Profiles
Rebecca Harris
UTAS Home Dr Rebecca Harris
Rebecca Harris
Senior Lecturer Physical Geography (Climatology)
Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences
Geography and Spatial Sciences
Room 435 , Geography Building
+61 3 6226 2920 (phone)
Bec’s principal research interests are in the areas of conservation management and climate change impacts on natural and human systems. She integrates climate science with ecological research to contribute to landscape management decisions that are necessary to adapt to climate change impacts. Recent research has focused on the impact of climate variability and extreme events on natural ecosystems and the adaptability of species and humans to change. This research has been applied to conservation management, emergency services (bushfire preparedness), agriculture (biosecurity, viticulture), and adaptation in the ski industry. She is a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, Working Group II, contributing to Chapter 2, Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecosystems and their Services, and the Cross Chapter Paper on Deserts, semi-arid areas and desertification. She is a Contributing author on the WGI, Chapter 12, Climate Change information for regional impact and risk assessment. She is a Co-ordinating Lead Author (CLA) for the Urban Climate Science Element in the Third Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3.3), Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN).
Biography
Bec has 20 years’ experience working in research organizations, including the Australian Museum (Arachnology section (1995-1997) and the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Research (2000 – 2003)), the Key Centre for Biodiversity and Bioresources, Macquarie University (1998-2000), and the University of Tasmania (Antarctic Ecosystem and Climate CRC (2012 – present)). She moved from Sydney to Tasmania in 2003 and completed her PhD in 2012 in the School of Geography, University of Tasmania. In 2016 she was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship which supported a year’s research stay at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany. Bec joined the School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Science in 2019 as a Lecturer in Climatology, and leads the Climate Futures team.
Career summary
Qualifications
| Degree | Thesis Title | University | Country | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | The biophysical and behavioral strategies of thermoregulation in the wingless grasshopper – A model to test potential climate change impacts on insects. | University of Tasmania | Australia | 2012 |
| MSc | Cattle grazing in public forests: the response of ground-dwelling spider assemblages | Macquarie University | Australia | 2000 |
| BAppSc | The University of Technology | Australia | 1991 |
Memberships
Professional practice
Bec is a member of the EcoCommons Scientific Advisory Committee, which provides scientific advice to the EcoCommons platform, which aims to give Australian practitioners and researchers access to trusted, world-leading ecological and environmental modelling tools.
From 2019-2020, she was a member of the Expert Committee, Collaborative Species Distribution Modelling Program, a collaborative venture between Federal and State Departments of Environment (Aust., Qld and NSW), the Atlas of Living Australia and universities. In this role she provided expert advice to advance the production of scientifically robust species distribution models and support transparent decision making by government at state and federal levels.
Bec is a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, Working Group II, contributing to Chapter 2, Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecosystems and their Services, and the Cross Chapter Paper on Deserts, semi-arid areas and desertification.
She is a Contributing author on the WGI, Chapter 12, Climate Change information for regional impact and risk assessment. She is a Co-ordinating Lead Author (CLA) for the Urban Climate Science Element in the Third Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3.3), Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN).
Administrative expertise
As Director of the Climate Futures Programme, Bec leads a team of five researchers, including meteorologists, climate modellers and climate change communicators, and collaborates closely with social scientists, landscape ecologists and urban geographers.
Bec has extensive experience collaborating with and leading large groups of interdisciplinary teams to plan, design and publish high quality research. In the last 5 years she has led 7 research projects working with agricultural producers, emergency services, alpine ski resort operators, forestry managers, wine makers and government agencies to understand their exposure to climate risks and develop solutions.
One recent example (2016-2020) is Australia’s wine future, a multi-disciplinary adaptation project involving 15 researchers from 6 different organisations (UTAS, CSIRO, SARDI, AWRI, TIA). This project brought together climate scientists and modellers, viticulturalists and social scientists to provide regional climate simulations, improve uptake of climate information to inform adaptation decisions, and identify lessons that might be transferable across regions already managing a range of climate challenges.
Teaching
Teaching expertise
Biodiversity assessment (invertebrate and botanical), biogeography, island ecology, invasion and disturbance ecology, thermal biology, species distribution modelling, microclimatology and application of climate model output.
Teaching responsibility
Co-ordination:
Introduction to the Science of Climate Change (KGA104)
Responding to Climate Change (KGA105)
Space, Place and Nature (KGA172)
View more on Dr Rebecca Harris in WARP
Expertise
Expertise
- Biodiversity assessment (invertebrate and botanical)
- Biogeography
- Island ecology
- Invasion and disturbance ecology
- Thermal biology
- Species distribution modelling
- Microclimatology and application of climate model output
Research Themes
- Microclimatology
- Climate change
- Ecology
- Fire
- Biodiversity
- Conservation
Research Themes
Bec’s research contributes to the UTAS research themes Environment, Resources and Sustainability and Data, Knowledge and Decisions. The successful integration of climate science and model downscaling with extensive stakeholder consultation and community engagement has formed the basis of a very successful model of end user delivery that has been applied to a wide range of industries and regions in Tasmania and across Australia.
Her research requires a multi-disciplinary approach, to develop tools and techniques relevant to biodiversity conservation policy and climate change adaptation. She regularly collaborations across disciplines including law, economics, ecology, biophysical and social sciences. Bec’s research contributes to improved infrastructure development, water allocation policies and natural disaster management, and more efficient and effective planning for agriculture, public health, biodiversity conservation and industry investment under a changing climate. All of these areas are strongly aligned to UTAS strategies at the College (CoSE), and School Discipline (GPSS) levels.
Collaboration
Bec has ongoing collaborations with the Department of Conservation Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany; the Federal Institute for Hydrology, Germany; Macquarie University; CSIRO; the South Australian Research Development Institute and the Australian Wine Research Institute. With the Climate Futures team she has worked closely with stakeholders including Hobart City Council, TasFire, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and State Emergency Services.
Awards
- Linnaean Society of NSW Joyce W. Vickery Scientific Research Grant, 2005
- ANZ Holsworth Research Endowment, 2007
- Australian Museum Postgraduate Award, 2007
- Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship, 2016
- National Excellence in Educational Leadership Initiative (NEELI) Scholarship, 2018
- College of Sciences and Engineering (CoSE) Commendation for Service Excellence (with Climate Futures team), 2020
Bec’s research has received the following formal recognition:
Current projects
Current projects involve the use of dynamically downscaled climate projections across a range of ecological, social and economic projects.
