I wrote this article one year ago today, but I’m republishing it here because, well, it’s still relevant. On August 14 1912, a small New Zealand newspaper published a short article announcing global coal usage was affecting our planet’s temperature. This piece from 111 years ago is now famous, shared across the internet this timeContinue reading “For 111 years, climate change has been in the news. Are we finally ready to listen?”
Category Archives: Science
Paper summary: the world’s longest known series of parallel temperature data: Adelaide, 1887–1947
Parallel weather observations are crucial for combining historical weather observations with modern records, so we can accurately see what our climate was like back in time. Most datasets go for two or three years, but in Adelaide, Australia, Government Astronomer and Meteorologist Charles Todd and his team took measurements in two thermometer stands for almostContinue reading “Paper summary: the world’s longest known series of parallel temperature data: Adelaide, 1887–1947”
Paper summary: historical extreme rainfall events in southeastern Australia
Most instrumental weather data that we use to study rainfall in Australia only extend back to 1900, which makes it hard to capture the full range of our highly variable climate. In a new study we have used historical rainfall observations in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney to add an extra 60 years of information toContinue reading “Paper summary: historical extreme rainfall events in southeastern Australia”
Visualising climate change
Recently I was invited to talk to the computer science students at John Monash Science School by their wonderful teacher and all round superstar, Dr Linda McIver. The students had been working on different ways to show climate change data, Linda told me. Could we talk about that? A chance to look at visualisations ofContinue reading “Visualising climate change”
When helpful is unhelpful
Question. Tell me what you think about me. No, I’m serious! Please, tell me what you think about this scenario. A while ago I spoke at a small research meeting. I gave a 20 minute talk on my science. I engaged with my audience, answered general and specific questions, and hopefully came across as knowledgableContinue reading “When helpful is unhelpful”
The thing about wind
I’ve written before about my frustration/hatred of wind in daily life, but today I wanted to raise another complaint: using wind data in past climate research. Wind direction is easy and cheap to monitor. All you really need is a damp finger and a decent sense of which way is north. The strength of windContinue reading “The thing about wind”
How’s about that weather then? 26 and 28 March 1844
People love talking about the weather. Whether it’s on Twitter in 2017, or in letters to the Editor in 1841, we are never short of a meteorological-based conversation starter, particularly in Australia. The aim of these posts is to share some of the events that piqued people’s interest back in the day. Not always theContinue reading “How’s about that weather then? 26 and 28 March 1844”
A week in the life of the free range researcher
Since returning to Australia in August, my working life has taken a comfy new shape. Don’t worry, I’m still rescuing data to improve our understanding of European weather and climate. But now I work from home, surrounded by magpies and hot pies, rather than mountains and the hot Mediterranean sun. As a remote researcher IContinue reading “A week in the life of the free range researcher”
Meeting your heroes
A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to receive a ERASMUS+ Mobility Grant to visit one of the pillars of climate science, The University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit. CRU is responsible for one of the most widely-used long-term climate datasets in the world, the HadCRUT record. It also has an impressively longContinue reading “Meeting your heroes”
Holiday! Celebrate! By working?
This week, I have had the unadulterated luxury of being on holiday. And not a travelling holiday either: a plonk yourself next to the pool, sunset drinks, working on your tan, proper vacation. Although it’s been great, these kinds of breaks are not my usual fare. I am much better at seeing and doing thanContinue reading “Holiday! Celebrate! By working?”
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