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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Bryophyte Species Composition Over Moisture Gradients In The Windmill Islands, East Antarctica: Development Of A Baseline For Monitoring Climate Change Impacts, J Wasley, S A. Robinson, J D. Turnbull, D H. King, W Wanek, M Popp
Bryophyte Species Composition Over Moisture Gradients In The Windmill Islands, East Antarctica: Development Of A Baseline For Monitoring Climate Change Impacts, J Wasley, S A. Robinson, J D. Turnbull, D H. King, W Wanek, M Popp
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
Extreme environmental conditions prevail on the Antarctic continent and limit plant diversity to cryptogamic communities, dominated by bryophytes and lichens. Even small abiotic shifts, associated with climate change, are likely to have pronounced impacts on these communities that currently exist at their physiological limit of survival. Changes to moisture availability, due to precipitation shifts or alterations to permanent snow reserves, will most likely cause greatest impact. In order to establish a baseline for determining the effect of climate change on continental Antarctic terrestrial communities and to better understand bryophyte species distributions in relation to moisture in a floristically important Antarctic …
Seed Bank Persistence And Climate Change, Mark K. J Ooi
Seed Bank Persistence And Climate Change, Mark K. J Ooi
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
"The strong mechanistic relationship between climatic factors and seed dormancy and germination suggests that forecast climatic changes will significantly affect seed bank persistence. This review focuses on the potential impact of changing temperature, rainfall and fire regimes on the longevity of long-term persistent seed-banks. Currently, there are few studies investigating the mechanistic responses of demographic processes, such as seed-bank dynamics, to forecast climate change. However, from the work that has been published, several key points have been highlighted. First, increased air temperatures will produce significantly higher soil temperatures in open and sparsely vegetated habitats. Some evidence shows that this could …
Radiocarbon Bomb Spike Reveals Biological Effects Of Antarctic Climate Change, Laurence J Clarke, Sharon A. Robinson, Quan Hua, David J. Ayre, David Fink
Radiocarbon Bomb Spike Reveals Biological Effects Of Antarctic Climate Change, Laurence J Clarke, Sharon A. Robinson, Quan Hua, David J. Ayre, David Fink
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
The Antarctic has experienced major changes in temperature, wind speed and stratospheric ozone levels during thelast 50 years. However, until recently continental Antarctica appeared to be little impacted by climate warming, thusbiological changes were predicted to be relatively slow. Detecting the biological effects of Antarctic climate changehas been hindered by the paucity of long-term data sets, particularly for organisms that have been exposed to thesechanges throughout their lives. We show that radiocarbon signals are preserved along shoots of the dominant Antarcticmoss flora and use these to determine accurate growth rates over a period of several decades, allowing us toexplore the …
Manipulating Thermal Stress On Rocky Shores To Predict Patterns Of Recruitment Of Marine Invertebrates Under A Changing Climate, Justin A. Lathlean, Todd E. Minchinton
Manipulating Thermal Stress On Rocky Shores To Predict Patterns Of Recruitment Of Marine Invertebrates Under A Changing Climate, Justin A. Lathlean, Todd E. Minchinton
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
For rocky intertidal organisms, temperature is often considered the most influential factor governing early survival and growth. Nevertheless, our review of the literature revealed that few studies have manipulated temperatures in the field to test for effects on these critical early life history processes. Here, we present the results from a novel manipulation of substratum temperature using settlement plates of different colour (black, grey and white) and infrared measurements of temperature to test hypotheses that temperature influences the early survival and growth of recent settlers of the intertidal barnacle Tesseropora rosea. Mean surface temperatures of black and grey plates …
Becoming Differently Modern: Geographic Contributions To A Generative Climate Politics, Lesley M. Head, Christopher R. Gibson
Becoming Differently Modern: Geographic Contributions To A Generative Climate Politics, Lesley M. Head, Christopher R. Gibson
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
Anthropogenic climate change is a quintessentially modern problem in its historical origins and discursive framing, but how well does modernist thinking provide us with the tools to solve the problems it created? On one hand even though anthropogenic climate change is argued to be a problem of human origins, solutions to which will require human actions and engagements, modernity separates people from climate change in a number of ways. On the other, while amodern or more-than-human concepts of multiple and relational agency are more consistent with the empirical evidence of humans being deeply embedded in earth surface processes, these approaches …
Meteorological Modes Of Variability For Fine Particulate Matter (Pm2.5) Air Quality In The United States: Implications For Pm2.5 Sensitivity To Climate Change, A. P K. Tai, L J. Mickley, D J. Jacob, E M. Leibensperger, L Zhang, J A. Fisher, H. O T. Pye
Meteorological Modes Of Variability For Fine Particulate Matter (Pm2.5) Air Quality In The United States: Implications For Pm2.5 Sensitivity To Climate Change, A. P K. Tai, L J. Mickley, D J. Jacob, E M. Leibensperger, L Zhang, J A. Fisher, H. O T. Pye
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
We applied a multiple linear regression model to understand the relationships of PM2.5 with meteorological variables in the contiguous US and from there to infer the sensitivity of PM2.5 to climate change. We used 2004–2008 PM2.5 observations from ~1000 sites (~200 sites for PM2.5 components) and compared to results from the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (CTM). All data were deseasonalized to focus on synoptic-scale correlations. We find strong positive correlations of PM2.5 components with temperature in most of the US, except for nitrate in the Southeast where the correlation is negative. Relative humidity (RH) is …
