Jon Robson
Biographic Data
| ID | 3788815 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jon Robson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jon |
| FAMILY NAME | Robson |
| SIGNATURE | ROBSON J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Nottingham |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7247-8172 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 15 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1948 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
CMIP6 skill at predicting interannual to multi-decadal summer monsoon precipitation variability
Monsoons affect the economy, agriculture, and human health of two thirds of the world’s population. Therefore, predicting variations in monsoon precipitation is societally important. We explore the ability of climate models from the sixth phase of the Climate Model Intercomparison Project to predict summer monsoon precipitation variability by using hindcasts from the Decadal Climate Prediction Project (Component A). The multi-model ensemble-mean …
Speculative Aesthetic Expressivism
In this paper we sketch a new version of aesthetic expressivism. We argue that one advantage of this view is that it explains various putative norms on the formation and revision of aesthetic judgement. We begin by setting out our proposed explananda and a sense in which they can be understood as governing the correct response to putative higher-order evidence in aesthetics. We then summarise some existing discussions of expressivist attempts to …
Skilful seasonal predictions of global monsoon summer precipitation with DePreSys3
We assess skill of the Met Office's DePreSys3 prediction system at forecasting summer global monsoon precipitation at the seasonal time scale (2-5 month forecast period). DePreSys3 has significant skill at predicting summer monsoon precipitation (r = 0.68), but the skill varies by region and is higher in the northern (r = 0.68) rather than in the southern hemisphere (r = 0.44)
Early-winter North Atlantic low-level jet latitude biases in climate models
Climate model biases in the North Atlantic (NA) low-level tropospheric westerly jet are a major impediment to reliably representing variability of the NA climate system and its wider influence, in particular over western Europe. A major aspect of the biases is the occurrence of a prominent early-winter equatorward jet bias in Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models that has implications for NA atmosphere-ocean coupling. Here…
Skilful decadal predictions of subpolar North Atlantic SSTs using CMIP model-analogues
Predicting regional climate variability is a key goal of initialised decadal predictions and the North Atlantic has been a major focus due to its high level of predictability and potential impact on European climate. These predictions often focus on decadal variability in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre (NA SPG). In order to understand the value of initialisation, and justify the high costs of such systems, pre…
Skilful interannual climate prediction from two large initialised model ensembles
Climate prediction skill on the interannual timescale, which sits between that of seasonal and decadal, is investigated using large ensembles from the Met Office and CESM initialised coupled prediction systems. A key goal is to determine what can be skillfully predicted about the coming year when combining these two ensembles together. Annual surface temperature predictions show good skill at both global and regional scales, but skill diminishes …
Omni-beauty as a divine attribute
The claim that God is perfectly beautiful has played a key role within the history of a number of religious traditions. However, this view has received surprisingly little attention from philosophers of religion in recent decades. In this article I aim to remedy this neglect by addressing some key philosophical issues surrounding the doctrine of divine beauty. I begin by considering how best to explicate the claim that God is perfectly beautiful …
Projected near term changes in the East Asian summer monsoon and its uncertainty
Changes in the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) during the mid-21st century relative to present day are simulated in two related models GOML1 and GOML2. Both models are the atmospheric components of two state-of-the-art climate models coupled to a multi-level mixed-layer ocean model, following the RCP 4.5 scenario. Both show that the EASM is enhanced due to the amplified land-sea thermal contrast. Summer precipitation over northern China is proje…
The Aesthetics of Videogames
The nature of videogame worlds and their interactive potential has drawn considerable interest from philosophers and game theorists, who have proposed what are sometimes competing theoretical approaches and conceptualizations. This chapter focuses on the appropriate conceptual relationship between virtuality and fiction. It shows how the concepts combine in the technological development of virtual reality (VR) media; moreover, without the potenti…
Impact of internal variability on projections of Sahel precipitation change
The impact of the increase of greenhouse gases on Sahelian precipitation is very uncertain in both its spatial pattern and magnitude. In particular, the relative importance of internal variability versus external forcings depends on the time horizon considered in the climate projection. In this study we address the respective roles of the internal climate variability versus external forcings on Sahelian precipitation by using the data from the CE…
