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”
Tag Archives: climate
Why we need old weather data
When people ask me what I do here, my standard response is “Soy investigadora, en el Centro de Cambio Climatic”. Most people take this to mean that I work with the political and economic solutions required to solve the diabolical problem of climate change (which they then quiz me about), but sadly this is not true.Continue reading “Why we need old weather data”
Australia’s meteorological anniversary
Today is the anniversary of the First Fleet’s arrival in Sydney Cove, only 228 years ago. A defining moment, certainly, although more and more people agree that the 26th of January is not the right day to honour all things Australian. To commemorate the date, let’s have a look at Australia’s earliest weather observations. Their history, funnilyContinue reading “Australia’s meteorological anniversary”
The week I reviewed
We are the watcher on the walls. We are the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men…for this night and all the nights to come. OK, so I’m not Jon Snow (in that I’m not aContinue reading “The week I reviewed”
The week the paper was published
“Dear Dr Ashcroft, I am pleased to inform you that your paper has been accepted for publication.” Huzzah! Is there any sweeter sentence in the scientific world?! Maybe “the results are significant at the 99.9% confidence level (p<0.01)”. But the opening line from this email I recently received is definitely up there. The accepted paper isContinue reading “The week the paper was published”
Teleco-what now?
This post contains a lot of links to scientific articles that may be paywalled, or just as bad, really technical. Just let me know if you need a copy of any of them, or if they don’t make sense. Ah, teleconnection. What a word. Much like ‘madrugada‘ does not have a translation into English, orContinue reading “Teleco-what now?”
The week it was hot
And continued to be hot. And still is hot. Wearing bathers around the house, sleeping in the living room under the fan, covering windows with wet towels, giving up on the balcony plants, staying at work until late because that’s where the AC is, eating watermelon for dinner kind of hot. A heatwave is currentlyContinue reading “The week it was hot”
The week I wrote about science instead
One of the reasons I started this blog was to share my experiences of living and working in Spain, hoping to fill the gap that I discovered when frantically Googling ‘how to live in Spain as an Australian’ before we left home. I enjoy sharing what we see, what we eat, and where we discoverContinue reading “The week I wrote about science instead”
A brief history of weather observations in Melbourne
In January this year, the official Melbourne meteorological observatory shut its ventilated doors and moved up the road, from the corner of La Trobe and Victoria Streets to Olympic Park. Moving a white box and some scientific instruments might not seem like a big deal, but the 2km move marks the end of a longContinue reading “A brief history of weather observations in Melbourne”
The week of my first lecture
This week I filled in for a professor and gave my first ever lecture as a professional scientist to undergraduate students. Two hours of talking at second-year geography students about the climate of Australia. I now officially feel like an academic! Although I get nervous (who doesn’t), I usually like giving public presentations. After some training inContinue reading “The week of my first lecture”
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