The Climate Futures website
Fields of Research
- Climate change processes (370201)
- Ecological impacts of climate change and ecological adaptation (410102)
- Conservation and biodiversity (410401)
- Global change biology (319902)
- Climatology (370202)
- Invertebrate biology (310913)
- Agricultural spatial analysis and modelling (300206)
- Environmental engineering (401199)
- Environmental management (410404)
- Behavioural ecology (310301)
- Forestry fire management (300706)
- Landscape ecology (410206)
- Terrestrial ecology (310308)
- Forestry management and environment (300707)
- Natural hazards (370903)
- Environmental management (410499)
- Tourist behaviour and visitor experience (350806)
- Air pollution modelling and control (401101)
- Surface water hydrology (370704)
- Other environmental sciences (419999)
- Human geography (440699)
- Human impacts of climate change and human adaptation (410103)
- Architectural science and technology (330105)
- Forest biodiversity (300702)
- Agricultural systems analysis and modelling (300207)
- Atomic, molecular and optical physics (510299)
- Horticultural crop protection (incl. pests, diseases and weeds) (300804)
- Physical oceanography (370803)
- Geomorphology and earth surface processes (370901)
- Social geography (440610)
- Physical geography and environmental geoscience (370999)
- Land use and environmental planning (330404)
- Risk engineering (401005)
- Urban geography (440612)
- Forest health and pathology (300704)
- Biosecurity science and invasive species ecology (410202)
- Oenology and viticulture (300805)
- Meteorology (370108)
- Agro-ecosystem function and prediction (300402)
- Natural resource management (410406)
- Environmental education and extension (410403)
- Soil biology (410603)
- Climate change science (370299)
- Urban and regional planning (330499)
- Environmental philosophy (500304)
- Environmental law (480203)
- Health services and systems (420399)
- Wildlife and habitat management (410407)
- Atmospheric dynamics (370105)
- Environment policy (440704)
- Biogeography and phylogeography (310402)
- Ecosystem function (410203)
Research Objectives
- Climate change adaptation measures (excl. ecosystem) (190101)
- Effects of climate change on Australia (excl. social impacts) (190504)
- Climate change models (190501)
- Ecosystem adaptation to climate change (190102)
- Social impacts of climate change and variability (190103)
- Natural hazards (190499)
- Rehabilitation or conservation of terrestrial environments (180604)
- Climate variability (excl. social impacts) (190502)
- Terrestrial biodiversity (180606)
- Expanding knowledge in engineering (280110)
- Forestry (260299)
- Wine grapes (260608)
- Field grown vegetable crops (260505)
- Understanding climate change (190599)
- Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems (180601)
- Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences (280102)
- Climatological hazards (e.g. extreme temperatures, drought and wildfires) (190401)
- Global effects of climate change (excl. Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and the South Pacific) (excl. social impacts) (190507)
- Assessment and management of freshwater ecosystems (180301)
- Control of pests, diseases and exotic species in terrestrial environments (180602)
- Economic issues in tourism (110401)
- Construction design (120299)
- Effects of climate change on the South Pacific (excl. Australia and New Zealand) (excl. social impacts) (190506)
- Air quality (180101)
- Expanding knowledge in the environmental sciences (280111)
- Tourism infrastructure development (110403)
- Ground water quantification, allocation and impact of depletion (180305)
- Evaluation, allocation, and impacts of land use (180603)
- Climate change mitigation strategies (190301)
- Environmental policy, legislation and standards (190299)
- Management, resources and leadership (160204)
- Effects of climate change on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic environments (excl. social impacts) (190503)
- Other culture and society (139999)
- Other environmental management (189999)
- Weather (180104)
- Expanding knowledge in psychology (280121)
- Land policy (190207)
- Expanding knowledge in the earth sciences (280107)
- Understanding the impact of natural hazards caused by climate change (190508)
- Public services policy advice and analysis (230204)
- Public health (excl. specific population health) (200499)
- Government and politics (230299)
- Hardwood plantations (260201)
Publications
Bec has a diverse publication record reflecting her wide-ranging expertise on the response of species and communities to climate change – in particular, in biodiversity assessment (invertebrate and botanical), biogeography, island ecology, invasion and disturbance ecology, thermal biology, species distribution modelling, microclimatology, and application of climate model output. Much of her recent research has focussed on bridging the disciplines of climate modelling and science and ecology to improve uptake of climate data into conservation biology and management, and climate adaptation across industry and government.
Bec has co-authored ~30 peer-reviewed journal articles in the areas of Climate adaptation, Interdisciplinary Research, Ecological theory, Conservation, Climate Modelling and Interactions. She has written or co-authored 15 technical reports for industry and other stakeholders.
Bec is a Guest Editor, Special Issue, Bushfire in Tasmania, in the journal Fire, 2020
Total publications
52
Journal Article
(28 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Lucas J, Harris RMB, 'Changing climate suitability for dominant eucalyptus species may affect future fuel loads and flammability in Tasmania', Fire, 4, (1) Article 1. ISSN 2571-6255 (2021) [Refereed Article] | |
| 2020 | Harris RMB, Loeffler F, Rumm A, Fischer C, Horchler P, et al., 'Biological responses to extreme weather events are detectable but difficult to formally attribute to anthropogenic climate change', Scientific Reports, 10, (1) Article 14067. ISSN 2045-2322 (2020) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70901-6 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 1 | |
| 2019 | Fischer C, Damm C, Foeckler F, Gelhaus M, Gerstner L, et al., 'The 'habitat provision' index for assessing floodplain biodiversity and restoration potential as an ecosystem service - method and application', Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7 Article 483. ISSN 2296-701X (2019) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00483 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 1Web of Science - 1 | |
| 2019 | Ojeda JJ, Rezaei EE, Remenyi TA, Webb MA, Webber HA, et al., 'Effects of soil- and climate data aggregation on simulated potato yield and irrigation water requirement', Science of The Total Environment Article 135589. ISSN 0048-9697 (2019) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135589 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 3Web of Science - 2 Co-authors: Ojeda JJ; Remenyi TA; Mohammed CL; Meinke H | |
| 2018 | Harris RMB, Beaumont LJ, Vance TR, Tozer CR, Remenyi TA, et al., 'Biological responses to the press and pulse of climate trends and extreme events', Nature Climate Change, 8 pp. 579-587. ISSN 1758-678X (2018) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1038/s41558-018-0187-9 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 128Web of Science - 121 Co-authors: Vance TR; Tozer CR; Remenyi TA; Williamson G; Bowman DMJS | |
| 2018 | Harris RMB, Remenyi T, Fox-Hughes P, Love P, Bindoff NL, 'Exploring the future of fuel loads in Tasmania, Australia: shifts in vegetation in response to changing fire weather, productivity, and fire frequency', Forests, 9, (4) Article 210. ISSN 1999-4907 (2018) [Contribution to Refereed Journal] DOI: 10.3390/f9040210 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 5Web of Science - 4 Co-authors: Remenyi T; Love P; Bindoff NL | |
| 2018 | Rumm A, Foeckler F, Dziock F, Ilg C, Scholz M, et al., 'Shifts in mollusc traits following floodplain reconnection: testing the response of functional diversity components', Freshwater Biology, 63, (6) pp. 505-517. ISSN 0046-5070 (2018) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1111/fwb.13082 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 9Web of Science - 31 | |
| 2018 | Yadav S, Stow AJ, Harris RMB, Dudaniec RY, 'Morphological variation tracks environmental gradients in an agricultural pest, Phaulacridium vittatum (Orthoptera: Acrididae)', Journal of Insect Science, 18, (6) Article 13. ISSN 1536-2442 (2018) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iey121 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 5Web of Science - 5 | |
| 2017 | Harris RMB, Kriticos DJ, Remenyi T, Bindoff N, 'Unusual suspects in the usual places: a phylo-climatic framework to identify potential future invasive species', Biological Invasions, 19, (2) pp. 577-596. ISSN 1387-3547 (2017) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1007/s10530-016-1334-8 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 4Web of Science - 3 Co-authors: Remenyi T; Bindoff N | |
