL, where his background and experience in fundamental climate science and modeling, as well as his experience in decision support and capacity development, come together. Christopher is deputy director of CSAG, supporting and working alongside Bruce Hewitson in order to provide strategic oversight and direction to the group. Christopher continues to provide strategic oversight of the units High Performance Computing (HPC) facility and big data storage services as well providing broader leadership within the group. He is also always involved a wide range of research and consulting project activities and leadership. Christopher's passion is working with and across diverse disciplines and areas of expertise in complex problem spaces, hence his current interest in urban climate resilience in developing contexts.
Personal SitePublications
sourced from ORCID (0000-0002-0936-7277): see full ORCID profile
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Dim Coumou, Paola A Arias, Ana Bastos, Charlotte Kendra Gotangco Gonzales, Gabriele C Hegerl, Pandora Hope, Christopher Jack, Friederike Otto, Fahad Saeed, Olivia Serdeczny, Theodore G Shepherd, Robert Vautard, Barbara Romanowicz,  (2024) How can event attribution science underpin financial decisions on Loss and Damage?
PNAS Nexus
doi:10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae277
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Christopher Jack, Craig Parker, Yao Etienne Kouakou, Bonnie Joubert, Kimberly A McAllister, Maliha Ilias, Gloria Maimela, Matthew Chersich, Sibusisiwe Makhanya, Stanley Luchters, Prestige Tatenda Makanga, Etienne Vos, Kristie L Ebi, Brama Koné, Akbar K Waljee, Guéladio Cissé,  (2024) Leveraging data science and machine learning for urban climate adaptation in two major African cities: a HE2AT Center study protocol
BMJ Open
doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-077529
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Alessandro Dosio, Izidine Pinto, Christopher Lennard, Mouhamadou Bamba Sylla, Christopher Jack, Grigory Nikulin,  (2021) What Can We Know About Recent Past Precipitation Over Africa? Daily Characteristics of African Precipitation From a Large Ensemble of Observational Products for Model Evaluation
Earth and Space Science
doi:10.1029/2020EA001466
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Anna Taylor, Christopher Jack, Alice McClure, Sukaina Bharwani, Rebecca Ilunga, Jessica Kavonic,  (2021) Understanding and supporting climate-sensitive decision processes in southern African cities
Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability
doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2021.03.006
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(2021) Climate Information: Towards Transparent Distillation
Climate Risk in Africa
doi:10.1007/978-3-030-61160-6_2
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(2021) Convection permitting regional climate change simulations for understanding future climate and informing decision making in Africa
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
doi:10.1175/bams-d-20-0020.1
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Burnet Mkandawire, Bernard Thole, Dereck Mamiwa, Tawina Mlowa, Alice McClure, Jessica Kavonic, Christopher Jack,  (2021) Application of Systems-Approach in Modelling Complex City-Scale Transdisciplinary Knowledge Co-Production Process and Learning Patterns for Climate Resilience
Systems
doi:10.3390/systems9010007
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(2020) Climate risk narratives: An iterative reflective process for co-producing and integrating climate knowledge
Climate Risk Management
doi:10.1016/j.crm.2020.100239
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(2020) Spatio‐temporal patterns of rainfall trends and the 2015–2017 drought over the winter rainfall region of South Africa
International Journal of Climatology
doi:10.1002/joc.6768
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(2020) Emerging climate change-related public health challenges in Africa: A case study of the heat-health vulnerability of informal settlement residents in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Science of The Total Environment
doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141355
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(2020) South Africa’s agricultural dust sources and events from MSG SEVIRI
Aeolian Research
doi:10.1016/j.aeolia.2020.100637
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(2019) What can we know about future precipitation in Africa? Robustness, significance and added value of projections from a large ensemble of regional climate models
Climate Dynamics
doi:10.1007/s00382-019-04900-3
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Jack, C., Katragkou, E.,  (2019) Evaluation of downscaling methods over Europe: Results of the EU-COST action VALUE
