AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE
MEDIA RELEASE
AAS 31/10
12 October 2010
Tropical oceans provide glimpse into Australia's future
El Niño events are linked to severe droughts in northern and eastern Australia, while their
flipside, La Niña events, can bring flooding rains.
Scientists from Australia have received a $350,000 grant from the Australian Research
Council for a three year project to piece together the history of El Niño. This knowledge will
enhance our ability to predict whether the future will herald more extreme droughts or more
severe floods.
Climate modeller Dr Steven Phipps from the Climate Change Research Centre at the
University of New South Wales and Dr Helen McGregor, an El Niño researcher from the
University of Wollongong who heads the project, will present their work at the 2010 UK-
Australia Frontiers of Science – Marine Science Meeting, being held by the Australian
Academy of Science and the UK Royal Society in Perth today.
The team is exploring the physical mechanisms that have driven past changes in weather
patterns, by combining data from fossil corals with climate model simulations. The annual
growth rings of the corals provide a record of seasonal changes in ocean temperatures,
while the models will allow the scientists to explore the links between El Niño and global
climate change.
‘Australia is particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts caused by changing weather
patterns,” says Dr Phipps.
‘That is why understanding El Niño is essential in anticipating changes in drought and rain in
the future which will help us to adapt Australia’s valuable agricultural and farming industries
to climate change and to manage our precious water resources,’ he says.
Media are invited to attend the event and arrange interviews.
Further information and program:
Event: 2010 UK-Australia Frontiers of Science – Marine Science Meeting
Date: 10 to 12 October 2010
Venue: Rendezvous Observation City Hotel, 140 The Esplanade, Scarborough, Perth
Media Contact: Sue McKenna on 0011 61 8 9254 4044 or 0424 196 771
or Kerry Hodson on 0011 61 8 9447 0756 or 0438 565 086
Sue or Kerry at the conference venue on 0011 61 8 9340 5628
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