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Abstract:
The talk will examine aspects of tropical cyclones in the Australian region gathered from many years of first hand experience in the Perth Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre. Topics discussed will include climatology, seasonal forecasting and intra-seasonal variability, the role of the larger scale environment in the TC life cycle and structure change including extra-tropical transition, the effects of climate change on TC frequency and intensity and severe convective weather associated with tropical cyclones.
Abstract:
This talk will present an overview of the US National Science Foundation funded FUSE project (Feedbacks between Urban Systems and the Environment). The goal of the FUSE project is to develop a comprehensive modelling framework for the urban climate - air quality - human response system that takes into account the complexities of system feedback mechanisms, by linking models of meteorology, air quality, energy consumption and human response. In this talk two components of the FUSE research will be presented: a phone survey tool used to assess human responses to heat, air quality and public advisories, and an investigation into the causality of spatial differences in the urban heat island.
Biography:
Melissa Hart is a former Macquarie University undergrad and postgrad student. She completed her PhD in 2006 investigating meteorological influences on summertime pollution episodes in Sydney. Melissa is currently employed as a postdoctoral researcher at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, USA working on the US National Science Foundation funded FUSE project (Feedbacks between Urban Systems and the Environment).
Abstract:
This talk is for people who want a quick overview of the very latest in climate science and what it means for Australia. The talk will draw on the Working Group 1 "Summary for Policymakers" Report recently released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and research conducted here in Australia. We will examine observed changes in our climate system, how climate models work, and what the models tell us about past and future climate.
Biography:
Dr Scott Power is a Principal Research Scientist in the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre. He is coordinating the Bureau's participation in the Australian Climate Change Science Program. He is the former head of Operational Climate Monitoring and Prediction in the Bureau, is a member of international panels of the World Meteorological Organization dealing with climate issues, and is a contributing author of the IPCC Fourth Assessment (2007) Working Group 1 report. He has published extensively in the international scientific literature on climate variability and climate change.
Webpage: http://www.bom.gov.au/bmrc/clfor/cfstaff/sbp.htm
Abstract:
This talk will start with a brief overview of the IPCC Working Group 2 “Summary for Policymakers” which assesses global impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. The focus will then shift to Australia, with a detailed discussion of observed and projected changes in climate, potential impacts on a range of sectors including agriculture and coasts, the scope for adaptation, and some conclusions about vulnerability.
Biography:
Kevin Hennessy is a Principal Research Scientist in CSIRO’s Climate Impacts and Risk Group. He is also a Coordinating Lead Author of Chapter 11 “Australia and New Zealand” in the IPCC 2007 Working Group 2 report.
Webpage: http://www.dar.csiro.au/profile/hennessy.html
Abstract:
Wind energy is emerging as a significant contributor to electricity generation around the world, and Australia is well placed to harness greater wind energy within its electricity industry due to substantial wind resources. This talk will give a brief overview of wind energy forecasting, the challenges that are emerging, and Australia's role in this field. Integration of wind energy into electricity industries does, however, pose some new challenges for power system operation because of the wind resource's variability and unpredictability, and the highly non-linear relationship between wind speed and wind energy flux.
Biography:
Merlinde has a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the University of New South Wales, graduating in 2002. Her research focused on radiative transfer of atmospheric aerosols. After completing her PhD she worked as a weather risk analyst, producing weather forecasts for a major energy company. She is currently working at the Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets at UNSW on wind energy forecasting, with funding from the AGO to undertake research on facilitating the integration of wind generation into the Australian electricity industry. The main intention of this initiative is to develop and deliver a state-of-the-art wind forecasting system to facilitate wind energy in the National Electricity Market.
