Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science

Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science publishes broad areas of research with a distinct emphasis of the Southern Hemisphere. The scope of the journal encompasses the study of the mean state, variability and change of the atmosphere, oceans, and land surface, including the cryosphere, from hemispheric to regional scales. Read more about the journalMore

Editor-in-Chief: Steven Siems

Editors: Peter May and Andréa Taschetto

Publishing Model: Open Access

Download our Journal Metrics (PDF, 758KB)

Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science is published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology [external link] in association with the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Societ y [external link]

Latest

These articles are the latest published in the journal. Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science is published under a continuous publication model. More information is available on our Continuous Publication page.

Published online 20 December 2024

ES24024The impact of snow survey frequency on Australian snow depth records

Shane Bilish

and Mic Clayton

Photo of hillside snow course in the Australian Alps with distant small trees and an onlooker

The longest and most complete records of snow depth in the Australian Alps are based on manual measurements made since the 1950s. We investigate the relationship between the frequency of measurements and uncertainty in the records, showing that while uncertainty increases with less frequent measurements, even weekly sampling provides only an approximation of actual snowpack variability in this setting. These findings are relevant to any study making use of Australian snow course data and should inform future snowpack measurement efforts. (Photograph by Sam Bishop.)

ES24024 Abstract | ES24024 Full Text | ES24024PDF (1.3 MB) Open Access Article

Published online 18 December 2024

ES24027Biogenic CO₂ flux uncertainty: numerical experiments and validation over south-eastern South America

Nahuel E. Bautista

, Juan J. Ruiz, Paola V. Salio, Lucas J. Burgos and María I. Gassmann

Image with summary of the biogenic CO2 flux uncertainty in WRF simulations, showing a list of cases and graphs of results.

WRF model simulation of meteorological conditions with clear and cloudy skies and frontal passages considering different configurations influences the estimation of surface and boundary layer temperatures, global radiation and precipitation. Error estimation for these varies between 1.87 and 2.33°C, 1.5 and 2.8°C, 4.22 and 7.76 MJ m⁻² day⁻¹, and 7.5 and 12.7 mm day⁻¹. These errors propagate into the CO₂ flux calculation, resulting in up to a 60% error.

ES24027 Abstract | ES24027 Full Text | ES24027PDF (5.8 MB) | ES24027Supplementary Material (4.5 MB) Open Access Article

Published online 21 November 2024

ES24023Tornado scar on the Nullarbor Plain, Australia

Matej Lipar

A newly discovered erosional scar on the Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia reveals the immense power of tornadoes in shaping the landscape. This scar, identified by satellite imagery, stretches 11 km and is marked by distinct cycloidal patterns, indicating it was formed by a tornado with estimated wind speeds exceeding 200 km h^–1. These findings underscore the importance of using modern technology to understand and track tornado activity in remote regions, aiding in better prediction and preparedness for such destructive events.

ES24023 Abstract | ES24023 Full Text | ES24023PDF (10.8 MB) Open Access Article

Published online 08 November 2024

ES24015Climate summary for the southern hemisphere, 2019–20: a strong positive Indian Ocean Dipole

Blair Trewin

This summarises the southern hemisphere atmospheric circulation patterns and meteorological indices for 2019–20; an account of rainfall and temperature for the Australian region is also provided. The second half of 2019 was dominated by a strong positive Indian Ocean Dipole, before a return to more normal conditions from early 2020. Australia was exceptionally dry in the second half of 2019, which contributed to an extreme fire season. Temperatures were well above average in Australia and the hemisphere as a whole.

ES24015 Abstract | ES24015 Full Text | ES24015PDF (7.5 MB) Open Access Article

Published online 31 October 2024

ES24014Seasonal climate summary southern hemisphere (autumn 2020): another coral bleaching event for the Great Barrier Reef without an active El Niño

Grant A. Smith

This is a seasonal climate summary for autumn 2020, detailing the weather and oceanic conditions and events for March, April and May. During this period south-east Australian rainfall led to flooding and extinguished the remaining fires of the 2019–2020 bushfire season, and 2020 marked the second time that the Great Barrier Reef experienced mass coral bleaching due to elevated ocean temperatures in an ENSO neutral year.

ES24014 Abstract | ES24014 Full Text | ES24014PDF (9.9 MB) Open Access Article

Published online 23 October 2024

ES24002Recent trends in extratropical lows and their rainfall over Australia

Acacia Pepler

Line drawing of Australia and adjacent regions with colour overlay showing decreasing trends in surface lows near southern Australia in the ERA5 reanalysis during May–October.

Extratropical lows and east coast lows cause a large proportion of rainfall in southern Australia during the months May–October. Their frequency varies from year to year, but new data show that they have been becoming less common in recent decades compared to the 1960s. This is contributing to decreases in cool season rainfall in southern Australia. (Image credit: Acacia Pepler.)

