Dr Wenju Cai leads research that is using climate change and variability predictions to maximise agricultural, urban and ecological water use opportunities.
Overview
Dr Wenju Cai contributes to the Climate and Water component of the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship and is a project leader in the Wealth from Oceans Flagship's Ocean Based Forecasts of Australian Climate Theme.
He and his colleagues are studying Australia-wide and regional influences of climate change, with emphasis in three key areas:
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linking rainfall shifts and trends, and changing climate baselines over various regions in Australia to changing oceans circulation, depletion of ozone, increasing carbon dioxide and increasing aerosols
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climate change impacts on Australia-wide baselines
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predictability on seasonal and long-term time scales.
Dr Cai has contributed to the advance of climate knowledge through his work here and overseas with agencies in Japan, Canada and the United States. He is lead author on 40 science publications, and has contributed toward many more.
He has helped coordinate research in the Perth-based Indian Ocean Climate Initiative and the South East Australia Climate project, centred on the Murray-Darling catchment.
Wealth from Oceans based research
Dr Wenju Cai leads research into how to best use climate change predictions to maximise agricultural, urban and ecological water use opportunities.
As part of his work with the Wealth from Oceans Flagship, Dr Cai has published papers in the ‘Geophysical Research Letter’ in 2005 and 2006, providing insights into two outcomes of this research.
The first outcome is a link between ozone depletion over the Antarctic and an intensification of the super-gyre leading to a 20 per cent increase in the strength of the East Australian Current.
The second shows a warming of the western Tasman Sea east of Tasmania where temperatures recorded for more than 50 years at an offshore station near Maria Island have risen nearly two degrees, and will continue into the future.
Those oceanic changes, when coupled with shifts in wind and pressure systems are influencing rainfall patterns across Australia.
Qualifications
Dr Cai received a Masters in Science in Physical Oceanography from Amoy University, China in 1986, and a PhD in Physical Oceanography from Flinders University, Australia in 1990.
Work history
Dr Cai has been a Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research since 2003.
He has previously been:
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Coordinator and Project leader Coupled Model, The Antarctic Circumpolar Wave Project, 2001-2004
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Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Atmospheric Research, 1997
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Foreign Specialist, Institute for Earth Sciences and Disaster Prevention, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), 1997
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Visiting Professor, Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), US Navy, 1995, 1996 and 1998
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Research Scientist, CSIRO Atmospheric Research, 1994
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Research Fellow, Canadian World Ocean Circulation Experiment Centre, University of Newfoundland, 1993
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Consultant, Computational Fluid Mechanics International Pty Ltd, Adelaide, 1988.
Positions held
Dr Cai is a member of the following societies:
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World Climate Research Program (WCRP) Pacific Science Steering Committee, 2000-2005
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WCRP Climate Variability and Prediction (CLIVAR) Pacific Implementation Panel, 2000-
Global Ocean Observing System, Pacific Ocean Advisory Committee, 2001
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International Council for Science, Scientific Committee on Ocean Research, South Pacific Working Group
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Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
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Royal Meteorological Society, United Kingdom
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American Geophysical Union
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American Meteorological Society.
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