Climate is what we do; weather is what they get……[i] “Climate scientist, are you?”…and an inquisitive look later,…”so what do you really do?” Hmm, so what do I do?..What do I say?” I’m a modeller” hmmm….what does that mean?……. “I’m a climate impacts person” ……..“huh?” So we say this….”Well I study the climate to identify… Read more »
CSAG Blog
The rewards and challenges of interdisciplinary research
When I began my Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Social Anthropology I never imagined that I would find myself one day doing a postgraduate degree alongside physical scientists in CSAG. At nineteen years old I had no idea how I would one day make a living using my burgeoning knowledge of modern… Read more »
So what do you do?
When asked this question at a social function, I am normally a bit hesitant at first to give a response, as the outcomes are generally predictable. When I answer that I am a student studying climatology the responses from people are normally: Oh, so you are going to become a weatherman. By the way, why… Read more »
And another Winter School has come and gone….
So Winter School 2012 has come and gone and at the same time I’ve been asked to write an entry for the blog this week. Ideally I guess I could write and reflect on this year’s course. So I’ll make this a very short blog….it was great! Alright, alright here’s a little bit more. Four… Read more »
Climate change: 1, Himalayan explorers: nil
Stepping gingerly onto the glacier I was relieved to hear the crunch of hard ice under my crampons rather than the boot-swallowing slush we’d battled through yesterday or the brittle crack of the thin sheets we’d traversed earlier. The beam of my head lamp swept across the white expanse, tracing the path we’d planned between… Read more »
Climate Adaptation Futures 2012
Adapting to the intense summer heat of the Sonoran desert, I thought it wise to don shorts, flip flops and a t-shirt on the opening day of the “Climate Adaptation Futures” conference in Tucson, Arizona. I hadn’t anticipated quite how effective the solar powered air conditioning at the University of Arizona would be and, needless… Read more »
Towards an African Geosciences Union
In two weeks many of the worlds leading scientists (including a CSAGer) will be descending on northeast Austria to discuss the latest in geosciences research at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) annual meeting. During the lunch break yesterday, I therefore asked colleagues a question which was met with a polite trickle of laughter. “Is there… Read more »
Planet Under Pressure: Day 4
With only 120 days to go until the Olympics, London is making the final preparations for what has been dubbed the first “sustainable games”. The picture below was taken from a viewpoint outside the conference centre and shows the Olympic stadium, the love-it-or-hate-it red ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture and a newly installed wind turbine providing renewable… Read more »
Planet Under Pressure: Day 3
On the third day of the conference, the focus shifted to solutions and how scientists might enable solutions to be enacted. In the morning I attended a session on adaptation dominated by presenters from Australia (which is no bad thing of course). Rohan Hamden gave an interesting talk about regional adaptation plans in south Australia…. Read more »