Delivering coastal and ocean hazard information for the Australian Climate Service
Claire Spillman1, Ron Hoeke2, Claire Trenham2, Grant Smith1, Vanessa Hernaman2, Ryan Holmes3, Oceane Richet3, Isabela de Souza3, Bryan Hally2, Julian O’Grady2, Ben Hague1, Paul Bierman3, Emilio Echevarria2, Xuebin Zhang2, Alberto Meucci4 and others
1 Bureau of Meteorology, Docklands, VIC, Australia.
2 CSIRO Environment, Aspendale (VIC)/Black Mountain (NSW)/Hobart (TAS), Australia
3 Bureau of Meteorology, Sydney (NSW)/Hobart (TAS)/Perth (WA)/Adelaide (SA), Australia
4 University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Coastal hazards from extreme water levels can cause significant erosion, wave damage and inundation, disrupting communities through reduced accessibility and damage to structures, roadways, and amenities. Environmental processes that contribute to extreme sea levels include astronomical tides, storm surges, waves (setup and runup), interannual and interdecadal variability, and sea level rise. The frequency, intensity and magnitude of coastal hazards are expected to increase under climate change in the coming decades.
As part of the Australian Climate Service (ACS), the Coastal and Ocean Hazards team is developing risk and resilience intelligence and tools for coastal and ocean hazards now and into the future. The first phase of ACS included the development of the global Wave Hindcast for ACS (WHACS), prototype seasonal high tide flooding forecasts and the Coastal Hazard Prediction System (CCHaPS) extreme water level hindcast and projections. This information supported the National Climate Risk Assessment and has been shared through data portals, scientific publications and various communication channels.
In the second phase of ACS, the team is focusing on delivering climate intelligence and data on riverine and compound flooding, coastal tide predictions and coastal erosion hazard indicators. With most Australians living along the coast, this new information provides essential scientific foundations to help Australia prioritise action and drive innovation where it is needed most in a changing climate.
Biography:
Dr Claire Spillman is a Principal Research Scientist and leads the Seasonal and Marine Applications Team in Research at the Bureau of Meteorology, Australia. Her current research is focused on seasonal forecasting for marine applications, particularly marine heatwave prediction, coastal hazards, and coral reef, aquaculture and fisheries management. Translation of transdisciplinary science to support decision-making for real world impact is a key area of contribution.
Dr Spillman co-leads the Australian Climate Service Coastal and Ocean Hazards work package, is a member of the IMOS Science and Technology Advisory Committee and Event-based Sampling Facility and was the Australian representative on the WMO Subseasonal to Seasonal (S2S) Project Steering Committee. She is frequently called on to give national briefings, provide expert scientific advice and contribute to government and industry.
