Honorary Fellow Milton Speer

Biography

As a forecasting meteorologist formerly with the Bureau of Meteorology I developed experience in the extremes of weather and climate.
As a meteorologist and through academic affiliations my research involves experience also in the extremes of weather and climate. The research has spanned and linked the techniques of numerical weather prediction and traditional synoptic meteorology to provide new insights into, for example, severe storms including flash floods, hailstorms, tornadoes, east coast lows, southerly busters and drought. This experience has extended into the application of Machine Learning techniques to the drivers of extreme weather and climate impacts, resulting in regularly published peer-reviewed journal articles.

OUTREACH
As a meteorologist formerly in the Bureau of Meteorology I have extensive experience with the public and media about meteorological aspects of weather and climate including extreme events. My very strong emphasis on outreach extends to a broad cross-section of the community through regular contributions to The Conversation, TV, radio and online news through Australian Science Media and direct requests.

2025
THE CONVERSATION:-
https://theconversation.com/freak-wind-gusts-made-worse-by-climate-change-threaten-airline-passenger-safety-258823

2024
THE CONVERSATION:-
https://theconversation.com/freak-wind-gusts-made-worse-by-climate-change-threaten-airline-passenger-safety-258823
https://theconversation.com/unprecedented-climate-extremes-are-everywhere-our-baselines-for-whats-normal-will-need-to-change-244298
https://theconversation.com/new-research-reveals-why-the-mighty-darling-river-is-drying-up-and-its-not-just-because-were-taking-too-much-water-239923
https://theconversation.com/southerly-busters-are-becoming-more-frequent-but-less-severe-as-the-climate-changes-stirring-up-east-coast-weather-watchers-233818
https://theconversation.com/it-never-rains-but-it-pours-intense-rain-and-flash-floods-have-increased-inland-in-eastern-australia-227777
https://theconversation.com/flash-droughts-are-becoming-more-common-in-australia-whats-causing-them-227052

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS:-

https://johnmenadue.com/letters_to_editor/se-australia-global-warming-impacts-from-1990s/
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-s-defining-weather-event-is-back-but-why-did-southerly-busters-go-awol-20231018-p5ed74.html repeated January 26 2024; first online December 9 2023
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-28/global-warming-effect-on-extreme-weather-events/103471564
Live radio:- https://2ser.com/the-science-behind-wild-weather-with-dr-milton-speer/

2023

THE CONVERSATION:-
https://theconversation.com/why-western-sydney-is-feeling-the-heat-from-climate-change-more-than-the-rest-of-the-city-201477

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS:-

Contribution to the ABC broadcast and podcast Rear Vision :- The jet stream: rivers of air in the sky; first broadcast 2 July 2023.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-01/how-the-jet-stream-has-been-causing-extreme-weather/102885780
https://thenewdaily.com.au/weather/2023/01/17/sydney-cool-foul-weather-nation/
https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/science/environment/2022/12/28/weather-outlook-australia-2023/
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/expert-reaction-la-nina-has-ended-el-nino-watch-begins
https://www.6pr.com.au/breakfast-with-millsy-and-karl/ 3AW Melbourne
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-best-way-to-prepare-for-a-dry-summer-ahead/id289570515?i=1000628495330 6PR Perth

2022
THE CONVERSATION:-
https://theconversation.com/cotton-on-one-of-australias-most-lucrative-farming-industries-is-in-the-firing-line-as-climate-change-worsens-191864
https://theconversation.com/changes-in-the-jet-stream-are-steering-autumn-rain-away-from-southeast-australia-184649
https://theconversation.com/nsw-is-being-hit-by-a-one-two-of-east-coast-lows-but-arent-those-a-winter-thing-178419;
https://www.capital-media.mu/2022/06/changes-in-the-jet-stream-are-steering-autumn-rain-away-from-southeast-australia/

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS
Live interview 6pm BBC_World_News-2022-07-17 on extreme UK and European heat
https://www.capital-media.mu/2022/06/changes-in-the-jet-stream-are-steering-autumn-rain-away-from-southeast-australia/
Australian Science Media-expert comments-reply-Thurs13oct2022
How northern Victoria flooded -guardian article updated-21Oct2022
TheSydneyMorningHerald-Tuesday,15Nov2022-Page18

2021
https://theconversation.com/the-murrumbidgee-rivers-wet-season-height-has-dropped-by-30-since-the-1990s-and-the-outlook-is-bleak-165764
https://thenewdaily.com.au/weather/2022/12/21/warmer-weather-as-la-nina-wanes/

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS
https://thenewdaily.com.au/weather/2022/12/21/warmer-weather-as-la-nina-wanes/
Radio interview on the ABC’s NSW Country Hour (August 11, 2021) related to the Conversation article above.
Interview on Community Radio 4EB Brisbane (August 13, 2021) related to Conversation article above.
Author of article in BAMOS, “New ECL Trends”, explaining recent research into the changes in frequency and location of East Coast Lows.Lead author of article in BAMOS titled, “Climate Change in the Murray-Darling Basin.”
Provided meteorological material for display in the refurbished Old Met Building on Observatory Hill.
Co-Editor Special Issue titled, “ Environment and Health Influenced by COVID-19 Pandemic” in Climate (Applied Sciences) MDPI.
Contribution to the ABC broadcast and podcast Rear Vision :- The jet stream: rivers of air in the sky; first broadcast 2 July 2023.
Jet streams are narrow bands of strong winds in the upper atmosphere. This is the story of how they were discovered and what can happen when they behave in unexpected ways;
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/rear-vision-how-history-shaped-today/id135114451?i=1000619019107 or the ABC Rear Vision podcast.

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