Aesthetic Testimony and the Test of Time
claims. 2 In §2 I say a little more about my preferred understanding of these doctrines.The main upshot of this section will be a view according to which both TT and NT should be interpreted in broadly epistemic terms.I then argue that there is a previously underexplored conflict between these two theses, such that one cannot reasonably accept them both.In §3 I survey, and ultimately reject, some possible attempts to reconcile the two doctrines.I…
Religious fictionalism and the problem of evil
The problem of evil is typically presented as a problem – sometimes the problem – facing theistic realists. This article takes no stance on what effect (if any) the existence of evil has on the rationality of theistic belief. Instead, it explores the possibility of using the problem of evil to generate worries for some of those who reject theistic realism. Although this article focuses on the consequences for a particular kind of religious fictio…
A social epistemology of aesthetics
Do possible worlds compromise God's beauty? A reply to Mark Ian Thomas Robson
In a recent article Mark Ian Thomas Robson argues that there is a clear contradiction between the view that possible worlds are a part of God's nature and the theologically pivotal, but philosophically neglected, claim that God is perfectly beautiful. In this article I show that Robson's argument depends on several key assumptions that he fails to justify and as such that there is reason to doubt the soundness of his argument. I also demonstrate …
Aesthetic Testimony
It is frequently claimed that we can learn very little, if anything, about the aesthetic character of an artwork (or other object of aesthetic appraisal) on the basis of testimony. Such disparaging assessments of the epistemic value of aesthetic testimony contrast markedly with our acceptance of testimony as an important (perhaps even basic) source of knowledge in many other areas. There have, however, been a number of challenges to this orthodox…
The Revival of Realism
Aesthetic Testimony
It is frequently claimed that we can learn very little, if anything, about the aesthetic character of an artwork (or other object of aesthetic appraisal) on the basis of testimony. Such disparaging assessments of the epistemic value of aesthetic testimony contrast markedly with our acceptance of testimony as an important (perhaps even basic) source of knowledge in many other areas. There have, however, been a number of challenges to this orthodox…
Aesthetic Testimony and the Test of Time
claims. 2 In §2 I say a little more about my preferred understanding of these doctrines.The main upshot of this section will be a view according to which both TT and NT should be interpreted in broadly epistemic terms.I then argue that there is a previously underexplored conflict between these two theses, such that one cannot reasonably accept them both.In §3 I survey, and ultimately reject, some possible attempts to reconcile the two doctrines.I…
A social epistemology of aesthetics
Speculative Aesthetic Expressivism
In this paper we sketch a new version of aesthetic expressivism. We argue that one advantage of this view is that it explains various putative norms on the formation and revision of aesthetic judgement. We begin by setting out our proposed explananda and a sense in which they can be understood as governing the correct response to putative higher-order evidence in aesthetics. We then summarise some existing discussions of expressivist attempts to …
The Revival of Realism
Do possible worlds compromise God's beauty? A reply to Mark Ian Thomas Robson
In a recent article Mark Ian Thomas Robson argues that there is a clear contradiction between the view that possible worlds are a part of God's nature and the theologically pivotal, but philosophically neglected, claim that God is perfectly beautiful. In this article I show that Robson's argument depends on several key assumptions that he fails to justify and as such that there is reason to doubt the soundness of his argument. I also demonstrate …
Aesthetic Testimony
It is frequently claimed that we can learn very little, if anything, about the aesthetic character of an artwork (or other object of aesthetic appraisal) on the basis of testimony. Such disparaging assessments of the epistemic value of aesthetic testimony contrast markedly with our acceptance of testimony as an important (perhaps even basic) source of knowledge in many other areas. There have, however, been a number of challenges to this orthodox…
A social epistemology of aesthetics
Religious fictionalism and the problem of evil
The problem of evil is typically presented as a problem – sometimes the problem – facing theistic realists. This article takes no stance on what effect (if any) the existence of evil has on the rationality of theistic belief. Instead, it explores the possibility of using the problem of evil to generate worries for some of those who reject theistic realism. Although this article focuses on the consequences for a particular kind of religious fictio…
Impact of internal variability on projections of Sahel precipitation change
The impact of the increase of greenhouse gases on Sahelian precipitation is very uncertain in both its spatial pattern and magnitude. In particular, the relative importance of internal variability versus external forcings depends on the time horizon considered in the climate projection. In this study we address the respective roles of the internal climate variability versus external forcings on Sahelian precipitation by using the data from the CE…