ES24002 Abstract | ES24002 Full Text | ES24002PDF (11 MB) | ES24002Supplementary Material (2.5 MB) Open Access Article

Published online 10 October 2024

ES24008Boundary layer height above the Great Barrier Reef studied using drone and Mini-Micropulse LiDAR measurements

Robert G. Ryan

, Christian Eckert, Brendan P. Kelaher, Daniel P. Harrison and Robyn Schofield

The planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) measurements are rare at the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), limiting our ability to evaluate weather, climate and air pollution models in this significant region. Here we show that drone-based sampling and Mini-Micropulse (MP) LiDAR, are complementary ways of calculating the PBLH at the GBR. We find the boundary layer to be consistently stable and well-mixed during the campaign, with good congruence between the thermodynamical-derived drone PBLH, and the backscatter-derived MP LiDAR PBLH.

ES24008 Abstract | ES24008 Full Text | ES24008PDF (5.1 MB) Open Access Article

Published online 10 October 2024

ES23024Future frequencies of coastal floods in Australia: a seamless approach and dataset for visualising local impacts and informing adaptation

Ben S. Hague

, Dörte Jakob, Ebru Kirezci, David A. Jones, Ilana L. Cherny and Scott A. Stephens

We develop and present a dataset that helps quantify how much more often coastal floods will occur as sea-level rise continues and accelerates. Our dataset is designed so that it is adaptable to any local context, considering relevant planning guidelines, adaptation triggers and flood impacts of concern. Our dataset is analysed to show that once-a-century floods are expected to become chronic occurrences at 85% of Australian locations studied under 1-m sea-level rise.

ES23024 Abstract | ES23024 Full Text | ES23024PDF (3 MB) | ES23024Supplementary Material (796 KB) Open Access Article

Published online 03 September 2024

ES24004ACCESS-S2 seasonal forecasts of rainfall and the SAM–rainfall relationship during the grain growing season in south-west Western Australia

Rebecca Firth

, Jatin Kala, Debra Hudson, Kerryn Hawke and Andrew Marshall

Grain production from south-west Western Australia (SWWA) is heavily dependent on rainfall. The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) has been linked to SWWA rainfall variability. This study evaluates growing season rainfall forecasts in SWWA and the simulation and prediction of SAM, using the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s seasonal forecasting model (ACCESS-S2). The results show limited forecast skill for rainfall but generally good forecast skill for SAM. These results highlight the low predictability for SWWA rainfall and suggest other factors may be limiting model skill rather than the model’s ability to capture SAM.

ES24004 Abstract | ES24004 Full Text | ES24004PDF (7 MB) Open Access Article

Published online 02 September 2024

ES23011Impacts of the new UM convection scheme, CoMorph-A, over the Indo-Pacific and Australian regions

Hongyan Zhu

, Debra Hudson, Chen Li

, Li Shi, Bethan White, Griffith Young, Alison Stirling, Michael Whitall, Adrian Lock, Sally Lavender and Rachel Stratton

A new convection scheme, ‘CoMorph-A’, has been introduced into the latest UK Met Office coupled (GC4) and atmosphere-only (GA8) models. Our results show improvements over the Indo-Pacific and northern Australian regions, as well as significant improvements in the rainfall bias, Madden–Julian Oscillation simulation and prediction, tropical cyclone forecasts and the diurnal cycle of rainfall over the Maritime Continent. The use of this new convection scheme is promising for improving the simulation and prediction of Australian weather and climate.

ES23011 Abstract | ES23011 Full Text | ES23011PDF (5.9 MB) Open Access Article

Published online 15 July 2024

ES23015Occurrence and trends of historical tropical cyclone rainfall on near-coastal regions of Australia

Samuel Bell

, Andrew Dowdy, Savin Chand and Chun-Hsu Su

The impacts of tropical cyclone rainfall on the northern coastlines of Australia can be severe. Trends for widespread and localised cyclone rainfall are examined in this paper in three historical datasets using innovative methods. There was a general disagreement in trends and average recurrence interval for the different measures of cyclone rainfall between datasets. By contrast, an increase in the fractional contribution of cyclone rainfall was more consistent between datasets, particularly over the north-western coastal region of Australia.

ES23015 Abstract | ES23015 Full Text | ES23015PDF (6.7 MB) Open Access Article

Published online 24 June 2024

ES23025The role of topography on the local circulation and formation of fog at Perth Airport

Belinda Roux

, Rodney Potts, Steven Siems

and Michael Manton

Fog has a big effect on aviation and two case studies are presented to investigate the role of topography on the local circulation and fog formation at Perth Airport. The main finding was that the northerly near-surface winds stem from a blocking of the airmass in the lower levels by the Darling Scarp. The light near-surface winds in combination with nocturnal surface cooling and moisture from the environmental flow create conditions favourable for the development of fog at Perth Airport.

ES23025 Abstract | ES23025 Full Text | ES23025PDF (13.5 MB) Open Access Article