Climate Risk
Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences Research Theme
Overview
Human induced climate change is arguably the most serious problem currently facing our planet. Tackling this challenge requires detection of change and attribution to mechanisms, understanding future trajectories through modelling, and devising responses (both mitigation and adaptation).
By bringing together our expertise in spatial sciences, geography and environmental planning we tackle all dimensions of climate risk – from understanding historical change, to predicting future change and their impacts, and engaging the human dimensions of climate adaptation and social justice.
Key areas of activity:
- Present and past sea levels and ice sheets
- Coastal change
- High resolution climate futures and impacts
- Climate adaptation and social justice
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Impact and Engagement
Ice sheet and sea level research focuses on quantifying change and validation and improvement of space measurements. Particularly prominent is our IMOS sub-facility which provides the sole southern hemisphere calibration data stream directly to the Ocean Surface Topography Science Team. This contribution, importantly, involves in situ data that spans multiple altimeter missions, thus enabling the assimilation of multi-mission satellite data to determine ongoing changes in sea level with flow-on effects to other uses of this data.
Coastal change research has focus on research which assists coastal management decision-makers through understanding coastal ecosystems, with particularly prominent research on Pacific Island mangroves, coastal erosion and Tasmanian saltmarshes.
High resolution climate model projections provide insights that enable stakeholder groups to prepare for future climates. Our work spans human and natural systems and includes the impact of climate change on wine producing areas of Australia and bushfire risk.
The changing nature of natural disasters through climate change impacts on damage and loss of property. We work to understand how different people understand and respond to natural disasters, particularly through the lens of under insurance.
