
Overview
Background
Professor Hamish McGowan is a Geographer and Professor of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences with research interests in: Local and regional scale windfields in complex terrain, Severe weather (thunderstorms, bushfire meteorology), Earth surface – atmosphere energy and trace gas exchanges, Aeolian dust transport (meteorological controls on wind erosion, dust transport and the impacts on regional and global climate dynamics), Palaeoclimate reconstructions, Mountain meteorology and hydroclimate. He leads the Atmospheric Observations Research Group https://sites.google.com/view/uqaorg/home
Hamish received his PhD from the University of Canterbury in 1995. His research interests are in the fields of:
- Meteorological hazards
- Earth surface - atmosphere interactions and energetics
- The Weather and Climates of Alpine and Mountainous Regions
- Long Range Dust Transport and Climate Impacts
- Climate dynamics
- Palaeoclimate reconstruction
Availability
- Professor Hamish McGowan is:
- Available for supervision
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science, University of Canterbury
- Masters (Research) of Science, University of Canterbury
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Canterbury
Research interests
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Earth surface – atmosphere energetics
This field of research investigates Earth surface – atmosphere interactions over complex terrain in marine, coastal, mountain and desert environments. Collectively, this research aims to shed new light on thermodynamic behaviour of the lower atmosphere under different weather patterns, teleconnection variability, and the effects of land use heterogeneity. The research has involved significant collaborations with the Centre for Atmospheric Research, University of Canterbury, NZ; the Byrd Polar Research Centre, Ohio State University; Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA and the Geological Survey of Israel. At UQ collaboration has been with the School of Civil Engineering and Advanced Water Management Centre. Notable research in this field has resulted in fundamental advances in understanding of Earth-surface – atmosphere interactions in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica including identification of foehn winds as the cause of air temperature increases > 50°C in 3 to 4 hours. The origin of these winds had remained a mystery since Scott’s exploration of the MDVs almost 100 years ago. On the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, a multi-year investigation that I initiated and led quantified for the first time by direct measurement energy and trace gas fluxes over coral reefs using eddy covariance. Results include first direct measurements of reef-water-atmosphere energy exchanges including during a coral bleaching event, and the first direct measurements of CO2 exchanges. This research has been published widely in journals of the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union [see: https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD029830]. Research in this thematic area is expanding further with research initiatives investigating the atmospheric boundary layer energetics of severe thunderstorms and bushfires in eastern Australia. New projects in this area are also seeking to quantify the energy balance of the Australian seasonal snow pack and energy and trace gas exchanges over coral reefs in the Red Sea.
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Climate Variability
Research I lead under this theme focuses on identifying and unpacking the relevant drivers of climate variability and their associated scales of effect, which are used to develop new climate forecasting tools. I have led research that has improved accuracy and confidence of predictions of future climate which has shown for the first time terrestrial impacts in Australia of Northern Hemisphere climate reversals, and confirmed the causes of inter-annual to inter-centennial drought in eastern Australia. Research in this theme area using peat cores from the remote Kimberley of northwest Australia showed El Niño as the likely cause of catastrophe change in Aboriginal culture during the past 6000 years and confirmed that breakdown of deep water circulation in the North Atlantic under a warming world would likely result in severe and devastating drought in eastern Australia. Collaborations in this area have been with researchers in Australia (Griffith University; NSW Office of Environment and Heritage; CSIRO; University of Wollongong; Kimberley Foundation of Australia), and with international researcher partners at the Planetary Science Institute, USA; Oxford of University; Trinity College, Dublin and United States Geological Survey. A very significant applied aspect of this research theme over the past 15 years has been on identifying cause(s) of variability in the hydrometeorology of south-eastern Australia and the application of this knowledge to enhance water management in the catchments of the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme, where releases of water underwrite > $3 billion of agricultural product annually. Research in this area has grown significantly and has led to the development of new interannual hydrometeorological forecasting tools. This research involves substantial collaboration with UWA-Perth including co-supervision of PhD candidates.