Aesthetic Testimony and the Test of Time
claims. 2 In §2 I say a little more about my preferred understanding of these doctrines.The main upshot of this section will be a view according to which both TT and NT should be interpreted in broadly epistemic terms.I then argue that there is a previously underexplored conflict between these two theses, such that one cannot reasonably accept them both.In §3 I survey, and ultimately reject, some possible attempts to reconcile the two doctrines.I…
The Aesthetics of Videogames
The nature of videogame worlds and their interactive potential has drawn considerable interest from philosophers and game theorists, who have proposed what are sometimes competing theoretical approaches and conceptualizations. This chapter focuses on the appropriate conceptual relationship between virtuality and fiction. It shows how the concepts combine in the technological development of virtual reality (VR) media; moreover, without the potenti…
Omni-beauty as a divine attribute
The claim that God is perfectly beautiful has played a key role within the history of a number of religious traditions. However, this view has received surprisingly little attention from philosophers of religion in recent decades. In this article I aim to remedy this neglect by addressing some key philosophical issues surrounding the doctrine of divine beauty. I begin by considering how best to explicate the claim that God is perfectly beautiful …
Projected near term changes in the East Asian summer monsoon and its uncertainty
Changes in the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) during the mid-21st century relative to present day are simulated in two related models GOML1 and GOML2. Both models are the atmospheric components of two state-of-the-art climate models coupled to a multi-level mixed-layer ocean model, following the RCP 4.5 scenario. Both show that the EASM is enhanced due to the amplified land-sea thermal contrast. Summer precipitation over northern China is proje…
Skilful interannual climate prediction from two large initialised model ensembles
Climate prediction skill on the interannual timescale, which sits between that of seasonal and decadal, is investigated using large ensembles from the Met Office and CESM initialised coupled prediction systems. A key goal is to determine what can be skillfully predicted about the coming year when combining these two ensembles together. Annual surface temperature predictions show good skill at both global and regional scales, but skill diminishes …
Skilful seasonal predictions of global monsoon summer precipitation with DePreSys3
We assess skill of the Met Office's DePreSys3 prediction system at forecasting summer global monsoon precipitation at the seasonal time scale (2-5 month forecast period). DePreSys3 has significant skill at predicting summer monsoon precipitation (r = 0.68), but the skill varies by region and is higher in the northern (r = 0.68) rather than in the southern hemisphere (r = 0.44)
Early-winter North Atlantic low-level jet latitude biases in climate models
Climate model biases in the North Atlantic (NA) low-level tropospheric westerly jet are a major impediment to reliably representing variability of the NA climate system and its wider influence, in particular over western Europe. A major aspect of the biases is the occurrence of a prominent early-winter equatorward jet bias in Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models that has implications for NA atmosphere-ocean coupling. Here…
Skilful decadal predictions of subpolar North Atlantic SSTs using CMIP model-analogues
Predicting regional climate variability is a key goal of initialised decadal predictions and the North Atlantic has been a major focus due to its high level of predictability and potential impact on European climate. These predictions often focus on decadal variability in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre (NA SPG). In order to understand the value of initialisation, and justify the high costs of such systems, pre…
CMIP6 skill at predicting interannual to multi-decadal summer monsoon precipitation variability
Monsoons affect the economy, agriculture, and human health of two thirds of the world’s population. Therefore, predicting variations in monsoon precipitation is societally important. We explore the ability of climate models from the sixth phase of the Climate Model Intercomparison Project to predict summer monsoon precipitation variability by using hindcasts from the Decadal Climate Prediction Project (Component A). The multi-model ensemble-mean …
Speculative Aesthetic Expressivism
In this paper we sketch a new version of aesthetic expressivism. We argue that one advantage of this view is that it explains various putative norms on the formation and revision of aesthetic judgement. We begin by setting out our proposed explananda and a sense in which they can be understood as governing the correct response to putative higher-order evidence in aesthetics. We then summarise some existing discussions of expressivist attempts to …
Philosophy (8 works) · Climate variability and models (7 works) · Climatology (7 works) · Environmental Science (7 works) · Epistemology (7 works) · Geology (7 works) · Climate change (6 works) · Climate model (6 works) · Geography (6 works) · Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations (6 works)