Everything I needed to know about climate change I learned from Leonard Cohen

Posted by & filed under CSAG Blog, Frontpage.

Okay, maybe not everything. However, when discussing climate science it’s inevitable at some point the conversation will turn to the subject of ‘the future’. Often in the form a question like “So what’s going to happen?”, at times meant in quite precise terms.  In some ways it’s a quite flattening question. Unfortunately, I’m not very… Read more »

Applying the Weather at SASAS 2015

Posted by & filed under CSAG Blog, Frontpage.

South African Society for Atmospheric Sciences (SASAS) organizes an annual conference, and this year, the event precipitated on the deep outskirts of Pretoria over 21-22 September. What sets this year apart is that, although officially attached to University of Pretoria, it was organized by a cross-institutional organizing committee composed entirely of women. The conference is… Read more »

Sunday Blues

Source: http://www.engagemeconsulting.com/beating-the-sunday-blues-a-five-step-guide/

Posted by & filed under CSAG Blog, Current research, Frontpage.

During a conversation last week, a fellow CSAG-er casually mentioned that the probability of precipitation depended on the day of the week. I found this to be puzzling – after all, what does the weather know of the days of the week? A search of the literature uncovered that this theory is plausible, and that… Read more »

Sometimes Wind and Sometimes Rain

Posted by & filed under CSAG Blog, Frontpage.

Found this gem of a poem on the internet the other day, and thought that it perfectly captured the type of pondering we tend to do regarding the climate, weather, and life in general. The poem is entitled “Children’s Song” and it’s by Ford Madox Ford [1]. Sometimes wind and sometimes rain, Then the sun… Read more »

Tidal pools and golden cities

Posted by & filed under CSAG Blog, Frontpage, Uncategorized.

Teaching, learning, and collaboration can be very challenging tasks, complicated by the fact that doing any of them well is often pretty much impossible if you aren’t attempting the other two at the same time. They also essentially define the job description for any project I’ve seen the research group be involved in. So in… Read more »

Entering the world of ‘Climate Science’

Posted by & filed under CSAG Blog, Frontpage.

After Graduation, one feels a sense of accomplishment, yet at the same time, there are various questions one thinks about. Now what? Am I ready to enter the workforce? Do I have the qualifications to acquire an entry level job? These questions rushed around inside my head as I contemplated my next move. After I moved back home… Read more »

Should climate research be driven by its use?

Posted by & filed under Climate Services, CSAG Blog, Frontpage.

When did climate science research become about what the user wants? When did climate science start having an interested “user”? A quick google of the definition of “research”: the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. Nowhere in that definition does it mention that… Read more »