| 2017 | Harrison PA, Vaillancourt RE, Harris RMB, Potts BM, 'Integrating climate change and habitat fragmentation to identify candidate seed sources for ecological restoration', Restoration Ecology, 25, (4) pp. 524-531. ISSN 1061-2971 (2017) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1111/rec.12488 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 10Web of Science - 10 Co-authors: Harrison PA; Vaillancourt RE; Potts BM | |
| 2016 | Harris RMB, Remenyi TA, Williamson GJ, Bindoff NL, Bowman DMJS, 'Climate-vegetation-fire interactions and feedbacks: trivial detail or major barrier to projecting the future of the Earth system?', Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 7, (6) pp. 910-931. ISSN 1757-7799 (2016) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1002/wcc.428 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 41Web of Science - 36 Co-authors: Remenyi TA; Williamson GJ; Bindoff NL; Bowman DMJS | |
| 2016 | McDonald J, McCormack PC, Fleming AJ, Harris RMB, Lockwood M, 'Rethinking legal objectives for climate-adaptive conservation', Ecology and Society, 21, (2) Article 25. ISSN 1708-3087 (2016) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.5751/ES-08460-210225 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 8Web of Science - 11 Co-authors: McDonald J; McCormack PC; Fleming AJ; Lockwood M | |
| 2016 | Porfirio LL, Harris RMB, Stojanovic D, Webb MH, Mackey B, 'Projected direct and indirect effects of climate change on the swift parrot, an endangered migratory species', Emu, 116, (3) pp. 273-283. ISSN 0158-4197 (2016) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1071/MU15094 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 3Web of Science - 1 | |
| 2015 | Harris RMB, Carter O, Gilfedder L, Porfirio LL, Lee G, et al., 'Noah's ark conservation will not preserve threatened ecological communities under climate change', PLoS One, 10, (4) Article e0124014. ISSN 1932-6203 (2015) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124014 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 9Web of Science - 9 Co-authors: Lee G; Bindoff NL | |
| 2015 | Harris RMB, McQuillan P, Hughes L, 'The effectiveness of common thermo-regulatory behaviours in a cool temperate grasshopper', Journal of Thermal Biology, 52 pp. 75-83. ISSN 0306-4565 (2015) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2015.06.001 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 5Web of Science - 6 Co-authors: McQuillan P | |
| 2015 | Lechner AM, Doerr V, Harris RMB, Doerr E, Lefroy EC, 'A framework for incorporating fine-scale dispersal behaviour into biodiversity conservation planning', Landscape and Urban Planning, 141 pp. 11-23. ISSN 0169-2046 (2015) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.04.008 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 21Web of Science - 22 Co-authors: Lechner AM; Lefroy EC | |
| 2015 | Lechner AM, Harris RMB, Doerr V, Doerr E, Drielsma M, et al., 'From static connectivity modelling to scenario-based planning at local and regional scales', Journal for Nature Conservation, 28 pp. 78-88. ISSN 1617-1381 (2015) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2015.09.003 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 17Web of Science - 16 Co-authors: Lechner AM; Lefroy EC | |
| 2015 | Raymond CM, Lechner AM, Lockwood M, Carter O, Harris RMB, et al., 'Private land manager capacity to conserve threatened communities under climate change', Journal of Environmental Management, 159 pp. 235-244. ISSN 0301-4797 (2015) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.04.048 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 3Web of Science - 3 Co-authors: Lechner AM; Lockwood M | |
| 2014 | Fox-Hughes P, Harris RM, Lee G, Grose MR, Bindoff NL, 'Future fire danger climatology for Tasmania, Australia, using a dynamically downscaled regional climate model', International Journal of Wildland Fire, 23, (3) pp. 309-321. ISSN 1049-8001 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1071/WF13126 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 40Web of Science - 38 Co-authors: Lee G; Grose MR; Bindoff NL | |
| 2014 | Gould SF, Beeton NJ, Harris RMB, Hutchinson MF, Lechner AM, et al., 'A tool for simulating and communicating uncertainty when modelling species distributions under future climates', Ecology and Evolution, 4, (24) pp. 4798-4811. ISSN 2045-7758 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1319 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 30Web of Science - 26 Co-authors: Beeton NJ; Lechner AM | |
| 2014 | Grose MR, Fox-Hughes P, Harris RM, Bindoff NL, 'Changes to the drivers of fire weather with a warming climate - a case study of southeast Tasmania', Climatic Change, 124, (1-2) pp. 255-269. ISSN 0165-0009 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1007/s10584-014-1070-y [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 16Web of Science - 13 Co-authors: Grose MR; Bindoff NL | |
| 2014 | Harris RM, Grose MR, Lee G, Bindoff NL, Porfirio L, et al., 'Climate projections for ecologists', Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 5, (5) pp. 621-637. ISSN 1757-7799 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1002/wcc.291 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 79Web of Science - 75 Co-authors: Grose MR; Lee G; Bindoff NL | |
| 2014 | Porfirio LL, Harris RM, Lefroy EC, Hugh S, Gould SF, et al., 'Improving the use of species distribution models in conservation planning and management under climate change', PLoS ONE, 9, (11) Article e113749. ISSN 1932-6203 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113749 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 134Web of Science - 130 Co-authors: Lefroy EC; Lee G; Bindoff NL | |
| 2014 | Williamson GJ, Prior LD, Grose MR, Harris RMB, Bowman DMJS, 'Projecting canopy cover change in Tasmanian eucalypt forests using dynamically downscaled regional climate models', Regional Environmental Change, 14, (4) pp. 1373-1386. ISSN 1436-3798 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1007/s10113-013-0577-5 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 10Web of Science - 10 Co-authors: Williamson GJ; Prior LD; Grose MR; Bowman DMJS | |
| 2013 | Harris R, McQuillan PB, Hughes L, 'Experimental manipulation of melanism demonstrates the plasticity of preferred temperature in an agricultural pest (Phaulacridium vittatum)', PLoS One, 8, (11) Article e80243. ISSN 1932-6203 (2013) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080243 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 8Web of Science - 8 Co-authors: McQuillan PB | |
| 2013 | Harris R, Porfirio LL, Hugh S, Lee G, Bindoff NL, et al., 'To Be Or Not to Be? Variable selection can change the projected fate of a threatened species under future climate', Ecological Management and Restoration, 14, (3) pp. 230-234. ISSN 1442-7001 (2013) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1111/emr.12055 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 26 Co-authors: Lee G; Bindoff NL; Beeton N | |
| 2013 | Harris RM, McQuillan PB, Hughes L, 'A test of the thermal melanism hypothesis in the wingless grass-hopper Phaulacridium vittatum', Journal of Insect Science, 13 Article 51. ISSN 1536-2442 (2013) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1673/031.013.5101 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 20Web of Science - 20 Co-authors: McQuillan PB | |
| 2012 | Harris R, McQuillan P, Hughes L, 'Patterns in body size and melanism along a latitudinal cline in the wingless grasshopper, Phaulacridium vittatum', Journal of Biogeography, 39, (8) pp. 1450-1461. ISSN 0305-0270 (2012) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2012.02710.x [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 22Web of Science - 23 Co-authors: McQuillan P |
Book
(1 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Remenyi TA, Rollins DA, Love PT, Bindoff NL, Harris RMB, 'Australia's Wine Future - A Climate Atlas', University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, pp. 487. ISBN 9781922352057 (2019) [Authored Other Book] Co-authors: Remenyi TA; Rollins DA; Love PT; Bindoff NL |
Review
(1 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Harris RMB, 'Book review: Adapting to an uncertain climate: lessons from practice. Edited by Tiago Capela Lourenco et al', Quarterly Review of Biology, 91, (1) pp. 79. ISSN 0033-5770 (2016) [Review Single Work] |
Conference Publication
(8 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Chapagain R, Ojeda J, Mohammed C, Brown J, Remenyi T, et al., 'Historical and current approaches to decompose uncertainty in crop model predictions', iCROPM2020 Book of Abstracts, 3-5 February 2020, Montpellier, France, pp. 555-556. (2020) [Conference Extract] Co-authors: Ojeda J; Mohammed C; Remenyi T | |
| 2020 | Ojeda J, Rezaei EE, Remenyi T, Webb M, Webber H, et al., 'Multi-resolution analysis of aggregated spatial data to simulate yield and irrigation water demand at regional scales', iCROPM2020 Book of Abstracts, 3-5 February 2020, Montpellier, France, pp. 195-196. (2020) [Conference Extract] Co-authors: Ojeda J; Remenyi T; Mohammed C; Meinke H | |
