Six scientists, including the Nelson Institute’s Zhengyu Liu, say new research indicates that human-induced climate change may have greater impacts on Australasia than previously thought.
In a letter published in the January 18 issue of journal Nature, Lui and his co-authors report that detailed climatic reconstructions from massive corals of the past 6,300 years document previously unknown changes in the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), a recently discovered climatic oscillation that has profound impacts on rainfall in the Indian Ocean region.
These unique records reveal an unexpected connection between protracted IOD droughts in Indonesia and periods of strengthened Asian monsoon rainfall, according to the researchers. Predicted human-induced changes in Asian monsoon strength are therefore likely to have more widespread and varied consequences than previously forecast and will seriously challenge the adaptive capabilities of Australasian societies.
Liu, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic science and environmental studies, directs the Nelson Institute’s Center for Climatic Research.
Read the letter (on-line access may be restricted) and an Associated Press article about the research findings.