Climate Change, Fuel And Fire Behaviour In A Eucalypt Forest, Stuart Matthews, Andrew L. Sullivan, Penny Watson, Richard J. Williams
Climate Change, Fuel And Fire Behaviour In A Eucalypt Forest, Stuart Matthews, Andrew L. Sullivan, Penny Watson, Richard J. Williams
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
A suite of models was used to examine the links between climate, fuels and fire behaviour in dry eucalypt forests in south-eastern Australia. Predictions from a downscaled climate model were used to drive models of fuel amount, the moisture content of fuels and two models of forest fire behaviour at a location in western Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. We found that a warming and drying climate produced lower fine fuel amounts, but greater availability of this fuel to burn due to lower moisture contents. Changing fuel load had only a small effect on fuel moisture. A warmer, drier …
The First Climate Refugees? Contesting Global Narratives Of Climate Change In Tuvalu, Carol Farbotko, Heather Lazrus
The First Climate Refugees? Contesting Global Narratives Of Climate Change In Tuvalu, Carol Farbotko, Heather Lazrus
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
Climate change effects such as sea-level rise are almost certain. What these outcomes mean for different populations, however, is far less certain. Climate change is both a narrative and material phenomenon. In so being, understanding climate change requires broad conceptualisations that incorporate multiple voices and recognise the agency of vulnerable populations. In climate change discourse, climate mobility is often characterised as the production of 'refugees', with a tendency to discount long histories of ordinary mobility among affected populations. The case of Tuvalu in the Pacific juxtaposes migration as everyday practice with climate refugee narratives. This climate-exposed population is being problematically …
Climate-Induced Reaction Norms For Life-History Traits In Pythons, Beata Ujvari, Richard Shine, L Luiselli, Thomas R. Madsen
Climate-Induced Reaction Norms For Life-History Traits In Pythons, Beata Ujvari, Richard Shine, L Luiselli, Thomas R. Madsen
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
Climate change modelers predict increasingly frequent ''extreme events,'' so it is critical to quantify whether organismal responses (such as reproductive output) measured over the range of usual climatic conditions can predict responses under more extreme conditions. In a 20-year field study on water pythons (Liasis fuscus), we quantified the effects of climatically driven annual variation in food supply on demographic traits of female pythons (feeding rate, body size, body mass, and reproductive output). Reaction norms linking food supply to feeding rates and residual body mass were broadly linear, whereas norms linking food supply to female body size became curvilinear when …
How Well Do Predators Adjust To Climate-Mediated Shifts In Prey Distribution? A Study On Australian Water Pythons, Beata Ujvari, Rick Shine, Thomas Madsen
How Well Do Predators Adjust To Climate-Mediated Shifts In Prey Distribution? A Study On Australian Water Pythons, Beata Ujvari, Rick Shine, Thomas Madsen
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
Climate change can move the spatial location of resources critical for population viability, and a species resilience to such changes will depend upon its ability to flexibly shift its activities away from no-longer-suitable sites to exploit new opportunities. Intuition suggests that vagile predators should be able to track spatial shifts in prey availability, but our data on water pythons (Liasis fuscus) in tropical Australia suggest a less encouraging scenario. These pythons undergo regular long-range (to .10 km) seasonal migrations to follow flooding-induced migrations by their prey (native dusky rats, Rattus colletti ). However, when an extreme flooding event virtually eliminated …
An Australian Feeling For Snow Towards Understanding Cultural And Emotional Dimensions Of Climate Change, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray
An Australian Feeling For Snow Towards Understanding Cultural And Emotional Dimensions Of Climate Change, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
In Australia, snow is associated with alpine and subalpine regions in rural areas; snow is a component of ‘natural’ rather than urban environments. But the range, depth and duration of Australia’s regional snow cover is imperilled by climate change. While researchers have considered the impacts of snow retreat on the natural environment and responses from the mainland ski industry, this paper explores associated cultural and emotional dimensions of climate change. This responds to calls to account for local meanings of climate, and thus localised perceptions of and responses to climate change. Accordingly, this paper presents a case study of reactions …
Assessing The Vulnerability Of Asian Megadeltas To Climate Change Using Gis, Colin D. Woodroffe
Assessing The Vulnerability Of Asian Megadeltas To Climate Change Using Gis, Colin D. Woodroffe
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
Susceptibility of Asian megadeltas to climate change, including sea-level rise, is investigated using GIS. The Indus, Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna, Irrawaddy, Chao Phraya, Mekong, Red, Pearl, Changjiang, and Huanghe deltas began to form around 6000 years ago and have prograded since. The surface topography of active and abandoned delta plains is examined using digital terrain models derived from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data and channel morphology is investigated using radar imagery. After delta plains are abandoned they become increasingly dominated by tidal processes. Population density is estimated using gridded world population data but highly variable local microtopography and uncertainty regarding future climate changes …
Age And Origin Of Alluvial Sediments Within And Flanking The Mt Lofty Ranges, Southern South Australia: A Late Quaternary Archive Of Climate And Environmental Change, D Banerjee, N F. Alley, R P. Bourman, S Buckman, J R. Prescott
Age And Origin Of Alluvial Sediments Within And Flanking The Mt Lofty Ranges, Southern South Australia: A Late Quaternary Archive Of Climate And Environmental Change, D Banerjee, N F. Alley, R P. Bourman, S Buckman, J R. Prescott
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
No abstract provided.
