Engineers are becoming increasingly concerned with sustainability considerations, developing low emission energy sources, mitigating climate related problems from severe weather and projected sea level rise. It is timely to review the latest developments in the science that is behind the transition shaping the direction of our profession. Is the atmosphere warming? Are the sea levels rising and if so, how quickly? What are the impacts for Australia? What are the latest messages from climate scientists?
Two speakers will address these issues as they relate to the atmosphere and the oceans.
Dr Paul Fraser Stream Leader, CSIRO Changing Atmosphere Research Group.
Dr Fraser’s area of expertise focuses on understanding the composition and sources of our changing atmosphere, knowledge that is crucial to managing climate change and ozone-depletion issues.
Dr John Church, CSIRO Fellow with the Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, Hobart.
His area of expertise is the role of the ocean in climate, particularly anthropogenic climate change and sea-level rise. He has been a Principal Investigator on NASA/CNES satellite altimeter Science Working Teams since 1987. He was a lead author for the Chapter on Sea Level in the IPCC Third Assessment Report and (currently) the Fifth Assessment Report.
His address will cover:
- Are the oceans changing – is sea level changing (both global and regional, including Australia)?
- What is the explanation for any change?
- What are the projections for the 21st century – global and regional?
- Longer term and threshold issues;
- Changes in extreme events, waves.