| 2018 | Harris R, Schoeman D, 'Regional climate-information needs for ecological studies and assessment', Expert Meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on Assessing Climate Information for Regions, 16-18 May 2018, Trieste, Italy, pp. 46-46. (2018) [Plenary Presentation] | |
| 2017 | Harris RMB, Remenyi T, Fox-Hughes P, Love P, Phillips HE, et al., 'An assessment of the viability of prescribed burning as a management tool under a changing climate: a Tasmanian case study', Research Forum 2017: Proceedings from the Research Forum at the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC and AFAC Conference, 04-06 September 2017, Sydney, pp. 48-63. ISBN 9780994169693 (2017) [Refereed Conference Paper] Co-authors: Remenyi T; Love P; Phillips HE; Bindoff NL | |
| 2017 | Harris RMB, Remenyi T, Fox-Hughes P, Love PT, Bindoff NL, 'Exploring the future of fuel loads in Tasmania. Shifts in vegetation in response to changing fire weather, productivity, and fire frequency', Abstracts from the 22nd International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, 03-08 December 2017, Hobart, Tasmania, pp. 1097-1103. ISBN 9780987214362 (2017) [Refereed Conference Paper] Co-authors: Remenyi T; Love PT; Bindoff NL | |
| 2017 | Remenyi TA, Love PT, Harris RMB, Thatcher M, Rafter T, et al., 'High resolution regional climate model simulations available through the ACECRC Climate Futures team: what we have and how they can be used', Abstracts from the 22nd International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, 03-08 December 2017, Hobart, Tasmania, pp. 1222-1228. ISBN 9780987214362 (2017) [Refereed Conference Paper] Co-authors: Remenyi TA; Love PT; Bindoff NL | |
| 2012 | Bindoff NL, Lee G, Harris R, Grose MR, 'Downscaling climate projections for application to biodiversity research', AMOS 2012, 31 January - 3 February 2012, University of New South Wales, Sydney, pp. unknown. (2012) [Non Refereed Conference Paper] Co-authors: Bindoff NL; Lee G; Grose MR | |
| 2006 | Harris R, 'Latitude, temperature and insect body size - will the wingless grasshopper get bigger as the world gets hotter?', School of Geography and Environmental Studies Conference 2006: Full Program with Abstracts, October, Hobart, pp. 17-17. (2006) [Conference Extract] |
Contract Report, Consultant's Report
(6 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Love P, Remenyi T, Harris R, Bindoff N, 'Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Climate Change and Bushfire Research Initiative', Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, Hobart, Tasmania (2019) [Contract Report] Co-authors: Love P; Remenyi T; Bindoff N | |
| 2018 | Bindoff NL, Love P, Grose MR, Harris RMB, Remenyi TA, et al., 'Review of climate impact change work undertaken, research gaps and opportunities in the Tasmanian context', Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, Hobart, Australia (2018) [Contract Report] Co-authors: Bindoff NL; Love P; Grose MR; Remenyi TA; White CJ | |
| 2018 | Harris RMB, Remenyi T, Fox-Hughes P, Love P, Phillips HE, et al., 'An assessment of the viability of prescribed burning as a management tool under a changing climate. A Report for the National Bushfire Mitigation - Tasmanian Grants Program (NBMP)', Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, Hobart, Australia (2018) [Contract Report] Co-authors: Remenyi T; Fox-Hughes P; Love P; Phillips HE; Bindoff NL | |
| 2017 | Love P, Fox-Hughes P, Remenyi T, Harris R, Bindoff NL, 'Impact of Climate Change on Weather Related Fire Risk in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Climate Change and Bushfire Research Initiative', Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, Hobart, Australia (2017) [Contract Report] Co-authors: Love P; Fox-Hughes P; Remenyi T; Bindoff NL | |
| 2016 | Remenyi TA, Harris R, White CJ, Corney S, Jabour J, et al., 'Projecting Volunteer Resource Requirements Under Extreme Climate Futures Technical Report', Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, and the University of Tasmania, Australia (2016) [Consultants Report] Co-authors: Remenyi TA; White CJ; Corney S; Jabour J; Kelty S; Norris K; Denny L; Julian R; Bindoff N | |
| 2012 | Grose MR, Harris R, Lee G, 'Future climate projections for Tasmanian IBRA regions: A report to the Independent Verification Group for the Tasmanian Forest Agreement', Independent Verification Group for the Tasmanian Forest Agreement, Report 6 (2012) [Contract Report] Co-authors: Grose MR; Lee G |
Thesis
(1 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Harris R, 'The thermal biology of the wingless grasshopper (Phaulacridium vittatum). A model to test potential climate change impacts on insects' (2012) [PhD] |
Other Public Output
(7 outputs)| Year | Citation | Altmetrics |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Mocatta G, Harris R, Remenyi T, 'Pass the shiraz: how Australia's wine industry can adapt to climate change', The Guardian, Guardian Australia, Australia, 16 June 2020 (2020) [Newspaper Article] Co-authors: Mocatta G; Remenyi T | |
| 2020 | Williamson G, Mocatta G, Harris R, Remenyi T, 'Yes, the Australian bush is recovering from bushfires - but it may never be the same', The Conversation, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Australia, 19 February 2020 (2020) [Newspaper Article] Co-authors: Williamson G; Mocatta G; Remenyi T | |
| 2019 | Harris RMB, Remenyi TA, Hayman P, Thomas DN, Risbey J, et al., 'AUSTRALIA'S WINE FUTURE: Adapting to short-term climate variability and long-term climate change', Final report to Wine Australia, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania. (2019) [Government or Industry Research] Co-authors: Remenyi TA; Risbey J; Bindoff NL | |
| 2016 | Harris RMB, Remenyi T, Bindoff NL, 'The potential impacts of climate change on Victorian alpine resorts. A report for the Alpine Resorts Co-ordinating Council', Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, Hobart, Tasmania (2016) [Government or Industry Research] Co-authors: Remenyi T; Bindoff NL | |
| 2015 | Cowan T, Forrest S, Guo Y, Harris RM, Huang C, et al., 'Group 1: temperature and extreme weather events', Climate change challenges to health - Risks and opportunities. Recommendations from the 2014 Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank, Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, ACT, ISBN 978 0 85847 414, pp. 6-9. (2015) [Government or Industry Research] Co-authors: Law T | |
| 2015 | Leith PB, Harris RMB, Bridle K, Kemmerer E, Baldwin A, et al., 'A means-to-an-end: a process guide for participatory spatial prioritisation in Australian natural resource management', Southern Slopes Climate Change Adaptation Research Partnership (SCARP), University of Tasmania, Hobart (2015) [Government or Industry Research] Co-authors: Leith PB; Bridle K | |
| 2015 | Wallis P, Harwood A, Leith PB, Hamilton L, Bosomworth K, et al., 'Southern slopes information portal report: climate change adaptation information for natural resource planning and implementation', Southern Slopes Climate Change Adaptation Research Partnership (SCARP), Monash University, University of Tasmania, RMIT (2015) [Government or Industry Research] Co-authors: Harwood A; Leith PB; Bridle K |
Grants & Funding
In the last six years Bec has secured 30 competitive research grants worth ~$2.9 million, of which she was the lead CI on five.
Bec was Chief Investigator on these recently completed research projects:
- Australia’s wine future: Adapting to short-term climate variability and long-term climate change. Funded by the Australian Grape and Wine Authority (2016-2019)
- An assessment of the viability of prescribed burning as a management tool under a changing climate. Funded by the National Disaster Resilience Grants Program (2018-2019)
- A characterisation of synoptic weather features often associated with extreme events in SE Australia and Tasmania. Funded by the Bushfire Natural Hazards CRC (2019-2020)
- The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Victorian Alpine Resorts. Funded by the Alpine Resorts Co-ordinating Council (2016)
- The impact of inter-annual climate variability and extreme events on floodplain communities. Funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2017-2018)
She is currently leading the project Evaluation of the susceptibility of Tasmania’s agricultural sector to insect pest species under a changing climate, in whichfine resolution climate projections are used to map changes to the distribution of the Queensland Fruit Fly, incorporating lifecycle information to understand future changes in growth and number of generations on seasonal and inter-annual timescales.
Funding Summary
Number of grants
33
Total funding
$3,469,959
Projects
IPCC author funding (2021 - 2022)$13,500
- Description
- Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources is providing funds to assist with travel, accommodation and living expenses when IPCC authors are attending IPCC meetings to develop WGI, WGII to 6th Assessment Report, assist with engaging a research assistant to support the coordinating lead author role for SROCC, to write reports under agreement, and in light of COVID-19 permit WGII authors to use IPCC funds for purposes other than travel and accommodation, such as research and administrative assistance to support their WGII responsibilities.
