Prof. Ryan Lowe¹, Dr Camille Grimaldi, Dr Michael Cuttler, Dr Jeff Hansen, Dr Rebecca  Green, Dr Renee  Gruber, Dr Jessica Benthuysen

¹UWA

The thermal conditions within coastal systems are governed by ocean and atmospheric processes that occur over a vast range of scales, ranging from large-scale processes at the scale of ocean basins (order thousands to tens of thousands of km), to regional scale ocean dynamics (order 100 km), to smaller-scale (order km or less) processes occurring at the scale of individual sites. This presentation will focus on the role that coastal hydrodynamic processes play in regulating temperature variability and thermal extremes in shallow coastal environments using results from a synthesis of field studies conducted at several sites along Western Australia. Within the scale of individual coastal systems, we will first describe how extreme temperature variations are shaped by different local oceanic and atmospheric drivers of coastal heat budgets, which can often cause nearshore temperatures to deviate substantially from the surrounding ocean. By accounting for 1) how distinct hydrodynamic processes regulate patterns of water residence times in coastal environments and 2) properties of local atmospheric heat exchange, we demonstrate how the accuracy of predictions of nearshore temperature anomalies can be greatly improved from regional scale (order kilometre-scale) ocean observations and/or models. Finally, we will discuss implications for incorporating the results into operational tools to enhance (real-time) monitoring and forecasting of coastal temperature extremes to better understand and manage the impacts of marine heatwaves within coastal environments.

Biography:

Ryan Lowe is a Professor at UWA whose work spans areas of nearshore oceanography and coastal engineering. Lowe’s research focuses on the study of physical drivers of coastal change and hazards within the coastal zone. In many cases, this work is also motivated by the need to understand how physical processes in the coastal zone (e.g. waves, currents and sediment movement) influence coastal ecosystems and coastal water quality. Lowe was a recipient of an ARC Future Fellowship and has authored over 150 journal articles.