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FUTURE EARTH AUSTRALIA: SUSTAINABLE OCEANS AND COASTS NATIONAL STRATEGY 2021-2030
FUTURE EARTH AUSTRALIA: SUSTAINABLE OCEANS AND COASTS NATIONAL STRATEGY 2021-2030 During 2021 the Australian Academy of Science, with the support of the Lords Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, produced a remarkable report which all Australian’s interested in the future...
Sunflowers and hope
Sunflowers and hope Sunflowers on the street verge (Photo courtesy of Irene Thom). Late each spring I open a packet of sunflower seeds, place them into egg cartons and nurture them ready for transplanting. Watching them grow and bloom is a joy. They are now in flower...
DISCOVERING MORUYA 1971-2021
DISCOVERING MORUYA 1971-2021 Moruya Beach (NSW) beach ridge plain digital elevation model derived from LiDAR (Source. Tom Oliver) Fifty years ago I had my first encounter with the Moruya River, the town, the airport, the old granite quarry, and the beach system to...
PROTECTING A BIG CITY: NEW YORK DECISION MAKING
PROTECTING A BIG CITY: NEW YORK DECISION MAKING Many cities over the years have been challenged by incursions of the sea. Think of Venice, Rotterdam, London, Shanghai, Tokyo, and others. They all tell stories and provide lessons. We read of the great Delta Works of...
ICA REPORT: CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT “ACTIONS OF THE SEA” AND FUTURE RISKS
ICA REPORT: CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT “ACTIONS OF THE SEA” AND FUTURE RISKS Collaroy-Narrabeen Beach, Sydney (October 2021) On 17 November, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) released a report in their Climate Change Impact Series on “actions of the sea”. A...
NATIONAL CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND ADAPTATION STRATEGY (NCRAS)
NATIONAL CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND ADAPTATION STRATEGY (NCRAS) On 29 October, the Minister for the Environment released NCRAS ahead of COP 26 in Glasgow. Quite clearly debate on emissions control has dominated this conference. Emphasis on impacts of climate change,...
The plight of the Coorong
The plight of the Coorong The current state of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region is a very visible testament of mismanagement across the Murray Darling Basin and the same culprits are still involved today. Australia’s deplorable performance in the...
COASTAL FAMILY—THE ELIOTS
COASTAL FAMILY—THE ELIOTS Damara Infographic - Sediment Transport Fifty years ago I was introduced to a young family in Canberra—the Eliots. Father Ian had commenced his PhD research supervised by John Chappell at the ANU. At the time I was a new Research Fellow keen...
COASTAL CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: ROLES FOR THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
COASTAL CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: ROLES FOR THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT Australian Government’s roles, responsibilities, and powers with respect to environmental management in general, and coast in particular, has been the subject of interminable debate. Judith Wright...
Sydney Harbour: Impact of contamination studies
Sydney Harbour: Impact of contamination studies Sydney Harbour, its catchment and local government areas. Many have written on the beauty and values of Sydney Harbour. Perhaps no one has captured this better than Kenneth Slessor in his poem “Five Bells”. He also wrote...
Geological indicators of seabed mobility – Narrabeen Beach (Sydney, Australia)
Geological indicators of seabed mobility - Narrabeen Beach (Sydney, Australia) Stratigraphic cross section off Narrabeen beach based on vibrocore and drilling data (Hudson and Roy, 1988) There are many gems hidden in the unpublished historic literature. They reflect...
LAST INTERGLACIAL SEA LEVELS: RECENT RESEARCH AND MEET “STROMBUS BUBONIUS”
Strombus Bubonius (Photo credit: Irene Thom) Many of us are obsessed with the Last Interglacial (LIG or Stage 5e MIS). Between c. 130000 and 115000, global mean temperatures appear to have been slightly warmer by 1 to 2 degrees than present. Global mean sea level...