Review of tropical cyclones in the Australian region : Climatology, variability, predictability, and trends
- Chand, Savin, Dowdy, Andrew, Ramsay, Hamish, Walsh, Kevin, Tory, Kevin, Power, Scott, Bell, Samuel, Lavender, Sally, Ye, Hua, Kuleshov, Yuri
- Authors: Chand, Savin , Dowdy, Andrew , Ramsay, Hamish , Walsh, Kevin , Tory, Kevin , Power, Scott , Bell, Samuel , Lavender, Sally , Ye, Hua , Kuleshov, Yuri
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change Vol. 10, no. 5 (2019), p. 1-17
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Tropical cyclones (TCs) can have severe impacts on Australia. These include extreme rainfall and winds, and coastal hazards such as destructive waves, storm surges, estuarine flooding, and coastal erosion. Various aspects of TCs in the Australian region have been documented over the past several decades. In recent years, increasing emphasis has been placed on human-induced climate change effects on TCs in the Australian region and elsewhere around the globe. However, large natural variability and the lack of consistent long-term TC observations have often complicated the detection and attribution of TC trends. Efforts have been made to improve TC records for Australia over the past decades, but it is still unclear whether such records are sufficient to provide better understanding of the impacts of natural climate variability and climate change. It is important to note that the damage costs associated with tropical cyclones in Australia have increased in recent decades and will continue to increase due to growing coastal settlement and infrastructure development. Therefore, it is critical that any coastal infrastructure planning and engineering decisions, as well as disaster management decisions, strongly consider future risks from tropical cyclones. A better understanding of tropical cyclones in a changing climate will provide key insights that can help mitigate impacts of tropical cyclones on vulnerable communities. An objective assessment of the Australian TCs at regional scale and its link with climate variability and change using improved and up-to-date data records is more imperative now than before. This article is categorized under: Paleoclimates and Current Trends > Modern Climate Change.
- Authors: Chand, Savin , Dowdy, Andrew , Ramsay, Hamish , Walsh, Kevin , Tory, Kevin , Power, Scott , Bell, Samuel , Lavender, Sally , Ye, Hua , Kuleshov, Yuri
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change Vol. 10, no. 5 (2019), p. 1-17
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Tropical cyclones (TCs) can have severe impacts on Australia. These include extreme rainfall and winds, and coastal hazards such as destructive waves, storm surges, estuarine flooding, and coastal erosion. Various aspects of TCs in the Australian region have been documented over the past several decades. In recent years, increasing emphasis has been placed on human-induced climate change effects on TCs in the Australian region and elsewhere around the globe. However, large natural variability and the lack of consistent long-term TC observations have often complicated the detection and attribution of TC trends. Efforts have been made to improve TC records for Australia over the past decades, but it is still unclear whether such records are sufficient to provide better understanding of the impacts of natural climate variability and climate change. It is important to note that the damage costs associated with tropical cyclones in Australia have increased in recent decades and will continue to increase due to growing coastal settlement and infrastructure development. Therefore, it is critical that any coastal infrastructure planning and engineering decisions, as well as disaster management decisions, strongly consider future risks from tropical cyclones. A better understanding of tropical cyclones in a changing climate will provide key insights that can help mitigate impacts of tropical cyclones on vulnerable communities. An objective assessment of the Australian TCs at regional scale and its link with climate variability and change using improved and up-to-date data records is more imperative now than before. This article is categorized under: Paleoclimates and Current Trends > Modern Climate Change.
Reduced gene flow in a vulnerable species reflects two centuries of habitat loss and fragmentation
- Stevens, Kate, Harrisson, Katherine, Hogan, Fiona, Cooke, Raylene, Clarke, Rohan
- Authors: Stevens, Kate , Harrisson, Katherine , Hogan, Fiona , Cooke, Raylene , Clarke, Rohan
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 9, no. 2 (2018), p. 1-15
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Understanding the effects of landscape modification on gene flow of fauna is central to informing conservation strategies that promote functional landscape connectivity and population persistence. We explored the effects of large-scale habitat loss and fragmentation on spatial and temporal patterns of gene flow in a threatened Australian woodland bird: the Grey-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis. Using microsatellite data, we (1) investigated historical (i.e., pre-fragmentation) and contemporary (i.e., post-fragmentation) levels of gene flow among subpopulations and/or regions, (2) identified first-generation migrants and likely dispersal events, (3) tested for signatures of genetic bottlenecks, (4) estimated contemporary and historical effective population sizes, and (5) explored the relative influences of drift and migration in shaping contemporary population structure. Results indicated that the functional connectivity of landscapes used by the Grey-crowned Babbler is severely compromised in the study area. The proportion of individuals that were recent immigrants among all subpopulations were low. Habitat fragmentation has led to a clear division between subpopulations in the east and west, and the patterns of gene flow exchange between these two regions have changed over time. The effective population size estimates for these two regions are now well below that required for long-term population viability (Ne < 100). Demographic history models indicate that genetic drift was a greater influence on subpopulations than gene flow, and most subpopulations show signatures of bottlenecks. Translocations to promote gene flow and boost genetic diversity in the short term and targeted habitat restoration to improve landscape functional connectivity in the long term represent promising conservation management strategies that will likely have benefits for many other woodland bird species. © 2018 Stevens et al.
