The state of weather and climate extremes 2021
March 14, 2022 9:08 am 1 CommentThe year 2021 saw a wide range of extreme weather and climate events impacting Australia.
Categories for
The east coast rain seems endless. Where on Earth is all the water coming from?
March 8, 2022 2:49 pm Comments Off on The east coast rain seems endless. Where on Earth is all the water coming from?At any one time, Earth’s atmosphere holds only about a week’s worth of rain. But rainfall and floods have devastated Australia’s eastern regions for weeks and more heavy rain is forecast. So where’s all this water coming from?
Climate change and tipping points
March 7, 2022 4:20 pm Comments Off on Climate change and tipping pointsTipping points exist in the climate system, and it is very unlikely that all tipping points are known. Different tipping points are understood with different levels of confidence, they operate on different timescales, can interact to trigger cascades of abrupt changes, and some tipping point changes are irreversible on timescales of centuries to millennia.
Could understanding the Indian Ocean improve climate predictions for Australia?
March 3, 2022 11:33 am Comments Off on Could understanding the Indian Ocean improve climate predictions for Australia?Conditions in the Indian Ocean can affect the risk of Australia experiencing droughts, floods, marine heatwaves and bushfires and alter the prospects for rainfed agriculture in some parts of the country. Reliable forecasts of conditions in the Indian Ocean a season in advance would help us predict upcoming changes in the risk of climate extremes in some parts of Australia. However, producing such forecasts requires us to better understand, and more accurately model, relevant Indian Ocean climate processes. There is... View Article
‘One of the most extreme disasters in colonial Australian history’: climate scientists on the floods and our future risk: The Conversation
March 3, 2022 10:27 am Comments Off on ‘One of the most extreme disasters in colonial Australian history’: climate scientists on the floods and our future risk: The ConversationWhile the role of climate change is hard to pin down in Australia’s biggest floods, we know flooding often strikes our east coast. Building greater resilience to severe flooding would help lessen their impact.
Like rivers in the sky: the weather system bringing floods to Queensland will become more likely under climate change
February 27, 2022 1:17 pm Comments Off on Like rivers in the sky: the weather system bringing floods to Queensland will become more likely under climate changeEvery little bit we do to limit carbon emissions might mean one less flood and one less person who has to rebuild.
2021 was one of the hottest years on record – and it could also be the coldest we’ll ever see again
January 20, 2022 1:39 pm Comments Off on 2021 was one of the hottest years on record – and it could also be the coldest we’ll ever see againRapid decarbonisation is needed to reduce further warming of the planet. It’s not too late to avoid the most dangerous climate change impacts.
This WA town just topped 50℃ – a dangerous temperature many Australians will have to get used to
January 14, 2022 1:36 pm Comments Off on This WA town just topped 50℃ – a dangerous temperature many Australians will have to get used toYou may think Australians are good at surviving the heat. But the climate you were born in doesn’t exist any more. Sadly, our farms, wildlife, and suburbs will struggle to cope with the extreme heat projected for coming decades.
La Niña just raised sea levels in the western Pacific by up to 20cm. This height will be normal by 2050
December 16, 2021 4:43 pm Comments Off on La Niña just raised sea levels in the western Pacific by up to 20cm. This height will be normal by 2050To give low-lying island nations a fighting chance at surviving the coming floods, all nations (including Australia) must drastically and urgently cut emissions.
Research Brief: Calculating the contribution of an individual to making extreme weather events more likely
November 24, 2021 2:02 pm Comments Off on Research Brief: Calculating the contribution of an individual to making extreme weather events more likelyThis paper focuses on a case study to provide a methodology for how the costs associated with an extreme weather event may be shared between citizens and envisage how such a system could look in future.