Response Of Coral Reefs To Climate Change: Expansion And Demise Of The Southernmost Pacific Coral Reef, Colin D. Woodroffe, Brendan P. Brooke, Michelle Linklater, David M. Kennedy, Brian G. Jones, Cameron Buchanan, Richard Mleczko, Quan Hua, Jian-Xin Zhao
Response Of Coral Reefs To Climate Change: Expansion And Demise Of The Southernmost Pacific Coral Reef, Colin D. Woodroffe, Brendan P. Brooke, Michelle Linklater, David M. Kennedy, Brian G. Jones, Cameron Buchanan, Richard Mleczko, Quan Hua, Jian-Xin Zhao
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
Coral reefs track sea level and are particularly sensitive to changes in climate. Reefs are threatened by global warming, with many experiencing increased coral bleaching. Warmer sea surface temperatures might enable reef expansion into mid latitudes. Here we report multibeam sonar and coring that reveal an extensive relict coral reef around Lord Howe Island, which is fringed by the southernmost reef in the Pacific Ocean. The relict reef, in water depths of 25-50 m, flourished in early Holocene and covered an area more than 20 times larger than the modern reef. Radiocarbon and uranium-series dating indicates that corals grew between …
Towards Understanding The Cultural Aspects Of Climate Change In The Snow, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray
Towards Understanding The Cultural Aspects Of Climate Change In The Snow, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
No abstract provided.
Climate And Culture, Gordon R. Waitt, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray
Climate And Culture, Gordon R. Waitt, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
No abstract provided.
Climate Change In The Dead Heart Of Australia, Joshua Larsen, Gerald C. Nanson, Timothy J. Cohen, Brian G. Jones, John D. Jansen, Jan-Hendrik May
Climate Change In The Dead Heart Of Australia, Joshua Larsen, Gerald C. Nanson, Timothy J. Cohen, Brian G. Jones, John D. Jansen, Jan-Hendrik May
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
Despite the absence of large-scale glaciation, the Australian continent has experienced substantial environmental change throughout the Quaternary period. This is especially pronounced in central Australia, where one seventh of the continent is drained internally to the depocentre, and lowest point in Australia, Lake Eyre (Figure 1). Research has shown that at one time, large sandy braided and meandering rivers carried water through dunefields to a large freshwater lake system. Today, the rivers are hostage to the dunefield, and floodwaters might only reach Lake Eyre once every ten years or so. In order to understand the development of this arid desert …
Before And After Climate Change: The Snow Country In Australian Imaginaries, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray
Before And After Climate Change: The Snow Country In Australian Imaginaries, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
No abstract provided.
Environmental Effects Of Ozone Depletion And Its Interactions With Climate Change: Progress Report, 2008, S. R. Wilson, C Ballare, L Bjorn, M Caldwell, A Andrady, P Aucamp, A Bais, Keith R. Solomon, Xiaoyan Tang, G Kulandaivelu, J Longstreth, D P. Hader, R C. Worrest, D J. Erickson, J C. Van Der Leun, A H. Teramura, H Redhwi, Richard L. Mckenzie, H D. Kumar, Y Takizawa, F R. Gruijl, R C. Smith, A Torikai, R G. Zepp, A P. Cullen, M Norval, B Sulzberger, Nigel Paul, J R. Bornman, Mohammad Ilyas
Environmental Effects Of Ozone Depletion And Its Interactions With Climate Change: Progress Report, 2008, S. R. Wilson, C Ballare, L Bjorn, M Caldwell, A Andrady, P Aucamp, A Bais, Keith R. Solomon, Xiaoyan Tang, G Kulandaivelu, J Longstreth, D P. Hader, R C. Worrest, D J. Erickson, J C. Van Der Leun, A H. Teramura, H Redhwi, Richard L. Mckenzie, H D. Kumar, Y Takizawa, F R. Gruijl, R C. Smith, A Torikai, R G. Zepp, A P. Cullen, M Norval, B Sulzberger, Nigel Paul, J R. Bornman, Mohammad Ilyas
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
After the enthusiastic celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 2007, the work for the proctection of the ozone layer continues. The Environmental Effects Assessment Panel is one of the three expert panels within the Montreal Protocol.