- Funding
- Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources ($13,500)
- Scheme
- Contract Research
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Bindoff NL; Domingues CM; Boyd PW; Harris R; Constable A
- Period
- 2021 - 2022
Real-time high-resolution bushfire fuel moisture mapping (2021)$18,978
- Description
- The moisture content of dead and live vegetation is a critical parameter in assessing the risk associated with vegetation flammability and determining bushfire intensity and rate of spread. Fire management and planning in emergency services, conservation, and forestry agencies rely on a range of quantitative estimates of fuel moisture and potential rates of fire spread derived from observed and modelled weather parameters. At present, some estimates of live fuel moisture and soil moisture, a proxy for dead fuel moisture content, are available at spatial resolutions of the order of one kilometre at daily time resolution, at the limit of the capabilities of readily available satellite imagery. However, due to the highly variable topography of Tasmania, fire managers would benefit from higher resolution data that resolves fuel availability in the microclimate features that characterise the Tasmanian landscape.This project will produce an operational system providing statewide real-time (hourly) gridded datasets of fuel moisture parameters such as Soil Dryness Index (SDI) and Drought Factor (DF) at 80-metre resolution for use by Tasmanian fire managers. The project will build on the Tasmanian Government Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) recently implemented operational system producing statewide grids of air temperature and rainfall at 80-metre resolution, updated hourly, and available via LISTmap.
- Funding
- Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management [TAS] ($18,978)
- Scheme
- Grant-NDRRGP
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Love PT; Harris R; Webb M
- Year
- 2021
Federated Climate Information (2021)$500,000
- Description
- OverviewThis project will develop tools to streamline delivery of future climate knowledge to support decision making and reporting for Australia's industries and will also support Commonwealth objectives and initiatives related to climate and disaster risk information. This includes the National Disaster Risk Information Service Capability (NDRISC) and the CSRIO-led Climate Mission. This project is directly aligned to priority 1 of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework (NDRRF). Australia is situated in one of the most variable climate zones on Earth. Remaining competitive, or developing new markets will require an understanding how climate will impact on supply and demand factors. Australia's research sector has the data and expertise required to meet industry needs, however, access can be confusing and difficult. At present access to high resolution future climate data, expertise and knowledge is confusing, complex and slow. These data are vast archives (petabyte scale), managed by 4 universities and 3 state governments distributed across Australia. Each institution has its own standards, core expertise and governance structures. This makes engagement difficult and costly, especially when operating across jurisdictions. Linking these organisations together into a collaborative, coordinated federation will simplify discoverability, access and support, thus unlocking the latent potential held within these expert teams and the data archives they manage. Delivery of the full capability is divided into two phases: Part A will federate all regional climate model projections from around Australia into a collection by building a gateway server that provides access to the existing compute and storage facilities through a centralised user management system. Federation will allow expert users to rapidly, independently and easily access all the existing projection archives, and compare, summarise or interrogate the entire ensemble of model outputs. Part B provides a pathway to deliver derived products generated from regional climate projections to downstream users of all kinds. User will be able to discover which data layers exist through a curated catalogue, visualise the layers to assist with data layer interpretation, select and subset the required data layers based on their interests, summarise the data layers to meet their needs and download the data for use in their local workflows. When completed, researchers and other expert users, including the insurance sector, will produce nationally-relevant derived products through Part A, they will then submit this to Part B for consumption by end-users, who will be able to subset the provided outputs to a regional domain relevant to them. A proof of concept approach is already operational within the Climate Futures Team at University of Tasmania and is completely transferable into other systems. The web portal will include data-discovery and exploration tools, however, sophisticated visualisation and analytical tools are secondary priorities to this proposal, but will be incorporated if time and resources allow.Commonwealth Interest This project supports the Commonwealth objective to develop NDRISC and aligns to the federated architecture anticipated to be used for the national capability. Improved discoverability and access to foundational climate related information also supports the objective of the CSRIO-led Climate Mission and the integration of climate information into the risk-based decision making and operations of key sectors, including finance and insurance.Funding arrangements Full delivery of the capability (parts A and B) are assessed at approximately $1.5 million with possible implementation within 18months. The proposed funding of $400,000 in 2019-20 would be granted to the University of Tasmania to enable expansion of the existing proof-of-concept and commence development of Part A. It would also promote c
- Funding
- Department of Home Affairs ($500,000)
- Scheme
- Disaster Risk Reduction Fund
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Remenyi TA; Harris R; Bindoff NL; Love PT; Mocatta G; Earl NO
- Year
- 2021
Natural Hazards Climate Atlas for Tasmania (2021)$137,150
- Description
- This project will build on the recently released work by Climate Futures, Australias Wine Future A Climate Atlas, which developed new approaches to provide tailored climate information for particular regions and industries. The attached atlas section gives an example of the indices that were calculated for the Tasmanian wine regions.The proposed natural hazards atlas will extend the spatial coverage to identify current and emerging climate risks across all of Tasmania and provide extensive information on extreme events such as heatwaves, fire and flood. Fine-scaled climate information will be provided in an accessible, usable form across the state to support the prioritisation of future strategic investments to help build resilience to current and emerging natural hazards. Approach:1.Identification of climate indices of highest priority to emergency management within the target regions; 2.Tailored analysis, transformation and visualisation of climate information to meet the needs of emergency managers across Tasmania;3.Dynamically downscaled regional climate model output (CCAM) to provide fine-scaled projections at 10km over Tasmania under a medium and/or high emissions scenario out to 2100. 4.Summaries for regions of interest (e.g. Local council areas or BoM forecast districts) covering indices in Table 1;5.Delivery in the form of an online atlas (static document) and the presentation of the atlas to stakeholders (live presentations recorded and made available online). 6.Focus on impacts of extreme events such as heatwaves, droughts, floods and fire.7.Calculation and validation of storm related indices (e.g. frequency, storm tracks, hail, lightning potential) and wind (Phase 2). PROJECT PURPOSE To develop a Climate atlas, specific for the Tasmanian emergency management sector. PROJECT OBJECTIVES, DELIVERABLES AND OUTPUTSOutputs:An online atlas providing information about recent, observed changes in climate and how it is projected to change into the future, at short, mid and longer time horizons.Spatial layers describing current and future natural hazards to be added to data delivery portals such as TheList.Presentations recorded and provided online for sharing more broadly across the industry and regions.Benefits:A source of relevant climate information that industry and government decision makers can use to inform operational, tactical and strategic decisions.Improved understanding of extreme events and natural hazards to help emergency managers and communities report on, minimise and adapt to climate risks. Identification of exposure to climate variability and long-term change.Flow-on effects leading to more resilient industries and communities.
- Funding
- Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management [TAS] ($137,150)
- Scheme
- Grant-NDRRGP
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Remenyi TA; Love PT; Harris R; Mocatta G; Rollins D
- Year
- 2021
Future Climate Trajectories - Comparing Australian Wine Regions to other International Wine Regions out to 2100 (2020)$24,745
- Description
- A recently-completed Wine Australia project (the UT 1504 Project), entitled Australias wine future: adapting to short- term climate variability and long-term climate change, aimed to provide the wine sector with user-friendly, fine-scale, tailored climate information which includes both short-term predictions and long-term projections. Such information will inform management decisions as well as strategic decisions for the sector to manage climate variability over the longer term. The project outputs were presented to Wine Australia in December 2019 in the form of Australias Wine Future A Climate Atlas (the Atlas). Feedback on Figure 18 (see Figure 1 below) from the Atlas was that it neatly captured a key output from the UT 1504 Project, namely, that it describes projected future trajectories of change for all Australian wine regions (considering both temperature and aridity changes). It was identified that adding and/or incorporating the projected changes expected for other regions around the world into the Figure 1 below would be strategically useful for mitigating the risk that international critics of the Australian wine industry may misuse and/or misrepresent the climate outputs from the Atlas.
- Funding
- Wine Australia ($24,745)
- Scheme
- Contract Research
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Remenyi TA; Rollins D; Harris R; Love PT; Earl NO
- Year
- 2020
Market Insights Regional Climate Snapshots (2020)$15,881
- Description
- This project will deliver a summary of climate variables for each of the previous seasons. This information allows the Australian and international wine industry to understand how each season performed relative to all the others. Wine Australia delivers Market Insights to the wine industry. They need assistance delivering this in the immediate term. They are also interested in learning how to complete this task in-house and request appropriate training, which this project will provide.
