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narisma@wisc.edu Gemma Narisma is a postdoctoral scientist at SAGE. Her current research is on abrupt changes in climate. These sudden climatic changes are often brought about by the complex nonlinear interactions in the climate system and may be indicative of a transition into an alternative state or “regime.” Due to its abrupt nature, a rapid change or a potential regime shift in climate is often unexpected and difficult to predict. As a result, coping with the sudden impacts of these changes can be difficult for both humans, society and the environment. Further, if the climate change persists over a long period of time, the societal and environmental effects can be considerable. Gemma's current research has two main objectives. The first objective is to detect regions in the world that have undergone large abrupt changes in climate in the 20th century. The second objective is to explore possible underlying mechanisms that can make a system susceptible to abrupt shifts in climate, focusing especially on those that involve land use and land use change. Before joining SAGE, Gemma did her PhD with the Dept. of Physical Geography at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She worked with Professor Andy Pitman and for her dissertation she investigated the impact of land cover change on the past, present, and future climate of Australia using regional climate models (MM5 and RAMS). Gemma is from the Philippines and before she did her PhD in 2001, she was an instructor at the Ateneo de Manila University and was a research scientist at the Manila Observatory. Her work in the Philippines involved air quality monitoring and modeling and regional climate modeling. She was also involved in local climate change initiatives, including climate change information and education campaigns and national and local greenhouse gas emissions inventories. |
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