Macquarie University

Macquarie University is a modern research-intensive institution with a mission to serve the needs of industry and the community. Macquarie's relaxing and spacious 126 hectare park-like campus is strategically located within the high-technology corridor of Sydney's north-west.

Climate change research at Macquarie University

Macquarie University has an active multi-disciplinary group of scientists with expertise in climatology, water, coastal processes, geomorphology, ecology, economics, law and governance, social policy, planning and risk analysis. Under the banner of the Concentration in Research Excellence (CORE) in Climate Risk, we address fundamental and applied issues to prepare Australia for understanding, mitigating, and adapting to the impacts of climate variability and change. Our strategy is to use science and impact assessment infused by and packaged within a framework of economic, financial, and legal risk. The CORE, which currently comprises nearly 20 scientists, is in an expansionary phase, currently recruiting new staff across a diverse range of expertise including disaster management, oceanography and energy policy.

Key researchers and centres

Macquarie University researchers include internationally and nationally recognized leaders in the fields of climate change impacts and adaptation. Staff participate in a broad range of advisory groups at the international, national, state and local government levels. Profiles and publications of key researchers can be found at  http://www.climatecore.mq.edu.au/

Major research initiatives and centres hosted at Macquarie include:

The ARC Network for Earth System Science (ARCNESS) www.arcness.mq.edu.au  links individuals and groups within Australia to explore the interaction between the oceans, atmosphere, biosphere and cryosphere and integrates Australian University expertise with major Government research groups, including ANSTO, CSIRO, Bureau of Meteorology and the Australian Antarctic Division.

Risk Frontiers www.riskfrontiers.com a research Centre associated with the Department of Physical Geography, provides advice to the insurance industry to improve its understanding and pricing of catastrophe risks in the Asia Pacific region. Researchers specialise in risk analysis of catastrophic events, decision analysis, quantitative risk assessment, and real options valuations of strategic decision-making. Adaptation research in the centre includes:  work aimed at improved building codes to reduce the impact of tropical cyclones on Australian communities; assessment of the predictability of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation phases and their influence on Australian natural disaster losses; the relative role of demographic changes and global climate change on catastrophe risk; and establishing the vulnerability of coastal communities to sea level rise.

The Australian Research Institute for Education in Sustainability (ARIES) www.aries.mq.edu.au undertakes research that informs policy and practice in Education for Sustainability across a range of sectors including: business and industry, school education, community education, further and higher education.

The ARC–New Zealand Research Network for Vegetation Function www.vegfunction.net supports a broad range of research on topics such as the interaction of vegetation in the climate system, and the role of fire in Australasian landscapes