- Funding
- Wine Australia ($15,881)
- Scheme
- Consultancy
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Remenyi TA; Rollins D; Harris R; Love PT; Earl NO
- Year
- 2020
Knowledge Brokering and Collaborative Networks for The Navigating Climate Change Mission (2020)$140,000
- Description
- This project aims to couple knowledge brokering and translation activities within the CSIRO Navigating Climate Change Mission (NCC) and the Climate Futures Programme at the University of Tasmania. This will inform the development of a best practice framework for knowledge brokering and research translation in the field of climate science.
- Funding
- CSIRO-Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation ($140,000)
- Scheme
- Contract Research
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Harris R; Remenyi TA
- Year
- 2020
Climate Atlas webinars to wine industry associations (2020)$16,500
- Description
- Wine Australia recognises the importance of extending the impact of the recently released Australias Wine Future A Climate Atlas so that as broad an audience as possible can benefit from improved information about potential climate impacts. This project focuses on targeted engagement with the Regional Program clusters. It will assist them to understand the value of the atlas and how it can inform decision making across their regions, including the specific risks they will have to manage across different parts of Australia. Stage A is to provide tailored webinars to the Wine sector via the Wine Australia Regional Program Clusters. The webinars will be recorded and will have national promotion via the Wine Australia website but will also rely on regional program partners to be involved in the design and promotion in their regionStage B is based on the follow up surveys post webinars and will determine what other extension materials the Regions might require after having been exposed to the information in the Climate Atlas. It is envisaged that the potential climate impact information in the form of additional webinars, recordings and/or printed material be used in the Regional program activities and workshops in the future. While there will be limited extension funds available beyond the initial webinar roll out; subject to regional needs post webinar Wine Australia will consider and prioritise stage B activities gleaned from webinar responses and/or devolve further activities through regional program partner activities.PROJECT PURPOSE To provide tailored interpretation of the Climate atlas, specific for each Wine Australia Regional Cluster.PROJECT OBJECTIVES, DELIVERABLES AND OUTPUTSFor each region, this project will deliver: -an initial meeting to discuss the Regions needs and interests in order to define the scope of the webinar, which will allow the project team to tailor the content to meet the regions needs. -Deliver a webinar to the region, where content has been tailored to meet their specific needs, and interests.
- Funding
- Wine Australia ($16,500)
- Scheme
- Consultancy
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Remenyi TA; Harris R
- Year
- 2020
Tide monitoring in Tasmanian estuaries (2020 - 2021)$11,949
- Description
- This proposal is to request funds to purchase nine water level logger instruments and stilling wells to enable the collection of up to 12 months tide data in three estuaries vulnerable to coastal flooding: Huon River Estuary, Georges Bay, and Macquarie Harbour. The resulting dataset will be published in a publicly accessible data portal.
- Funding
- Tasmanian State Emergency Services ($11,949)
- Scheme
- Contract Research
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Harris R; Palmer K; Watson CS
- Period
- 2020 - 2021
Identifying enablers and barriers to climate adaptation in regional centres in Indonesia and Australia. (2020)$5,000
- Description
- This project aims to build collaborations with Indonesian partners. It will bring together experts in regional climate modelling, climate impacts and adaptation, governance and urban planning to discuss ways in which effective climate adaptation could be accelerated in regional centres in Indonesia and Australia. Using workshops that include Australian and Indonesian climate and adaptation specialists, and thematic analysis of these discussions, we will:1. Assess the availability of climate information across regional Indonesia, identify the most critical needs for information and the potential for developing future regional climate models projects;2. Prioritise regions in Indonesia for future adaptation research; and3. Identify common adaptation needs and differences that may highlight novel approaches transferable across regions4. Create a stakeholder map of climate and adaptation specialists available to engage in further work.
- Funding
- Department of Education ACT ($5,000)
- Scheme
- Travel Grant - PhillipsKPA - SEA
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Harris R; Watson Phillipa
- Year
- 2020
Evaluation of the susceptibility of Tasmania's agricultural sector to insect pest species under a changing climate (2020 - 2021)$49,744
- Description
- Tasmania is often referred to as a future breadbasket of the country, and extensive investment is planned to take advantage of the warmer climate (West 2009). However, warmer conditions increase the potential for new pest species to establish permanent populations in Tasmania. Until recently, species introduced from warmer regions have been constrained by growing seasons that are too short, or winters that are too cold. This is changing. Not only are new pest species likely to establish under future climate conditions, but the activity and impact of existing pests may also increase, as population growth rates rise and higher survival and development rates lead to an increased number of generations per year. With more intensive irrigation and agriculture planned, across more diverse crops, the risk is further increased. This potential for increased risk has not yet been systematically studied.Using the most up-to-date, fine resolution climate projections available in Australia, this project will identify species that may become commercially important agricultural pests in Tasmania under a changing climate. It will extend previous research (e.g. Holz et al. 2010, Sultana et al. 2017) on future changes to the distribution of the Queensland Fruit Fly, to incorporate lifecycle information at a fine spatial and temporal resolution and to investigate changes in growth and number of generations on seasonal and inter-annual timescales. The improved precision of the downscaled simulations will allow policy makers to be more strategic in their planning of surveillance networks and in the design of pest management strategies for the future. The results from this case study will be used to develop a methodology for assessing changing pest risk, to communicate the potential for change to occur over the next decades and engage industry stakeholders in ongoing research. Project outcomes will include a comprehensive list of species considered to be of high risk to the agricultural industry in Tasmania, based on industry engagement, existing data, and an assessment of life history traits and current distribution. This research will provide essential information about the susceptibility of Tasmanias agricultural sector to insect pest species now and in the future. This will improve our preparedness for change and ability to maintain pest-free status; facilitate more informed trading arrangements (e.g., winter window arrangements); and enhance the capacity of the Tasmanian government and industry to manage the risks posed by insect pest species currently arriving in Tasmania and to proactively and strategically plan for future biosecurity risks.
- Funding
- Department of Premier and Cabinet ($49,744)
- Scheme
- Climate Research Grants Program
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Harris R; Remenyi TA; Horton BJ; Harrison MT; Quarrell SR; Corkrey SR; Westmore G
- Period
- 2020 - 2021
A fire regime model for planned burning and ecological management in a changing climate (2020 - 2021)$49,743
- Description
- This project will translate high-resolution regional climate projections into a tool that Tasmanian fire managers can use to explore future fire regime scenarios and assist in developing planned burning strategies in the context of a changing climate. This will be achieved by further development of a computational fire regime research model so that it can be applied as an operational decision support tool.
- Funding
- Department of Premier and Cabinet ($49,743)
- Scheme
- Climate Research Grants Program
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Love PT; Harris R; Mocatta G; Styger JK; Doss S
- Period
- 2020 - 2021
Identifying enablers and barriers to successful research collaboration between Indonesia, Tasmania and Australia in understandings and communication of climate change and environmental management research (2020)$2,338
- Funding
- University of Tasmania ($2,338)
- Scheme
- null
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Harris R; Elliott C; Watson Phillipa; Warman R; Lin C
- Year
- 2020
Assessing the impact of climate change research in Tasmania on community (2020)$2,375
- Funding
- University of Tasmania ($2,375)
- Scheme
- null
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Mocatta G; Harris R; Remenyi TA
- Year
- 2020
Using pre and post LIDAR to assess the severity of the 2019 Tasmanian Bushfires (2019)$88,105
- Description
- This project aims to use pre and post fire high resolution three-dimensional remote sensing data (LiDAR) to understand the geographic variation of the environmental impacts of bushfire in unlogged and logged forested landscapes in southern Tasmania and develop new tools for post fire fuel hazard score assessment.
