When I was asked to write a blog that might contribute to a platform of knowledge and skills to address complex social and environmental problems, I had been grappling with several such problems in my own life. To note two in particular; the protests at the University of Cape Town (UCT), calling for free higher… Read more »
Piotr Wolski has produced a tool to assess the current and projected state of the Western Cape Dams: The “Big Six Monitor” The “Big Six Monitor” – http://cip.csag.uct.ac.za/monitoring/bigsix.html shows the amount of water in the major Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS) dams currently and in the recent past. Additionally, it shows the storage… Read more »
By Piotr Wolski Originally published by GroundUp Journalists and the general public are asking many questions about the Western Cape drought. What is meant by a drought? Why is the drought happening? Where exactly is the drought occurring? Is this drought caused by climate change? Could it have been predicted? Should we not expect it… Read more »
Piotr Wolski has written an article titled: What about rainwater harvesting? for the UCT News Site. “The winter rains of 2017 are effectively finished. Recent analyses indicate that, with current use and without further interventions, water currently stored in the Western Cape’s water supply system dams will not last until the next significant rains, which are… Read more »
At this stage we all know the context, and I don’t think there is a need for extra explanations. So let me be as brief as possible. Drought. Big city. Disaster management plan. Day Zero. Everyone blames everyone. There. You have it. From my perspective (rooted in data and facts) the time has come to… Read more »
Are Droughts Predictable? Head over to this ARTICLE featured in The Conversation by our very own Piotr Wolski, Bruce Hewitson and Chris Jack. The forecast probability associated with above-normal and below-normal rainfall for 2016 (upper panels) and 2017 (lower panels).
Why is it that, in our experience, African countries are thirsty for knowledge on how the climate may be changing in their context? Why is it that we very seldom encounter an air of scepticism when working in African countries? Why is it that when we reach out to engage with African countries about climate… Read more »
The ACCESS Winter Rainfall Summit May 2017 On 15 May 2017, a blisteringly hot day (32°C at the nearby South African Astronomical Observatory weather station), ACCESS held a Winter Rainfall Summit at the National Geo-spatial Information meeting room in Mowbray. For the morning sessions a collection of scientists working on variability/predictability of winter rainfall… Read more »
I realise it’s been a couple months already (eek) and that I don’t normally write a Blog post about CSAGs Winter School, but this year I see it fitting to do so. 2017 was a tremendously successful year with by far the most geographically diverse group of participants we have ever had the privilege of… Read more »