Earth Science (IUGG)

Disasters and the media – how did we do – ASC session tonight

Tonight in Melbourne meet join Ed Sykes from the Australian Science Media Centre, Dr Mark Quigley, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch and Professor Kevin Furlong, Professor of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University to discuss how scientists, science communicators and the media dealt with this year’s natural disasters. What are the lessons for future reporting?
[continue reading…]

Fewer rain storms across southern Australia

Published by CSIRO on 4 July 2011

Decreasing autumn and winter rainfall over southern Australia has been attributed to a 50-year decrease in the average intensity of storms in the region – a trend which is forecast to continue for another 50 years.”Our recent work on climate model projections suggests a continuation of these trends over the next 50 years.”

In an address today to the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics conference in Melbourne, CSIRO climate scientist, Dr Jorgen Frederiksen, said these changes are due to reductions in the strength of the mid-latitude jet stream and changes in atmospheric temperatures. The jet stream comprises fast moving westerly winds in the upper atmosphere. [continue reading…]

Cancer; ocean arteries; plus experts on every natural disaster in town

Ocean warming, ice sheets and sea-level rise: what does it mean for Australia? And could we have an earthquake or tsunami here?

Talk with experts on vulcanology; ocean warming; aerosols and pollution; volcanic ash plumes; the global survey of the atmosphere of Venus; the Russian heatwave and other natural disasters. And meet leaders of the Southern California Earthquake Center, French space agency CNES, the US Nuclear Regulatory Authority, the British Antarctic Survey.

Experts on almost every kind of natural disaster are in Australia for Earth on the Edge, an international earth sciences conference being held in Melbourne till Thursday 7 July. [continue reading…]

Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods – our planet in all its moods

From tomorrow, for nearly two weeks Australia is hosting a huge meeting of earth scientists – many of them flying directly from their work at recent hot spots.

They will be providing the most up-to-date information on the Japanese tsunami, the safety of nuclear installations, the Christchurch earthquake, Cyclone Yasi, the ash clouds and more. They will also be putting all of this in context and reveal the bigger picture about our planet in all its moods.

The conference is Earth on the Edge, the 25th General Assembly of the International Union of Geophysics and Geodesy (IUGG), and it has attracted almost 4,000 delegates from around 100 countries. [continue reading…]

Prime Minister’s Science Prizes, CERN director to visit Australia, and more

Tomorrow the Prime Minister will present her Prizes for Science. The embargo is 5 pm on Wednesday 17 November 2010.

The winners will be at Parliament House from 11 am tomorrow morning and available in the Press Gallery from 1 pm.

Other science news: a L’Oréal award and $100,000 for an Aussie scientist discovering bacteria everywhere; Chinese science leaders in Australia marking 30 years of collaboration; CERN director here soon for physics congress; the end of the world; and…

‘When you’re up to your arse in alligators, it’s hard to remember that your original intention was to drain the swamp.’ This quote sets the scene for a black comedy on biodiversity staged in the skeleton gallery of the Australian Museum tonight and Thursday. [continue reading…]