- Funding
- Bushfire and Natural Hazard CRC ($88,105)
- Scheme
- Grant
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Bowman DMJS; Leonard S; Baker SC; Harris R; Jordan GJ; Lucieer A; Wardlaw TJ; Turner DJ; Williamson G; Turner PAM; Styger JK
- Year
- 2019
A characterisation of synoptic weather features often associated with extreme events in SE Australia and Tasmania. Stage 1 - Common features of recent events (2019 - 2020)$179,520
- Description
- The project will identify how often negatively tilted troughs occur, how often they are associated with extreme storms/fires/lightning, and whether this pattern is an amplifier of extreme events or a stand-alone phenomenon. This will provide important information of relevance to fire managers and emergency services managing extreme storm impacts, for government and the broader community.
- Funding
- CRC for Bushfire Research ($179,520)
- Scheme
- Grant-Research
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Harris R; Love PT; Remenyi TA; Bindoff NL; Fox-Hughes P
- Period
- 2019 - 2020
Governing Bushfire in Australia (2019)$6,275
- Description
- This project will map Australias legal, policy and institutional frameworks for bushfire governance and analyse whether existing scholarship supports the emergence of a new sub-discipline that could be described as bushfire law. This analysis is important because, if bushfire law can be identified as a separate body of law, then urgent work is needed to clarify the relevant institutional frameworks, the scope of decision-making authority and responsibilities, and appropriate principles to guide legal and policy implementation.
- Funding
- University of Tasmania ($6,275)
- Scheme
- null
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- McCormack P; McDonald J; Bowman DMJS; Harris R
- Year
- 2019
Modelling coincident extreme weather events under Tasmania's future climate (2018 - 2019)$100,000
- Description
- This project has three objectives: To increase our understanding and awareness of the current likelihood and impact of the highest priority coincident extreme events in Tasmania. To better understand how the frequency and impact of coincident extreme events may change in the future. To inform state and local government, industries and communities so as to enable them to build their capacity to prepare for and respond to coincident extreme events.
- Funding
- Department of Premier and Cabinet ($100,000)
- Scheme
- Contract Research
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Remenyi TA; Love PT; Harris R
- Period
- 2018 - 2019
An assessment of the viability of prescribed burning as a management tool under a changing climate - Stage 2 (2018 - 2019)$136,533
- Description
- Recent research by the ACE CRC suggests there may be fewer opportunities for prescribed burning in the future as autumn and spring become warmer and drier. Changes to vegetation may also need to be considered when planning fuel management. In workshops associated with the research, Tasmanian fire managers identified several aspects that would enhance the research to help them make decisions about the timing of prescribed burning in the future. These are to:i)assess changes in plant productivity throughout the year, to indicate potential changes to fuel growth in the future;ii)further refine the vegetation model to incorporate fire intensity and improve the representation of fuel treatments;iii)model the future distributions of target species and vegetation communities (eg. Athrotaxis, alpine/subalpine communities) that may not persist under climate change;iv)assess combinations of extreme events that may occur simultaneously or successively to influence bushfire behaviour or amplify its severity in the autumn/spring periods.
- Funding
- Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management [TAS] ($136,533)
- Scheme
- Grant - Tasmanian Bushfire Mitigation Program
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Harris R; Remenyi TA; Love PT; Bindoff NL; White CJ; Williamson G; Bowman DMJS; Fox-Hughes P
- Period
- 2018 - 2019
High-Resolution Reanalysis for Tasmania project: Stage 3 (2018 - 2019)$50,000
- Description
- A reanalysis is a consistent reconstruction of the state of the atmosphere through time. This data allows users to compare weather parameters such as wind, rainfall or temperature (or derived quantities such as fire danger) through time and across the area of the reanalysis, and provides a complete description of the weather in the reanalysis domain. This project will generate a reanalysis dataset for Tasmania at 1.5 km grid spacing with hourly time steps for a 25-year period, producing a high-resolution meteorological and climatological data to inform emergency management and disaster risk activities in Tasmania. The Bureau of Meteorology has agreed to produce the reanalysis for Tasmania for ACE CRC, forming part of a wider project that will generate a nationwide Australian reanalysis product at a lower 12 km resolution. In the first phase of the project (Stage 1), the Bureau of Meteorology will provide a 5-year high-resolution NWP climatology for Tasmania at a spatial resolution of about 5 km and at an hourly time step. Both ACE CRC and the Bureau of Meteorology have declared their intention to provide the 25-year high-resolution reanalysis at 1.5 km resolution for Tasmania (Stage 2) if the Tasmania State Emergency Service provides the required additional funding in 2016.Project partners will evaluate the dataset, both at the broad scale and for specific sub-regions and time periods in considerable detail to ensure the quality of the data, with the resulting approximately 70 terabytes of data stored by TPAC. Partners will engage with stakeholders to highlight the implications of the results for emergency management in Tasmania. On completion, project and technical reports will be presented, and peer-review journal articles prepared.
- Funding
- Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management [TAS] ($50,000)
- Scheme
- Grant - Tasmanian Bushfire Mitigation Program
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- White CJ; Bindoff NL; Corney SP; Remenyi TA; Harris R; Fox-Hughes P; Jakob D; Steinle P
- Period
- 2018 - 2019
Review of Climate Science (2017)$48,000
- Description
- Review climate impact change work undertaken to date and identify research gaps and opportunities in the Tasmanian context. Develop options for program design and stakeholder engagement.
- Funding
- Department of Premier and Cabinet ($48,000)
- Scheme
- Contract Research
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Bindoff NL; Remenyi TA; Harris R; Love PT
- Year
- 2017
Climate Change and Bushfire Research Initiative (2017 - 2018)$100,000
- Description
- Development of high priority tools and research products to enable protection of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) from adverse impacts of wildfire.
- Funding
- Department of Environment and Energy (Cwth) ($100,000)
- Scheme
- Grant-National Environmental Science Prgm (NESP)
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Remenyi TA; Bindoff NL; Harris R; Love PT; Fox-Hughes P
- Period
- 2017 - 2018
Analysis of the impact of climate change on weather-related fire risk factors in the TWWHA, TWWHA01/16 (2016)$95,000
- Description
- The provision of those services is required to improve the States understanding of how climate change will impact on bushfire risk in the Tasmanias Wilderness World Heritage Areas (TWWHA) and further, to improve the States knowledge base for management of bushfires and prescribed burning regimes under a changing climate.
- Funding
- Department of Premier and Cabinet ($95,000)
- Scheme
- Contract Research
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Remenyi TA; Bindoff NL; Harris R; Love PT; Fox-Hughes P
- Year
- 2016
Australia's wine future - adapting to short-term climate variability and long-term climate change. (2016 - 2019)$1,167,184
- Description
- The project will assess the impact of climate change on Australia's wine industry, and provide information to assist Australian grape growers adapt to a changing climate. The project will:I. provide high resolution climate information in an accessible and useful form to the wine regions of Australia;2. develop region-specific indices of "heat wave";3. develop variety-specific indices of heat accumulation (GDD);4. report the changes in these indices between current and future periods;5. report changes in precipitation and potential evapotranspiration between current and future periods;6. identify new varieties that could be planted in each region as the climate shifts, including varieties not currently grow1in Australia;7. estimate the temperature threshold at which returns from different varieties may diminish in different regions andidentify the point at which a transition to alternative varieties may be needed;8. identify regionally relevant adaptation options in addition to variety switching;9. identify the relationship between relevant climate variables and large scale climate drivers such as El Nifio-SouthernOscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation;10. report changes in the frequency and intensity of the large scale climate drivers under future climate change.