- Authors: Stevens, Kate , Harrisson, Katherine , Hogan, Fiona , Cooke, Raylene , Clarke, Rohan
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 9, no. 2 (2018), p. 1-15
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Understanding the effects of landscape modification on gene flow of fauna is central to informing conservation strategies that promote functional landscape connectivity and population persistence. We explored the effects of large-scale habitat loss and fragmentation on spatial and temporal patterns of gene flow in a threatened Australian woodland bird: the Grey-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis. Using microsatellite data, we (1) investigated historical (i.e., pre-fragmentation) and contemporary (i.e., post-fragmentation) levels of gene flow among subpopulations and/or regions, (2) identified first-generation migrants and likely dispersal events, (3) tested for signatures of genetic bottlenecks, (4) estimated contemporary and historical effective population sizes, and (5) explored the relative influences of drift and migration in shaping contemporary population structure. Results indicated that the functional connectivity of landscapes used by the Grey-crowned Babbler is severely compromised in the study area. The proportion of individuals that were recent immigrants among all subpopulations were low. Habitat fragmentation has led to a clear division between subpopulations in the east and west, and the patterns of gene flow exchange between these two regions have changed over time. The effective population size estimates for these two regions are now well below that required for long-term population viability (Ne < 100). Demographic history models indicate that genetic drift was a greater influence on subpopulations than gene flow, and most subpopulations show signatures of bottlenecks. Translocations to promote gene flow and boost genetic diversity in the short term and targeted habitat restoration to improve landscape functional connectivity in the long term represent promising conservation management strategies that will likely have benefits for many other woodland bird species. © 2018 Stevens et al.
Effects of fire regime on plant species richness and composition differ among forest, woodland and heath vegetation
- Foster, Claire, Barton, Philip, MacGregor, Christopher, Catford, Jane, Blanchard, Wade, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Foster, Claire , Barton, Philip , MacGregor, Christopher , Catford, Jane , Blanchard, Wade , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Vegetation Science Vol. 21, no. 1 (2018), p. 132-143
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Question: Do the effects of fire regimes on plant species richness and composition differ among floristically similar vegetation types?. Location: Booderee National Park, south-eastern Australia. Methods: We completed floristic surveys of 87 sites in Sydney Coastal dry sclerophyll vegetation, where fire history records have been maintained for over 55 years. We tested for associations between different aspects of the recent fire history and plant species richness and composition, and whether these relationships were consistent among structurally defined forest, woodland and heath vegetation types. Results: The relationship between fire regime variables and plant species richness and composition differed among vegetation types, despite the three vegetation types having similar species pools. Fire frequency was positively related to species richness in woodland, negatively related to species richness in heath, and unrelated to species richness in forest. These different relationships were explained by differences in the associations between fire history and species traits among vegetation types. The negative relationship between fire frequency and species richness in heath vegetation was underpinned by reduced occurrence of resprouting species at high fire frequency sites (more than four fires in 55 years). However, in forest and woodland vegetation, resprouting species were not negatively associated with fire frequency. Conclusions: We hypothesize that differing relationships among vegetation types were underpinned by differences in fire behaviour, and/or biotic and abiotic conditions, leading to differences in plant species mortality and post-fire recovery among vegetation types. Our findings suggest that even when there is a high proportion of shared species between vegetation types, fires can have very different effects on vegetation communities, depending on the structural vegetation type. Both research and management of fire regimes may therefore benefit from considering vegetation types as separate management units. © 2017 International Association for Vegetation Science
- Authors: Foster, Claire , Barton, Philip , MacGregor, Christopher , Catford, Jane , Blanchard, Wade , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Vegetation Science Vol. 21, no. 1 (2018), p. 132-143
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Question: Do the effects of fire regimes on plant species richness and composition differ among floristically similar vegetation types?. Location: Booderee National Park, south-eastern Australia. Methods: We completed floristic surveys of 87 sites in Sydney Coastal dry sclerophyll vegetation, where fire history records have been maintained for over 55 years. We tested for associations between different aspects of the recent fire history and plant species richness and composition, and whether these relationships were consistent among structurally defined forest, woodland and heath vegetation types. Results: The relationship between fire regime variables and plant species richness and composition differed among vegetation types, despite the three vegetation types having similar species pools. Fire frequency was positively related to species richness in woodland, negatively related to species richness in heath, and unrelated to species richness in forest. These different relationships were explained by differences in the associations between fire history and species traits among vegetation types. The negative relationship between fire frequency and species richness in heath vegetation was underpinned by reduced occurrence of resprouting species at high fire frequency sites (more than four fires in 55 years). However, in forest and woodland vegetation, resprouting species were not negatively associated with fire frequency. Conclusions: We hypothesize that differing relationships among vegetation types were underpinned by differences in fire behaviour, and/or biotic and abiotic conditions, leading to differences in plant species mortality and post-fire recovery among vegetation types. Our findings suggest that even when there is a high proportion of shared species between vegetation types, fires can have very different effects on vegetation communities, depending on the structural vegetation type. Both research and management of fire regimes may therefore benefit from considering vegetation types as separate management units. © 2017 International Association for Vegetation Science
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