A new study offers a research framework to help researchers "speak the same language" and protect the planet from unknown climate futures.
The study, published in Environmental Research Letters, was conducted by an international team with globally-recognised expertise spanning climate science, mathematical modelling and socio-ecological systems.
University of Tasmania applied mathematics academic and lecturer, Dr Courtney Quinn said the framework would help researchers to understand and manage 'resilience' - how well a system recovers from disturbances, and 'tipping points' - sudden, potentially irreversible shifts in natural and social systems.
"This study calls for a unified definition of resilience and standardised approach to predicting tipping points, which would allow researchers across all fields to speak the same language and make faster headway on issues related to our climate crisis," Dr Quinn said.
The framework translates core mathematical concepts like stability, equilibrium, and bifurcation into accessible tools and principles for interdisciplinary scientists, policy-makers, and environmental managers.
By identifying key gaps in current theory and aligning terminology across disciplines, the paper empowers researchers to better assess when systems are nearing a tipping point, and how to act before it's too late.
Bridging the gap between complex mathematics and real-world applications, this work will have significant implications for both Australian research and climate policy.
For Australia, where the effects of climate change are increasingly visible, this work could not be more relevant. Tasmania in particular is on the frontline of multiple local tipping points:
- The decline of giant kelp forests on the east coast, driven by marine heatwaves and ecological imbalances, is transforming once-thriving underwater ecosystems into barren sea floors, ridden with sea urchins.
- Western Tasmania's temperate rainforests are at risk of becoming fire-prone eucalyptus forest systems due to extreme wildfires and shifting climate patterns.
- Coastal erosion along Tasmania's west coast is showing early signs of crossing into an unrecoverable state due to sea-level rise and intensifying wind speeds.
Beyond Tasmania, the paper has national significance as Australia grapples with broader Earth system tipping points: Antarctic ice sheet melt, coral reef die-off, mangrove loss, fisheries collapse and the amplification of El Niño events; all of which could drastically reshape the country's climate, economy and biodiversity.
Dr Quinn said this framework offers not just a theory, but a toolkit for anticipating these risks and therefore improving risk mitigation.
"We hope this work will function as a roadmap for future research, guiding the scientific and policy communities as they work to protect Australia's ecosystems and communities from the destabilizing forces of climate change," Dr Quinn said.
Read the full journal article: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adb7f3
Dr Quinn is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) recipient , with a research focus on rapid environmental changes and their effects on complex systems.
