Top meteorologist keen to debate climate change link to drought
14 May 2003
SYDNEY: Professor David Karoly, one of the authors of a WWF-Australia scientific report linking the severity of the recent drought to human-induced global warming, has challenged NSW Farmers to debate the issue at a public forum next month.
Criticisms of the WWF report, Global Warming Contributes to Australia's Worst Drought, were recently voiced by Mick Keogh, NSW Farmers Association Policy Manager in the association's newsletter, Primary Report.
Professor Karoly, formerly Professor of Meteorology at Monash University's School of Mathematical Sciences, described Mr Keogh's criticisms as " error-laden" and has challenged Mr Keogh to participate in a public scientific debate on climate change.
Professor Karoly, who moved to the US in January to take up the post of Professor of Metrology at the University of Oaklahoma, will be returning briefly to Australia in June for further research on detection and attribution of climate change.
"I have received strong support from meteorologists and other scientists throughout Australia who have all endorsed and welcomed this report," he said.
"The research uses the Bureau of Meteorology's official data on Australian warming trends and draws on the established conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's analysis of global warming trends, as well as our own work on the causes of the recent warming over Australia."
Professor Karoly said he welcomed interest in the issue from Australia's farming community given the economic impact of the drought on Australia's crop production and export earnings from agriculture.
"Scientists are not averse to debate ? in fact we welcome it - and I am more than happy to extend an invitation to Mr Keogh to articulate his objections at a public forum," he said.
"That forum can be a public meeting, or a live debate on radio or television. It would be an excellent opportunity to generate informed knowledge about global warming, water resources and future droughts."
The WWF report, which was released in January this year, compares the 2002 drought with the four other major droughts since 1950 and has found higher temperatures caused a marked increase in evaporation rates from soil, watercourses and vegetation. It states that the 2002 drought "is the first drought in Australia where the impact of human-induced global warming can be clearly observed."
The report was co-authored by Professor Karoly, Dr James Risbey (School of Mathematical Sciences, Monash University) and Anna Reynolds (WWF-Australia Climate Change Specialist).
Professor Karoly, whose research includes stratospheric ozone depletion, greenhouse climate change and climate variations associated with El Niño, was elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society in 1999 in recognition of outstanding contributions to atmospheric and related sciences.
