2020

Ten steps to increasing bushfire resilience

A Queensland bushfire resilience guide for homeowners was named a state finalist in the Resilient Australia Awards in Brisbane on October 6, 2021. We step through the guide's top tips.

Building our nation’s climate and disaster resilience: where to from here?

Recent extreme climate and disaster events are fresh in our minds given the summer of 2019/20. So it's timely to question what we can do to build climate and disaster resilience to support our communities, the economy and our environment.

Plants resprouting from a tree trunk after fire

Where there’s smoke there’s complex decisions in the land that burns

Australia is one of the most fire-prone countries on earth. Last summer, as the fires raged, so did the national debate: could we have done more to prevent the carnage? Should we have done more hazard reduction burning?

NSW Digital Twin to inform emergency planning this bushfire season

The new NSW Spatial Digital Twin will assist emergency services in developing effective emergency management strategies ahead of the upcoming bushfire season.

Two people in flood waters, one holding a dog

Why don’t our cities cope with heavy rain?

As our climate changes, we'll experience more extreme weather. We're researching how we can create better cities that can withstand heavy rains and floods.

Aerial image of south-western Victoria. A red dot shows Cobden and there is a trail of smoke blowing to the west.

Forecasting smoke from a forty-day fire

In recent years there has been an increase in the occurrence of peat fires. Smoke from these events can significantly impact surrounding communities due to the health risks associated with prolonged poor air quality. Using an air quality forecasting system (AQFx), CSIRO researchers are helping authorities to minimise this impact.

Uncertainty: The X factor behind more reliable streamflow forecasts

A new national forecasting service is giving dam operators, river managers – even kayakers – a clearer picture of river and stream flows up to a week in advance. Paradoxically, uncertainty is a key to more reliable forecasts.

A woman standing on a raised level of sand, gazing out at the horizon

Rising sea levels in Australia may demand novel solutions

With Australia expected to experience ongoing sea level rise over the coming decades, high-resolution climate projections are one way to inform quick community adaptation. Elsewhere, scientists are turning to novel nature-based solutions to help defend our coastlines.

Sheep grazing a paddock at a mixed-enterprise farm.

Precision crop stubble grazing to benefit farmers in vulnerable times

The nutritional value of crop stubble for grazing sheep has been reassessed for the first time in 25 years. A new tool will also help farmers review their practices to get the most benefit.

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