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BAMOS October 2021
Article
developed , it moved southwest well offshore , parallel to the Kimberley and Pilbara coast , before interacting with Tropical Cyclone Odette . This interaction , known as the Fujiwhara Effect , led to Seroja taking a sharp turn towards the southwest coast where it made landfall on the 11th of April as a category 3 cyclone . This rare occurrence of a severe cyclone tracking so far south was also helped by the ocean temperatures being above average off the WA coast , due to the recent La Niña event .
In addition to sharing knowledge about climate drivers and their impacts on the Gascoyne and Pilbara regions , an important aspect of this trip was listening to our customers and validating their experiences . They appreciated my understanding of their frustration towards forecast inaccuracies , and I found they were more likely to engage as a result . On one visit , a producer was eager to talk about the controversial topic of using lunar cycles to predict weather patterns . It was a stimulating and respectful conversation that led to a fruitful discussion of how research , products and services from the Bureau and our UK Met Office project partners could be useful for their business .
Throughout the week I discovered the importance of having a sense of empathy , and humour , when representing the Bureau on the road , as I was often asked " So , why does the Bureau always get it wrong ?" I also had a chuckle when referred to as a " dart thrower " on one occasion . Such comments provided the perfect opportunity to start a conversation around drivers of weather and climate and their predictability across a range of timescales from days to seasons and beyond .
The NACP roadshow to outback WA was highly beneficial for producers , the Bureau and project partners , and I wish to extend my thanks to Matthew Wheeler and the Northern Australian Climate Program for the opportunity to participate . Thanks to Chelsea Jarvis , Alys McKeough , and Jardine Macdonald for their great company and for the many hours of driving , hard work , conversation , and laughter that went into making this a thoroughly rewarding experience . I also extend my thanks to Tim Cowan , Ian Foster , Yanhui Blockley and Patrick Ward for their helpful sharing of information , advice , and local WA knowledge prior to the trip . I look forward to my continued involvement as part of the NACP team in 2021 – 22 .
References
Hu , Y ., C . Zhou and J . Liu ( 2011 ) Observational evidence for the poleward expansion of the Hadley circulation . Adv Atmos Sci 2011 , 28 , 33-44 . doi : 10.1007 / s00376-010-0032-1 .
Lucas , C ., B . Timbal and H . Nguyen ( 2014 ) The expanding tropics : a critical assessment of the observational and modeling studies . Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change , 5 , 89-112 . doi : 10.1002 / wcc . 251 .
Left : Chelsea and Jardine ( blue shirts ) in conversation with employee Lawson at Cheela Plains . Credit : Andrew Marshall . Middle : an outback dog at Bidgemia Station . Credit : Andrew Marshall . Right : Chelsea and Andrew admiring the stunning rock formation at Marble Bar . Credit : Jardine Macdonald .