Abstract:
While the issue of climate change has entered the discourses of educators of professional programs in a range of sectors, the focus of education in the built environment sector has largely been on: i) acknowledging climate change as an issue and learning the context and/or science of this phenomenon; and/or ii) education about and for climate change mitigation (particularly a focus on ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from built environment activities and structures). While both these elements are essential components of education for built environment professionals (e.g., urban planners, architects, engineers), education for climate change adaptation has been the missing component of a holistic education in sustainable development in the built environment sector. Drawing on recent research in this area, this seminar investigates: the implications of climate change for built environment professions, education for sustainability that includes management of climate risk, and research needs to assist the effective facilitation of climate change adaptation in urban areas.
Biography:
Anna is Program Director of Macquarie University’s Master of Environmental Planning, and is a researcher in Macquarie University’s Climate Risk Concentration of Research Excellence. Anna’s professional expertise is in sustainable urban development with a special focus on climate change implications for urban places and planning systems. She has worked with a range of stakeholders in the public and private sectors on urban environmental policy issues and has been involved in many professional, government and community oriented advisory panels and projects. Recent research activities include: integrated assessment of climatic impacts for urban regions, and capacity building for sustainable climate change adaptation in the built environment. She recently led the project, Shifting Towards Sustainability: Education for Climate Change Adaptation in the Built Environment Sector, an Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES) project for the Australian Department of Environment and Water Resources.
Abstract:
The oceans are warming, ocean biochemistry is changing and global mean sea level has been rising. Over the period 1961–2003, global ocean temperature has risen by 0.10°C from the surface to 700 m depth. Consistent with the IPCC Third Assessment Report, global ocean heat content (0–3000 m) has increased during the same period, equivalent to absorbing energy at a rate of 0.21 ± 0.04 W m–2 globally averaged over the earth’s surface. Two thirds of this energy is absorbed from the surface to 700 m. Global ocean heat content observations show considerable inter-annual and inter-decadal variability superimposed on the longer-term trend. Relative to 1961–2003, the period 1993–2003 has a higher rate of warming.
We will examine the long term trends and decadal scale variability in global ocean heat content, salinity, inorganic carbon, pH and sea level and how the observations relate to our understanding of the global ocean circulation and its role in climate change.
Biography:
Nathan Bindoff is Professor of Physical Oceanography at the University of Tasmania and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research and Project Leader of the Antarctic Cooperative Research Centre’s Modelling Program. He is the coordinating lead author for the Ocean chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report.
Abstract:
There is now widespread acceptance that the climate is changing and that human activities are responsible. It is widely recognised that the impacts of climate change on species and natural communities may be profound, and in many cases, disastrous. There is also good evidence that many species are already responding to the warming trends experienced in the last few decades. In particular, geographic ranges of the more mobile species are shifting poleward and upward in elevation, and the timing of life cycles of many plants and animals is also changing. Species responses to ongoing climate change are expected to be individualistic although some predictions can be made as to which species will respond most quickly. As species respond, the communities that they live in will also change, both in structure and composition.
This talk will briefly review recent climate changes on a global and Australian scale, summarise projections for the future, and outline the implications of these projections for species and communities with a particular focus on Australian terrestrial biodiversity.
Biography:
Lesley Hughes is Professor of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University. Professor Hughes is a lead author of the chapter on Australia and New Zealand and a contributing author on the Ecosystems chapter in the IPCC Working Group II report.
Abstract:
This talk will examine current AUV work underway at the University of Sydney's Australian Centre for Field Robotics. The ACFR has been selected as the Coordinator for the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) AUV Facility. The AUV Facility is designed to provide access to AUVs for scientific study of the oceans around Australia. The talk will examine the nature of the facility and describe recent deployments at Ningaloo in Western Australia and the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland.
Biography:
Dr. Stefan B. Williams is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney's Australian Centre for Field Robotics. He is also the head of the NCRIS Integrated Marine Observing Systems Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Facility. Dr. Williams received a BASc in Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Canada in 1997 and a PhD in Field Robotics from the University of Sydney in 2002. Dr. Williams' research interests focus on the development of AUV technologies and algorithms suitable for modelling complex underwater environments.