A new research project by University of Newcastle researchers
will examine the important influence of intense climate events,
known as east coast lows, on the future water security of
Australia's densely populated eastern seaboard. The project by
researchers from the University's Faculty of Engineering and
Built Environment and Faculty of Science and Information
Technology will provide a greater understanding of the impact of
extreme low pressure systems on climate change and the
implications for NSW's water storage. East coast lows are
intense low-pressure systems that occur off eastern Australia
and can generate gale force winds and heavy rainfall. The
weather phenomenon is the same type that created the destructive
storm that grounded the bulk carrier, Pasha Bulker, at
Newcastle's Nobbys Beach in 2007. “East coast lows often result
in major flooding and destruction, but this water is crucial for
topping up storage levels in coastal regions,” one of the
project’s chief investigators, Prof Garry Willgoose sa