International Journal of Climatology
doi:10.1002/joc.6184
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Lawal, S., Lennard, C., Jack, C., Wolski, P., Hewitson, B., Abiodun, B.,  (2019) The observed and model-simulated response of southern African vegetation to drought
Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.107698
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Quagraine, K.A., Hewitson, B., Jack, C., Pinto, I., Lennard, C.,  (2019) A methodological approach to assess the co-behavior of climate processes over Southern Africa
Journal of Climate
doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0689.1
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Daron, J., Burgin, L., Janes, T., Jones, R.G., Jack, C.,  (2019) Climate process chains: Examples from southern Africa
International Journal of Climatology
doi:10.1002/joc.6106
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(2018) Interannual rainfall variability and SOM-based circulation classification
Climate Dynamics
doi:10.1007/s00382-017-3621-1
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(2018) Process-based model evaluation and projections over southern Africa from Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 models
International Journal of Climatology
doi:10.1002/joc.5666
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Wolski, P., Lennard, C., Jack, C., Tadross, M.,  (2017) Seasonal hydrological forecasting - Current state of play
Water Wheel
doi:2-s2.0-85028950951
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Steynor, A., Padgham, J., Jack, C., Hewitson, B., Lennard, C.,  (2016) Co-exploratory climate risk workshops: Experiences from urban Africa
Climate Risk Management
doi:10.1016/j.crm.2016.03.001
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Babatunde J. Abiodun, Sabina Abba Omar, Chris Lennard, Chris Jack,  (2015) Using regional climate models to simulate extreme rainfall events in the Western Cape, South Africa
International Journal of Climatology
doi:10.1002/joc.4376
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Joseph D. Daron, Susanne Lorenz, Piotr Wolski, Ross C. Blamey, Christopher Jack,  (2015) Interpreting climate data visualisations to inform adaptation decisions
Climate Risk Management
doi:10.1016/j.crm.2015.06.007
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MacKellar, N., New, M., Jack, C.,  (2014) Observed and modelled trends in rainfall and temperature for South Africa: 1960-2010
South African Journal of Science
doi:10.1590/sajs.2014/20130353
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Joseph David Daron, Kate Sutherland, Christopher Jack, Bruce C. Hewitson,  (2014) The role of regional climate projections in managing complex socio-ecological systems
Regional Environmental Change
doi:10.1007/s10113-014-0631-y
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Kim, J., Waliser, D.E., Mattmann, C.A., Goodale, C.E., Hart, A.F., Zimdars, P.A., Crichton, D.J., Jones, C., Nikulin, G., Hewitson, B., Jack, C., Lennard, C., Favre, A.,  (2014) Evaluation of the CORDEX-Africa multi-RCM hindcast: Systematic model errors
Climate Dynamics
doi:10.1007/s00382-013-1751-7
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Donat, M.G., Alexander, L.V., Yang, H., Durre, I., Vose, R., Dunn, R.J.H., Willett, K.M., Aguilar, E., Brunet, M., Caesar, J., Hewitson, B., Jack, C., Klein Tank, A.M.G., Kruger, A.C., Marengo, J., Peterson, T.C., Renom, M., Oria Rojas, C., Rusticucci, M., Salinger, J., Elrayah, A.S., Sekele, S.S., Srivastava, A.K., Trewin, B., Villarroel, C., Vincent, L.A., Zhai, P., Zhang, X., Kitching, S.,  (2013) Updated analyses of temperature and precipitation extreme indices since the beginning of the twentieth century: The HadEX2 dataset
Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres
doi:10.1002/jgrd.50150
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Eckardt, F.D., Soderberg, K., Coop, L.J., Muller, A.A., Vickery, K.J., Grandin, R.D., Jack, C., Kapalanga, T.S., Henschel, J.,  (2013) The nature of moisture at Gobabeb, in the central Namib Desert
Journal of Arid Environments
doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2012.01.011
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Hewitson, B.C., Daron, J., Crane, R.G., Zermoglio, M.F., Jack, C.,  (2013) Interrogating empirical-statistical downscaling
Climatic Change
doi:10.1007/s10584-013-1021-z
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Mattmann, C.A., Waliser, D., Kim, J., Goodale, C., Hart, A., Ramirez, P., Crichton, D., Zimdars, P., Boustani, M., Lee, K., Loikith, P., Whitehall, K., Jack, C., Hewitson, B.,  (2013) Cloud computing and virtualization within the regional climate model and evaluation system
Earth Science Informatics
doi:10.1007/s12145-013-0126-2