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Severe Weather
This field of research is focused on thunderstorm and bushfire meteorology in eastern Australia - an ideal natural thunderstorm hotspot, and the bushfire prone states of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It involves substantial collaborations with research partners including the Bureau of Meteorology, NSW Rural Fire Service, Victoria Country Fire Authority and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. Our team’s severe weather research is distinguished internationally by the innovative application of our portable dual polarised x-band Doppler radar (UQ-XPOL) as highlighted in the invited article by Soderholm et al (2016) [https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-14-00212.1] published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Japanese Radar manufacture Furuno is supporting our group’s R&D in this area providing technical support and software upgrades to enable novel radar scanning patterns to observe storm and smoke plume dynamics. We believe this work will have far-reaching application as we develop mobile radar specifically designed for real-time wildfire observation and nowcasting of pyro-convective plume dynamics and atmosphere-fire ground coupling.
Works
Search Professor Hamish McGowan’s works on UQ eSpace
2014
Journal Article
Quantification of surface energy fluxes from a small water body using scintillometry and eddy covariance
McGloin, Ryan, McGowan, Hamish, McJannet, David, Cook, Freeman, Sogachev, Andrey and Burn, Stewart (2014). Quantification of surface energy fluxes from a small water body using scintillometry and eddy covariance. Water Resource Research, 50 (1), 494-513. doi: 10.1002/2013WR013899
2013
Journal Article
Exploring aerosol effects on rainfall for Brisbane, Australia
Hewson, Michael, McGowan, Hamish, Phinn, Stuart, Peckham, Steven and Grell, Georg (2013). Exploring aerosol effects on rainfall for Brisbane, Australia. Climate, 1 (3), 120-147. doi: 10.3390/cli1030120
2013
Journal Article
Attribution of sources to metal accumulation in an alpine tarn, the Snowy Mountains, Australia
Stromsoe, Nicola, Callow, J. Nikolaus, McGowan, Hamish A. and Marx, Samuel K. (2013). Attribution of sources to metal accumulation in an alpine tarn, the Snowy Mountains, Australia. Environmental Pollution, 181, 133-143. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.05.051
2013
Journal Article
Late Quaternary vegetation history of North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, eastern Australia
Moss, Patrick T., Tibby, John, Petherick, Lynda, McGowan, Hamish and Barr, Cameron (2013). Late Quaternary vegetation history of North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, eastern Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews, 74, 257-272. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.02.019
2013
Journal Article
The likelihood of observing dust-stimulated phytoplankton growth in waters proximal to the Australian continent
Cropp, R. A., Gabric, A. J., Levasseur, M., McTainsh, G. H., Bowie, A., Hassler, C. S., Law, C. S., McGowan, H., Tindale, N. and Rossel, R. Viscarra (2013). The likelihood of observing dust-stimulated phytoplankton growth in waters proximal to the Australian continent. Journal of Marine Systems, 117-118, 43-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2013.02.013
2013
Journal Article
Regional climate variability driven by foehn winds in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Speirs, Johanna C., McGowan, Hamish A., Steinhoff, Daniel F. and Bromwich, David H. (2013). Regional climate variability driven by foehn winds in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. International Journal of Climatology, 33 (4), 945-958. doi: 10.1002/joc.3481
2013
Journal Article
An observational heat budget analysis of a coral reef, Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
MacKellar, Mellissa C., McGowan, Hamish A. and Phinn, Stuart R. (2013). An observational heat budget analysis of a coral reef, Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 118 (6), 2547-2559. doi: 10.1002/jgrd.50270
2013
Journal Article
Observations of surface energy fluxes and boundary-layer structure over Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
MacKellar, Mellissa C., McGowan, Hamish A., Phinn, Stuart R. and Soderholm, Joshua S. (2013). Observations of surface energy fluxes and boundary-layer structure over Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Boundary-Layer Meteorology, 146 (2), 319-340. doi: 10.1007/s10546-012-9767-9
2013
Journal Article
Long-term energy flux measurements over an irrigation water storage using scintillometry
McJannet, David, Cook, Freeman, McGloin, Ryan, McGowan, Hamish, Burn, Stewart and Sherman, Brad (2013). Long-term energy flux measurements over an irrigation water storage using scintillometry. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 168, 93-107. doi: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2012.08.013
2013
Conference Publication
Modelling sub-daily evaporation from a small reservoir
McGloin, Ryan, McGowan, Hamish, McJannet, David and Burn, Stewart (2013). Modelling sub-daily evaporation from a small reservoir. EGU2013: 10th European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2013, Vienna, Austria, 7-12 April, 2013. Goettingen, Germany: Copernicus.
