Rivers in the Sky: Atmospheric Rivers

With Professor Hamish McGowan and Ms Mary Voice

Photo: Flooding in Perisher Village, Perisher Valley, Snowy Mountains 22 Jul 2016 caused by an Atmospheric River (Steph Raphael).

We are proud to introduce Professor Hamish McGowan. Hamish is Professor of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences in the School of the Environment, The University of Queensland. He completed his degrees as a Geographer at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand and joined The University of Queensland in 2001. His research focuses on Earth surface – atmosphere interactions and the application of novel and new technologies to develop understanding of weather and climate. He has led numerous research projects in Australia, Israel, New Zealand, and the Antarctic including research of the impact of atmospheric rivers on the Australian snowpack. He has published more than 130 articles in scientific journals and 200 conference presentations. 

Hamish will be interviewed by Mary Voice. Mary’s career has focussed on climatology, climate services and international cooperation via the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). She has run her own consulting business (climate and climate education). She has been involved in developing and delivering climate-related subjects at universities and has been a member for over ten years of the Board of Advisors of Climate Alliance, a not-for-profit that helps business executives understand the risks and opportunities of climate change.

Atmospheric Rivers (AR) are large scale conveyors of tropospheric moisture spanning several thousand kilometres in length. At any given time there are typically three-to-five major AR conduits in each hemisphere, which account for up to 90% of seasonal and annual mean atmospheric poleward water vapour transport. Understanding ARs is crucially important because of their significance to the Earth’s climate system and strong association with hydrometeorological extremes. This was highlighted during the 2022 - 2023 Northern Hemisphere winter when a series of ARs delivered more than 18 meters of snow to California’s Sierra Nevada   mountains. In Australia, AR have been the cause of extreme rainfall resulting in flooding leading to loss of property and lives. These events are predicted to become more extreme and frequent in response to global warming.

Hamish will discuss the main characteristics of ARs, their geographic extent, classification, and predicted change over the next 50 to 80 years as climate warns. He will then discuss the impact of AR on Australia, and how they may contribute to the early demise of snow in the Australian alps.