- Funding
- Wine Australia ($1,064,821)
- Scheme
- Grant-R&D Projects
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Harris R; Hayman P; Remenyi TA; Kerslake FL; O'Kane TJ; Katzfey J; Thomas D; Petrie P; Sadras V; Krstic M; Bindoff NL; Close DC; White CJ; Corney SP
- Period
- 2016 - 2019
High-Resolution Reanalysis for Tasmania Project: Stage 2 (2016 - 2017)$74,889
- Description
- A reanalysis is a consistent reconstruction of the state of the atmosphere through time. This data allows users to compare weather parameters such as wind, rainfall or temperature (or derived quantities such as fire danger) through time and across the area of the reanalysis, and provides a complete description of the weather in the reanalysis domain. This project will generate a reanalysis dataset for Tasmania at 1.5 km grid spacing with hourly time steps for a 25-year period, producing a high-resolution meteorological and climatological data to inform emergency management and disaster risk activities in Tasmania. The Bureau of Meteorology has agreed to produce the reanalysis for Tasmania for ACE CRC, forming part of a wider project that will generate a nationwide Australian reanalysis product at a lower 12 km resolution. In the first phase of the project (Stage 1), the Bureau of Meteorology will provide a 5-year high-resolution NWP climatology for Tasmania at a spatial resolution of about 5 km and at an hourly time step. Both ACE CRC and the Bureau of Meteorology will then provide the 25-year high-resolution reanalysis at 1.5 km resolution for Tasmania (Stages 2 and 3) if the Tasmania State Emergency Service provides the required additional funding in 2016 and again in 2017.Project partners will evaluate the dataset, both at the broad scale and for specific sub-regions and time periods in considerable detail to ensure the quality of the data, with the resulting approximately 70 terabytes of data stored by TPAC. Partners will engage with stakeholders to highlight the implications of the results for emergency management in Tasmania. On completion, project and technical reports will be presented, and peer-review journal articles prepared.
- Funding
- Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management [TAS] ($74,889)
- Scheme
- Grant - Tasmanian Bushfire Mitigation Program
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- White CJ; Bindoff NL; Corney SP; Remenyi TA; Harris R; Fox-Hughes P; Jakob D; Steinle P
- Period
- 2016 - 2017
Potential Impacts of Climate Change on the Victorian Alpine Resorts - Stage 1: Impact of Investing in Snow Making (2015)$15,860
- Description
- 1.A literature review of Australian and international research into the economic viability of snow-making under climate change;2.An overview of the changes projected to occur in mean temperature, precipitation and snow over the Australian Alps region, based on the new projections;3.Updating the model developed, as a part of the Landscapes and Policy Hub, by Dr Lee and Prof Tisdell, to include new 2013 and 2014 data;4.Report on the major findings of Dr Lee and Prof Tisdells work analysing the impact of snow making on visitation patterns on a yearly basis;5.Provision of the updated model as an R script (for use by the ARCC); and6.Extraction of sub-daily data for variables used in calculating snow making conditions (Stage 2).
- Funding
- Alpine Resort Co-ordinating Council ($15,860)
- Scheme
- Contract Research
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Harris R; Remenyi TA; Bindoff NL
- Year
- 2015
Potential Impacts of Climate Change on the Victorian Alpine Resorts - Stage 1b & Stage 2 Overview of Widespread Impacts of Climate Change on Individual Alpine Resorts at Finer Temporal Scales (2015)$35,690
- Description
- An assessment of the economic viability and impact of investing in snow making in the Victorian alpine resorts in the context of the potential impacts of climate change.
- Funding
- Alpine Resort Co-ordinating Council ($35,690)
- Scheme
- Contract Research
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Harris R; Remenyi TA; Bindoff NL
- Year
- 2015
Updating Hobart City Council draft Climate Change Guidelines (2015)$2,000
- Description
- The project will calculate climate variables at suitable intervals to provide more detailed information to be used for decision making across Hobart City Council, and provide a background report considering the Climate Futures for Tasmania projections in the context of recently released projections from the new CMIPS archive.
- Funding
- Hobart City Council ($2,000)
- Scheme
- Contract Research
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Harris R; Remenyi TA
- Year
- 2015
An assessment of the viability of prescribed burning as a management tool under a changing climate (2015 - 2016)$130,000
- Description
- The project will investigate three aspects that could affect the viability of prescribed burning under climate change.1. Changes in the seasonality of factors that determine when prescribed burning can be applied;2. Changes in the frequency and seasonality of daily weather patterns related to prescribed burning;3. Changes to broad vegetation types caused by the interaction between climate change and frequency of burning (natural or prescribed).
- Funding
- Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management [TAS] ($130,000)
- Scheme
- Grant - Tasmanian Bushfire Mitigation Program
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Harris R; Remenyi TA; Bindoff NL; White CJ
- Period
- 2015 - 2016
Projecting Volunteer Resource Requirements Under Extreme Climate Futures (2015)$86,800
- Description
- This project will consider the impacts of a changing climate on emergency service volunteer resources in Tasmania.
- Funding
- Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management [TAS] ($86,800)
- Scheme
- Grant-Emergency Volunteer Fund
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- Remenyi TA; Harris R; White CJ; Corney SP; Bindoff NL; Kelty SF; Denny LJ; Julian RD; Norris K; Jabour JA
- Year
- 2015
High-Resolution Reanalysis for Tasmania Project: Stage 1 (2015 - 2016)$160,000
- Description
- A reanalysis is a consistent reconstruction of the state of the atmosphere through time. This allows users to compare weatherparameters such as wind, rainfall or temperature (or derived quantities such as fire danger) through time and across the area of the reanalysis, and provides a complete description of the weather in the reanalysis domain. The Department of Environment and Primary Industry (DEPI), Victoria, commissioned the Desert Research Institute (DRI), Nevada, to create a reanalysis for Victoria, with a resolution of 4 km and 1 hour. A Tasmanian project would leverage off the experience, and some of the background data, of the Victorian reanalysis. The project will generate a reanalysis dataset for Tasmania at 3 km grid spacingwith 1 hour time steps for 1980-2014. Project partners will evaluate the dataset, both at the broad scale and for specific sub regions and time periods in considerable detail to ensure the quality of the data, with the resulting approximately 70 terabytes of data stored by TPAC. A user interface will be constructed for data access, and partners will engage with stakeholders to highlight the implications of the results for emergency management in Tasmania. On completion, project and technical reports will be presented, and peer-review journal articles prepared.
- Funding
- Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management [TAS] ($160,000)
- Scheme
- Grant-NDRRGP
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- White CJ; Bindoff NL; Corney SP; Remenyi TA; Harris R; Fox-Hughes P; Jakob D; Steinle P
- Period
- 2015 - 2016
Impacts of Climate Change on the Body Size of the Wingless Grasshopper (2008)$5,000
- Funding
- Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment ($5,000)
- Scheme
- Grant
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- McQuillan PB; Harris R
- Year
- 2008
Insect Body Size: the Importance of Temperature and the Potential Influence of Climate Change (2007)$1,200
- Funding
- Australian Museum ($1,200)
- Scheme
- Grant-Postgraduate Award
- Administered By
- University of Tasmania
- Research Team
- McQuillan PB; Harris R
- Year
- 2007
Research Supervision
Bec currently supervises 8 PhD Students, working in the areas of bushfire modelling, ignition and behaviour, urban thermal mapping, mapping of coastal values, coastal vulnerability to Sea Level Rise and conservation of threatened species.
Current
8
Current
| Degree | Title | Commenced |
|---|---|---|
| Masters | An Analysis of Existing and Experimental Weather Based Ratings, Indicators and Metrics in Reference to Fire Potentiality and Behaviour in Australia | 2019 |
| PhD | Understanding the Socioecological Drivers of Public Perceptions of Species Non-Nativeness in the Context of Novel Urban Ecosystem Services and Disservices | 2019 |
| PhD | Estimation of Relative Importance of Indicators in Bushfire Mapping and Monitoring | 2019 |
| PhD | Recognition of Rugged Terrains Causing Atypical Fire | 2019 |
| PhD | Changing Coastalscapes: mapping values, relations, and adaptive trajectories along the coasts of SouthernTasmania | 2020 |
| PhD | Coastal Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise in Southeastern Australia | 2020 |
| PhD | Urban Heat Mapping to Identify Current and Future Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Options | 2020 |
| PhD | The Role of Human activities and Artefacts in Conserving Threatened Birds | 2020 |