Career Summary
Neil Holbrook uses his background in applied mathematics and physical oceanography, and his expertise in ocean and climate dynamics, to better diagnose the important mechanisms underpinning climate variability and climate change. To reduce the uncertainties associated with human-induced (anthropogenic) climate change, the potential risks associated with abrupt climate change, and the likely changes in climatic extreme events, requires a strong understanding of natural climate variability on all time scales. Neil develops deterministic and statistical models to better predict El Niño - Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Variability and tropical cyclone formation, in order to reduce climate risks. He has published extensively in the international literature on the ocean’s role in climate, climate variability, extremes, climate predictability and climate change.
Neil is Convenor of the (National Climate Change) Adaptation Research Network for Marine Biodiversity and Resources [2009-2012]. He is a Member of the ARC Network for Earth System Science; Member of both the Blue-Water node of the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) and NSW Coastal Moorings Science Committee; Associate of the insurance industry funded Risk Frontiers [Natural Hazards Research Centre]; and Adjunct member of the Climate Risk Concentration of Research Excellence (CoRE) and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Environment and Geography at Macquarie University. Neil is also an international contributor to (and only Australian University representative) the CLIVAR-endorsed Southwest Pacific Ocean Circulation and Climate Experiment (SPICE).
Community Engagement
Neil is currently Executive Secretary of the International Commission on Climate of IAMAS/IUGG; Associate Editor of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Journal; and Fellow of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society.
Research Interests
Neil’s research interests are in regional- to large-scale ocean and climate dynamics, climate change detection, attribution and risks. His research activities include the investigation of planetary scale ocean wave dynamics; interannual (in particular El Niño - Southern Oscillation) to multi-centennial scale climate variability; climate change; and dynamic/climatic influences on ocean (plankton) productivity. Neil also has interests in understanding the complex feedbacks in both climate science and climate change adaptation; thermodynamic and statistical modelling of tropical cyclone genesis and intensity; and climate and vector-borne disease. His interdisciplinary interests include both observational and modelling studies. On the modelling side, Neil primarily dabbles in simple to intermediate complexity ocean and climate dynamic, thermodynamic and ecosystem models.
Teaching
Neil teaches the fundamentals of weather and climate. In 2009, he will be introducing a new 300-level unit KGA320 Our Changing Climate.
Selected Publications:- Holbrook, N. J. , 2009, 'South Pacific Ocean climate dynamics: potential for enhancing climate forecasts. Chapter to appear in the planning book Climate Alert: Climate Change Monitoring and Strategy', eds. Y. You and A. Henderson-Sellers, to be published by Sydney University Press (in press)
- McGregor, S., N. J. Holbrook and S. B. Power, 2009, 'The response of a stochastically forced ENSO model to observed off-equatorial wind stress forcing. ', Journal of Climate, 22, pgs. 2512-2525.
- Holbrook, N. J. and A. M. Maharaj, 2008, 'Southwest Pacific subtropical mode water: A climatology', Progress in Oceanography , 77, pgs. 298-315
- Rakich, C.S., N.J. Holbrook and B. Timbal, 2008, 'A pressure gradient metric capturing planetary-scale influences on eastern Australian rainfall', Geophysical Research Letters, 35, L08713, doi:10.1029/2007GL032970
- Banks, S. C., M. P. Piggott, J. E. Williamson, U. Bové, N. J. Holbrook and L. B. Beheregaray, 2007, 'Oceanic variability and coastal topography shape local genetic structure in a long-dispersing sea urchin', Ecology, 88(12), pgs. 3055-3064
- Perkins, S. E., A. J. Pitman, N. J. Holbrook and J. McAneney, 2007, 'Evaluation of the AR4 climate models’ simulated daily maximum temperature, minimum temperature and precipitation over Australia using probability density functions', Journal of Climate, 20, pgs. 4356-4376
- Maharaj, A. M., P. Cipollini, N. J. Holbrook, P. D. Killworth and J. R. Blundell, 2007, 'An evaluation of the classical and extended Rossby wave theories in explaining spectral estimates of the first few baroclinic modes in the South Pacific Ocean', Ocean Dynamics, 57(3), pgs. 173-187
Full Publication List Current and Supervised Project/s:
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