2013
Conference Publication
Carbon sequestration, stoichiometry and storage potential of Australian coastal and marine ecosystems*
CSIRO Marine and Coastal Carbon Biogeochemistry Cluster, Serrano, Oscar, Alongi, Daniel, Arias, Ariane, Cherukuru, Nagur, Connolly, Rod, Duarte, Carlos, Esteban, Alba, Eyre, Bradley, Ford, Phillip, Garcia-Orellana, Jordi, Grierson, Pauline, Hayes, Matthew, Rozaimi, Mohammad, Kendrick, Gary, Larkum, Anthony, Lavery, Paul, Lee, Shing Yip, Lovelock, Catherine, Macreadie, Peter, Marba, Nuria, Masque, Pere, Mazarrasa, Ines, McGowan, Hamish, Oubelkheir, Kadija, Petrou, Katherina, Ralph, Peter, Robertson, Alistar, Samper-Villarreal, Jimena ... Trott, Lindsay (2013). Carbon sequestration, stoichiometry and storage potential of Australian coastal and marine ecosystems*. AMSA 2013: Australian Marine Science Golden Jubilee Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, 7-11 July 2013. Kilkivan, QLD, Australia: Australian Marine Science Association (AMSA).
2013
Book Chapter
Climate
Sturman, Andrew P. and McGowan, Hamish A. (2013). Climate. The Pacific Islands: Environment and Society. Revised Edition. (pp. 1-18) edited by Moshe Rapaport. Honolulu, HI, USA: University of Hawaiʻi Press.
2012
Journal Article
Evidence of ENSO mega-drought triggered collapse of prehistory Aboriginal society in northwest Australia
McGowan, Hamish, Marx, Samuel, Moss, Patrick and Hammond, Andrew (2012). Evidence of ENSO mega-drought triggered collapse of prehistory Aboriginal society in northwest Australia. Geophysical Research Letters, 39 (22) L22702, L22702.1-L22702.5. doi: 10.1029/2012GL053916
2012
Journal Article
Spatial heterogeneity of air-sea energy fluxes over a coral reef-Heron Reef, Australia
Mackeller, Melissa C., McGowan, Hamish A. and Phinn, Stuart R. (2012). Spatial heterogeneity of air-sea energy fluxes over a coral reef-Heron Reef, Australia. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 51 (7), 1353-1370. doi: 10.1175/JAMC-D-11-0120.1
2012
Journal Article
Laser ceilometer measurements of Australian dust storm highlight need for reassessment of atmospheric dust plume loads
McGowan, Hamish A. and Soderholm, Joshua (2012). Laser ceilometer measurements of Australian dust storm highlight need for reassessment of atmospheric dust plume loads. Geophysical Research Letters, 39 (2) L02804, L02804.1-L02804.6. doi: 10.1029/2011GL050319
2012
Conference Publication
Analysis of airflow characteristics above a small agricultural reservoir: an evaluation of the potential for determining energy fluxes using eddy covariance and scintillometry
McGloin, Ryan, McGowan, Hamish, McJannet, David, Cook, Freeman and Burn, Stewart (2012). Analysis of airflow characteristics above a small agricultural reservoir: an evaluation of the potential for determining energy fluxes using eddy covariance and scintillometry. 20BLT: American Meteorological Society 20th Symposium on Boundary Layers and Turbulence and 18th Conference on Air-Sea Interaction, Boston, MA, USA, 8-13 July, 2012. Boston, MA, USA: American Meteorological Society.
