To celebrate the 360th anniversary of the start of the Philosophical Transactions, we have invited Guest Editor Conrad Wasko to tell us what publishing with the journal means to him.
The esteem and prestige of the Royal Society and its journal Philosophical Transactions, being the world’s oldest journal, are beyond repute. To be published alongside names such as Newton, Faraday, and Darwin is only something that an early career researcher could dream of. As an Australian researcher, there is also a unique link to the Royal Society. Its past president Sir Joseph Banks was pivotal to the British settlement of Australia, and the naming of many species of plants that are synonymous with modern Australian culture.
The special issue I aided in guest editing, led by Professor Hayley Fowler, was entitled 'Intensification of short-duration rainfall extremes and implications for flash flood risks'. This special issue followed an international meeting hosted to commemorate the INTENSE (INTElligent use of climate models for adaptatioN to non-Stationary hydrological Extremes) project. The INTENSE project was the first major international research effort to focus on the impact of climate change on sub-daily rainfall extremes, enabling an improved physical understanding of their changes and hence a basis for understanding their changes into the future.
This special issue focused on several key outcomes, including: how much are short-duration rainfall extremes intensifying? Which processes are dominating rainfall intensification? How is flood risk changing as a result? And what is the best way to mitigate and adapt to these changes?
As part of this special issue, a review of how best to adapt flood management practice for climate change was published. The review found that, while global efforts are emerging to manage flood impacts due to climate change, the focus remains too much on extreme rainfall changes, with little consideration given to changes in other factors that modulate flooding. The article gave recommendations on best practice for updating future methodologies related to flood estimation, including recommendations around scientific defensibility, representation of uncertainty, and the use of multiple lines of evidence.
Not long after this special issue was published, a project was initiated to update Australia’s flood guidance for climate change. This guidance document dictates how floods are estimated for a multitude of purposes including from the design of drainage infrastructure and dam spillways, to helping inform decisions related to land-use planning and zoning. The update of this document of national significance was guided by the principles published in this special issue, resulting in incorporation of changes in the multiple factors driving flooding, publication of uncertainty around these changes, and an acknowledgement that historical records can no longer be used for current planning without augmentation for climate change.
It was an absolute joy to guest edit this special issue for Philosophical Transactions. To see many researchers come together in a truly interdisciplinary manner to deliver a special issue that now stands as one of the most comprehensive synthesises of our understanding of, not just the impact of climate change on short-duration rainfall extremes, but also on the implications for society, is incredibly fulfilling. The result for Australia was an update to its flood documentation which will aid planning for the future, helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change and flooding for generations to come.
When publishing any journal article, it is vitally important to consider the journal reputation. With reputation comes practical impact and adoption of the principles and results published. The reality in academic publishing is journals come and go. Journals can drop in reputation, particularly those not associated with a scientific society. The fact that Philosophical Transactions has maintained its reputation for several centuries is an incredible testament to the those charged with its preservation and governance.
Visit our anniversary page for more content celebrating 360 years of publishing.
