| Dr Kate White is a Civil Engineer with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Institute for Water Resources. As the senior lead for global and climate change, her work incorporates anticipatory management in the face of dynamic global changes so the USACE will remain adaptable and sustainable over time. She is active in international arenas as well, and currently serves as the chair of the PIANC Permanent Task Group on Climate Change. | |
| Venue | Zenith Theatre & Convention Centre Corner McIntosh and Railway Streets, Chatswood, NSW |
| Date | Tuesday 8th May |
| Members Cost | FREE |
| Non Members Cost | $10.00 |
| Event Contact | Emily Yiannakis |
| Contact Email | eyiannakis@engineersaustralia.org.au |
| Hosted By | The National Committee on Coastal and Ocean Engineering (NCCOE) |
| Attachments | kate_white.jpg |
| Downloads | kate_white_flyer.doc(376KB) |
Kate White is a Civil Engineer with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Institute for Water Resources. She holds a BS and MS in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and is a registered Professional Engineer. Her 25 years of USACE experience has emphasized hydrology and hydraulics supporting planning, engineering, design, operations, and emergency management. As the senior lead for global and climate change, her work incorporates anticipatory management in the face of dynamic global changes so the USACE will remain adaptable and sustainable over time. She is active in international arenas as well, and currently serves as the chair of the PIANC Permanent Task Group on Climate Change.
Climate change and variability strongly influence the fundamental drivers of hydrology - temperature and precipitation – and thus have immediate impacts to water resources management agencies like the US Army Corps of Engineers. Changing sea levels and other coastal processes are also tied to climate change and variability.
While we don’t know how fast climate is changing, how exactly these changes will manifest themselves, and whether some changes are irreversible, we do know that the steps we take to adapt to climate change also help us adapt to other global challenges to our missions and operations, because they share a common goal: to improve resilience and decrease vulnerability.
Water resources managers are accustomed to making decisions under uncertain conditions. We are able to take action now because there is a large existing body of knowledge developed by the science agencies on which we can base our policies and guidance.
This presentation will address the need to closely couple science and engineering, allowing for refinements in policy as scientific knowledge grows and speeding the development of policy and guidance needed to implement climate change adaptation for water resources management.