2012
Conference Publication
Comparing remotely sensed and modelled aerosol properties for a region of low aerosol optical depth
Hewson, Michael, McGowan, Hamish and Phinn, Stuart (2012). Comparing remotely sensed and modelled aerosol properties for a region of low aerosol optical depth. IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), Munich, Germany, 22-27 July 2012. Piscataway, United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/IGARSS.2012.6350341
2012
Conference Publication
Attribution of sources to metal contribution in an alpine tarn, Club Lake, Snowy Mountains, NSW, Australia
Stromsoe, Nicola, McGowan, Hamish A., Callow, Nick, Marx, Samuel and Warren, Loredana (2012). Attribution of sources to metal contribution in an alpine tarn, Club Lake, Snowy Mountains, NSW, Australia. Australian and New Zealand Geomorphology Group, Bundanoon, NSW Australia, 2-7 December 2012.
2011
Journal Article
Holocene dust deposition rates record the interplay between aridity, position of the mid-latitude westerlies, and a major agriculture induced wind erosion in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia
Marx, Samuel K., Kamber, Balz S., McGowan, Hamish A. and Denholm, John (2011). Holocene dust deposition rates record the interplay between aridity, position of the mid-latitude westerlies, and a major agriculture induced wind erosion in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews, 30 (23-24), 3290-3305. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.07.015
2011
Journal Article
Climatic and environmental variability during the termination of the Last Glacial Stage in coastal eastern Australia
Petherick, L. M., Moss, P. T. and McGowan, H. A. (2011). Climatic and environmental variability during the termination of the Last Glacial Stage in coastal eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 58 (6), 563-577. doi: 10.1080/08120099.2011.566281
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Hamish McGowan is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Unlocking the Archives of Australia's Palaeoclimate
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Reconstructing the palaeoclimate of Australia: Using downscaled climate models to provide insights into the palaeoclimate of Australia
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Bushfire Meteorological Hazard Identification by Mobile Weather Radar
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Unlocking the environmental archives of the Kimberley's past
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the changing risk of severe thunderstorms by novel stochastic modelling of extreme hail and wind hazards
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Matthew Mason
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Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the changing risk of severe thunderstorms by novel stochastic modelling of extreme hail and wind hazards
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Matthew Mason
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Doctor Philosophy
Designing Farming Systems with Whole Farm Models
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dongxue Zhao, Professor Daniel Rodriguez
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Radar-based methods for quantifying hailfall across varied spatial scales in Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Matthew Mason
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Influence of bushfire on Australian snowpack hydrometeorology within Snow Gum forests
Principal Advisor
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Bushfire Thunderstorms: Radar Analysis of Fire-Driven Convection in Australia
Principal Advisor
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
The surface-atmosphere energetics of a sub-tropical sand island in eastern Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor D Lockington
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Unlocking the Kimberley's past: The applicability of organic spring deposits for reconstructing late Quaternary climatic and environmental change
Principal Advisor
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
A synoptic climatology of inflow-generating precipitation for the Snowy Mountains, south-eastern Australia
Principal Advisor
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Quantification of Evaporation from a Small Subtropical Water Storage using Eddy Covariance, Scintillometry and Modelling Techniques
Principal Advisor
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring the Significance of Aerosol on Cloud Development and Rainfall in South-east Queensland
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Stuart Phinn
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
The Micrometeorology of a Coral Reef: Heron Reef, Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Stuart Phinn
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2012
Doctor Philosophy
The Termination of the Last Glacial Stage in eastern Australia: A High Resolution, Multiproxy Analysis
Principal Advisor
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2007
Doctor Philosophy
A HOLOCENE RECORD OF TRANS-TASMAN DUST TRANSPORT: QUANTIFYING DUST EMISSIONS FROM EASTERN AUSTRALIA USING GEOCHEMICAL PROXIES
Principal Advisor
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2006
Master Philosophy
A 25000 YEAR RECORD OF AEOLIAN SEDIMENTATION FROM EASTERN AUSTRALIA: A PROXY FOR CLIMATE VARIABILITY
Principal Advisor
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2008
Doctor Philosophy
Modelling Land Susceptibility to Wind Erosion in Western Queensland, Australia
Joint Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Stuart Phinn
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
The fate of atmospheric metal pollutants in the landscape, Snowy Mountains, south-eastern Australia
Associate Advisor
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2004
Doctor Philosophy
CLIMATE IMPACTS OF AUSTRALIAN LAND COVER CHANGE
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Stuart Phinn
Media
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