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Brown, R., Mills, A.J., Jack, C.,  (2008) Non-rainfall moisture inputs in the Knersvlakte: Methodology and preliminary findings
Water SA
doi:2-s2.0-47249113869
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Hewitson, B. C., Tadross, M. A., Sarr, A., Jain, S., Mdoka, M., Jack, C., McKellar, N., Walawege, R., Intsiful, J., Gutowski, W. J. J.,  (2006) The development of regional climate change scenarios for Sub-Sahara Africa
Final Report No. AF
doi:
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Tadross, M. A., Gutowski Jr, W. J., Hewitson, B. C., Jack, C., New, M.,  (2006) MM5 simulations of interannual change and the diurnal cycle of southern African regional climate
Theoretical and applied climatology
doi:0177-798X
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Hewitson, B., Tadross, M., Jack, C., Schulze, R. E.,  (2005) Scenarios from the University of Cape Town
Climate change and water resources in southern Africa: studies on scenarios, impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptation
doi:
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Tadross, M., Jack, C., Hewitson, B.,  (2005) On RCM-based projections of change in southern African summer climate
Geophysical Research Letters
doi:10.1029/2005GL024460
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Hewitson, B., Engelbrecht, F., Tadross, M., Jack, C.,  (2005) General conclusions on development of plausible climate change scenarios for southern Africa
Climate Change and Water Resources in Southern Africa: Studies on Scenarios, Impacts, Vulnerabilities and Adaptation, Water Research Commission, WRC Report
doi:
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Hewitson, Bruce C., Reason, C. J. C., Tennant, W., Jack, C., Mackellar, N., Lennard, C., Hansingo, K., Walawege, R., Mdoka, M.,  (2004) Dynamical modelling of present and future climate systems
doi:1770052801
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New, Mark, Washington, Richard, Jack, Chris, Hewitson, Bruce,  (2003) Sensitivity of southern African climate to soil-moisture
Clivar Exchanges
doi:
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Jack, Chris, Cape, Western,  (2003) A 15 year regional model integration for Southern Africa
7th International Conference on Southern Hemisphere Meteorology and Oceanography
doi:
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Walawege, R. P., Jack, C., Hewitson, B. C.,  (2002) Analysis of a long term Regional Model Simulation
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
doi:
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Giorgi, Filippo, Christensen, J., Hulme, M., Von Storch, H., Whetton, P., Jones, R., Mearns, L., Fu, C., Arritt, R., Bates, B.,  (2001) Regional climate information-evaluation and projections
Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. Contribution of Working Group to the Third Assessment Report of the Intergouvernmental Panel on Climate Change [Houghton, JT et al.(eds)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kongdom and New York, US
doi:0521014956
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Giorgi, F., Hewitson, B., Christensen, J., Hulme, M., Von Storch, H., Whetton, P., Jones, R., Mearns, L., Fu, C., Arritt, R.,  (2001) of the IPCC TAR (Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis)
Chapter 10-Regional Climate Information Evaluation and Projections, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
doi:
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Giorgi, F., Whetton, P.H., Jones, R.G., Christensen, J.H., Mearns, L.O., Hewitson, B., VonStorch, H., Francisco, R., Jack, C.,  (2001) Emerging patterns of simulated regional climatic changes for the 21st century due to anthropogenic forcings
Geophysical Research Letters
doi:10.1029/2001GL013150
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Steynor, Anna, Hewitson, Bruce, Jack, Chris,  () Uncertain times–A maturing approach to communicating inherent uncertainty to decision-makers
ACCESS
doi:
Posts by Chris
- We tried to write a climate change manifesto… (and failed), 26 Sep 2019 in Uncategorized
- CSAG contributes to FAO State of Food Security 2018, 12 Sep 2018 in CSAG Blog and Frontpage
- So when is it going to rain?, 25 Jan 2018 in CSAG Blog and Frontpage and Uncategorized
- What is a successful climate service?, 28 Feb 2017 in Climate Services and Frontpage and Uncategorized
- Telling stories: A multi-disciplinary co-production device?, 22 Feb 2017 in Climate Services and CSAG Blog and Frontpage
- New research tackles disaster risk in urban Africa, 05 Mar 2015 in Frontpage
- Time for a cold shower?, 02 Oct 2014 in CSAG Blog and Frontpage
- Tickling the elephant?, 26 Nov 2013 in Uncategorized
- Climate Change Apathy, 18 Oct 2013 in CSAG Blog and Frontpage