Severe Storms on the East Coast of Australia 1770–2008
SEVERE STORMS ON THE EAST COAST OF AUSTRALIA 1770 – 2008 Jeff Callaghan Research Fellow, Griffith Centre for Coastal Management, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Qld Formerly Head Severe Storm Forecaster, Bureau of Meteorology, Brisbane Dr Peter Helman Senior Research Fellow, Griffith Centre for Coastal Management, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Qld Published by Griffith Centre for Coastal Management, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland 10 November 2008 This publication is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the publisher. ISBN: 978-1-921291-50-0 Foreword Severe storms can cause dramatic changes to the coast and devastation to our settlements. If we look back through history, to the first European observations by James Cook and Joseph Banks on Endeavour in 1770, we can improve our understanding of the nature of storms and indeed climate on the east coast. In times of climate change, it is essential that we understand natural climate variability that occurs in Australia. Looking back as far as we can is essential to understand how climate is likely to behave in the future. Studying coastal climate through this chronology is one element of the process. Analysis of the records has already given an indication that east coast climate fluctuates between phases of storminess and drought that can last for decades. Although records are fragmentary and not suitable for statistical analysis, patterns and climate theory can be derived. The dependence on shipping for transport and goods since European settlement ensures a good source of information on storms that gradually improves over time.
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