Bridges to the Future Program

Contribute to Jim's Bridges to the Future Fund Here! 

*This donation is to the Hydrology Section’s Bridges to the Future program specifically honoring W. James Shuttleworth. 

Shuttleworth

Professional CV

Link to more information about the program

W. James Shuttleworth
Hydrometeorology Pioneer, Global Collaborator. 

After finishing a PhD in high energy nuclear physics at the University of Manchester in 1971, Jim joined the Institute of Hydrology (IH) in Wallingford (now the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology) at a time when the Institute was expanding rapidly in process hydrological research under the leadership of Jim McCulloch. He first wrote a series of papers in Boundary-Layer Meteorology (1975-1979) that remain fundamental in our understanding of evaporation. One of his further insights was that expressions for potential evaporation such as the Priestley Taylor equation could not be used directly for estimating forest evaporation, as the difference between transpiration and evaporation from a wet canopy (interception) called for a separate description. An important spin-off from this early work was the development of a sparse crop evaporation model that included the effects of an interacting bare soil with the environment surrounding the leaves of the plants.
Read full biosketch here. 

  Tributes to Jim

                                                                                                                                      

Jim was the most unassuming person that I've ever known. He joined our department and brought a new area of research that I knew nothing about - hydrometeorology. He had been there for four of five years and I had grown to really enjoy his company. He was that nice, older, easy-going British guy who was always ready with a joke or a wry comment at just the right time. Then learned what he had accomplished scientifically - both as a researcher and a leader. Over the following years, I really tried to see him differently. But it was impossible. His demeanor wouldn't allow it. Jim was the guy who could point out a flaw in your reasoning or tell you that your funding wasn't going to be continued or volunteer you for an administrative duty and leave you thinking, 'Wow, what a great guy!' Because he was a great guy. 

– Ty Ferre

                                                                                                                                        

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