Dr Gavin H Tilstone

Dr Gavin H Tilstone

Bio-optical oceanographer

ghti2024-11-13@pml.ac.uk    |     +44 (0)1752 633100 (switchboard)
"The work that I do helps to ensure the continued accuracy of ocean colour data that underpin the new generation of ESA ocean observing satellites, that will be the principal European marine Earth Observation platform for the next 20 years. These satellite data in synergy with high, quality in-situ data provide the means to address environmental issues and challenges and to support policies to protect marine ecosystems. "

Dr Gavin Tilstone is a Merit Scientist with over 25 years’ experience in the fields of Inherent and Apparent Optical properties, phytoplankton, photosynthesis, primary production, ocean colour remote sensing. He leads research on satellite ocean colour validation and algorithm development, on water quality including detecting harmful algal blooms and the use of satellite ocean colour in quantifying the marine carbon cycle. He works Earth Observation Science and Applications group. Gavin’s role is to expand the use of Earth Observation data for studying the environment and quantifying the marine carbon cycle by bringing in research funding and leading projects.

Dr Tilstone manages a research team who work on optics and ocean colour remote sensing within International, European and UKRI research projects. The results from these projects contribute to impact in policy using ocean colour space observations to address key questions on climate change, eutrophication and harmful algal blooms. Dr. Tilstone has worked on >30 International and EU research projects, has considerable management experience as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on >20 ESA, EU, NERC and Commercial projects, has employed a wide range post-doctoral and visiting fellowships and has supervised 9 PhD projects.

Dr Tilstone has published over 90 peer-reviewed papers, with an H-index of 36 and i-10 index of 72. Gavin Tilstone gained his PhD in botany at the University of Exeter, UK and went on to do post-doctoral research on phytoplankton and bio-optics at CSIC, Vigo, Spain and Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.

Key Projects

  • JMP-EUNOSAT: Joint Monitoring Programme of the Eutrophication of the North Sea with Satellite data

Selected Publications

  • Tilstone G.H., Pardo, S., Dall’Olmo, G., Brewin, R.G., Nencioli, F., Dessailly, D., Kwiatkowska, E., Casal, T., Donlon, C. 2021. Performance of Ocean Colour algorithms for Sentinel-3 OLCI, MODIS-Aqua and VIIRS in open-ocean waters of the Atlantic. Remote Sens. Env., 260, 112444. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2021.112444
  • Qin, P., Simis, S.H., Tilstone, G.H. 2017. Radiometric validation of atmospheric correction for MERIS in the Baltic Sea based on continuous observations from ships and AERONET-OC. Remote Sensing Environment, 200: 263-280. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2017.08.024
  • Tilstone G.H., Mallor-Hoya S., Gohin F., Bel Couto A., Sa C., Gloela P., Cristina S., Airs R., Icely J., Zuhlke M., Groom S.B. 2017. Which Ocean Colour algorithm for MERIS in NW European coastal waters? Remote Sensing Environment, 189: 132-151. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2016.11.012
  • Pabortsava K., Lampitt R. S., Benson J., Casciotti K., Crowe C., McLachlan R., Le Moigne F.A.C., Moore C. M., Pebody C., Provost P, Rees A., Tilstone G.H., Woodward E.M.S. (2017) Carbon sequestration in the deep Atlantic enhanced by Saharan dust. Nature-GeoSciences. 10: 189-194. doi:10.1038/ngeo2899
  • Tilstone G.H., Xie Y., Robinson C., Serret P., Raitsos D., Powell T., Aranguren-Gassis M., Garcia-Martin E.M., Kitidis V. 2015. Satellite estimates of net community production indicate predominance of net autotrophy in the Atlantic Ocean. Remote Sensing of Environment, 164: 254-269. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2015.03.017
  • Tilstone G.H., Miller P.I., Brewin R., Priede, I.G. 2014. Enhancement of primary production outside of the spring bloom in the North Atlantic identified by remote sensing of ocean colour and temperature. Remote Sensing of Environment, 146: 77-86. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2013.04.021
  • Kowalczuk P, Tilstone G, Zabłocka M, Röttgers R, Thomas R. 2013. Composition of Dissolved Organic Matter along an Atlantic Meridional Transect from fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis. Marine Chemistry, 157: 170-184. doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2013.10.004
  • Tilstone G, Airs R, Martinez-Vicente V, Widdicombe C, Llewellyn C. 2010. High concentrations of Mycosporine like amino acids and coloured dissolved organic material in the sea surface microlayer off the Iberian Peninsular. Limnology & Oceanography 55, 5: 1835-1850. doi:10.4319/lo.2010.55.5.1835