Climate Change Impacts On Coastal Biodiversity, V R. Burkett, Robert J. Nicholls, Leandro Fernandez, Colin D. Woodroffe
Climate Change Impacts On Coastal Biodiversity, V R. Burkett, Robert J. Nicholls, Leandro Fernandez, Colin D. Woodroffe
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
No abstract provided.
Vulnerability Of Geomorphological Features In The Great Barrier Reef To Climate Change, Scott Smithers, N Harvey, David Hopley, Colin D. Woodroffe
Vulnerability Of Geomorphological Features In The Great Barrier Reef To Climate Change, Scott Smithers, N Harvey, David Hopley, Colin D. Woodroffe
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the largest contiguous coral reef ecosystem in the world81,49. That it is possibly the largest geomorphological structure ever created by living organisms is less widely appreciated. The GBR extends through approximately 15 degrees of latitude and more than 2100 km along the northeast Queensland coast, covering an area of 344,500 km282. It includes more than 2900 reefs of varying types (eg fringing, patch, cresentic, lagoonal, planar), dimensions and stage of growth, which together occupy greater than 20,000 km2, or about 5.8 percent of the total area of the GBR81,82 …
Changes In Tropospheric Composition And Air Quality Due To Stratospheric Ozone Depletion And Climate Change, Stephen R. Wilson, Keith R. Solomon, Xiaoyan Tang
Changes In Tropospheric Composition And Air Quality Due To Stratospheric Ozone Depletion And Climate Change, Stephen R. Wilson, Keith R. Solomon, Xiaoyan Tang
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
It is well-understood that reductions in air quality play a significant role in both environmental and human health. Interactions between ozone depletion and global climate change will significantly alter atmospheric chemistry which, in turn, will cause changes in concentrations of natural and human-made gasses and aerosols. Models predict that tropospheric ozone near the surface will increase globally by up to 10 to 30 ppbv (33 to 100% increase) during the period 2000 to 2100. With the increase in the amount of the stratospheric ozone, increased transport from the stratosphere to the troposphere will result in different responses in polluted and …
Environmental Effects Of Ozone Depletion And Its Interactions With Climate Change: Progress Report, 2004, A Andrady, P Aucamp, A Bais, C. Ballare, L Bjorn, J R. Bornman, M Caldwell, T Callaghan, A P. Cullen, D J. Erickson, F R. De Gruijl, D P. Hader, Mohammad Ilyas, G Kulandaivelu, H D. Kumar, J Longstreth, Richard L. Mckenzie, M Norval, H Redhwi, R C. Smith, Keith R. Solomon, B Sulzberger, Y Takizawa, Xiaoyan Tang, A H. Teramura, A Torikai, J C. Van Der Leun, Stephen R. Wilson, R C. Worrest, R. G. Zepp
Environmental Effects Of Ozone Depletion And Its Interactions With Climate Change: Progress Report, 2004, A Andrady, P Aucamp, A Bais, C. Ballare, L Bjorn, J R. Bornman, M Caldwell, T Callaghan, A P. Cullen, D J. Erickson, F R. De Gruijl, D P. Hader, Mohammad Ilyas, G Kulandaivelu, H D. Kumar, J Longstreth, Richard L. Mckenzie, M Norval, H Redhwi, R C. Smith, Keith R. Solomon, B Sulzberger, Y Takizawa, Xiaoyan Tang, A H. Teramura, A Torikai, J C. Van Der Leun, Stephen R. Wilson, R C. Worrest, R. G. Zepp
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
The complexity of the linkages between ozone depletion, UV-B radiation and climate change has become more apparent.
Mechanisms Of Climate Variability, Edward A. Bryant
Mechanisms Of Climate Variability, Edward A. Bryant
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
Climatic hazards originate with the processes that move air across the Earth's surface due to differential heating and cooling. Surprisingly, examination of these processes has focused upon heating at the tropics and downplayed the role of cold air masses moving out of polar regions due to deficits in the radiation balance in these latter regions. Fluctuations – in the intensity of pulses of cold air moving out of polar regions or of heating at the equator – and the location of the interaction between these cold and warm air masses, are crucial factors in determining the magnitude, frequency, and location …