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Research brief: Higher streamflow variability than rainfall creates challenges for hydrologic variability framework.

March 9, 2020 2:35 pm Published by Comments Off on Research brief: Higher streamflow variability than rainfall creates challenges for hydrologic variability framework.

New research shows, contrary to expectation, the inter-annual variance in evapotranspiration is much smaller than for precipitation, runoff and soil storage. Accounting for hydrologic covariances explains why it is possible for variability in the principal sink (e.g., streamflow) to exceed variability in the source (precipitation).

Research brief: Aridity index too simplistic for climate projections

November 6, 2019 11:20 am Published by Comments Off on Research brief: Aridity index too simplistic for climate projections

CLEX researchers and colleagues found the Aridity Index was too simplistic to capture the many aspects that define landscape aridity, including the amount of rainfall, water resources and vegetation productivity, and is a poor indicator of future aridity changes.

Research brief: How to incorporate increased vapour pressure deficit into climate models

October 25, 2019 12:23 pm Published by Comments Off on Research brief: How to incorporate increased vapour pressure deficit into climate models

With projected increases in temperature in the future, the amount of water vapour that can be held at saturation – before it condenses into clouds, dew or water film – increases exponentially. As this deficit increases plants tend to close their stomata, which reduces water fluxes into the boundary layer. Do models currently capture the observed leaf-level response to increasing vapour pressure deficit? What about at very high levels of this deficit?

Research brief: Rescuing centuries-old meteorological measurements

October 21, 2019 12:07 pm Published by Comments Off on Research brief: Rescuing centuries-old meteorological measurements

This paper documents the efforts of the international weather data rescue initiative ACRE, the International Surface Temperature Initiative and researchers that took part in workshops held in Bern, Switzerland, in June 2018 to rescue and digitize meteorological measurements taken prior to 1850 from around the world.

2℃ of global warming would put pressure on Melbourne’s water supply

September 2, 2019 3:37 pm Published by Comments Off on 2℃ of global warming would put pressure on Melbourne’s water supply

Melbourne’s existing water supplies may face pressure if global warming hits the 2℃ level. The effects of drying and warming in southern Australia are expected to reduce natural water supplies. If we overshoot 2℃ of warming, even the desalination plant might not provide enough drinking water to a growing population.

Formation of the ACCESS oversight committee

August 2, 2019 11:34 am Published by Comments Off on Formation of the ACCESS oversight committee

This release is to advise the community that an ACCESS Oversight Committee has been formed initially comprising Christian Jakob, Rachel Law, Helen Cleugh, Andy Pitman, Tony Hirst, Peter May, David Karoly and Ben Evans. Terms of reference have been agreed to by the group and can be found at the end of this document.