Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

About: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is a government organization based out in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Soil water. The organization has 33765 authors who have published 79910 publications receiving 3356114 citations.

A comparison of The Limits to Growth with 30 years of reality

Abstract: In 1972, the Club of Rome's infamous report “The Limits to Growth” [Meadows, D.H., Meadows, D.L., Randers, J., Behrens_III, W. W. (1972). The Limits to Growth: A Report for the Club of Rome's Project on the Predicament of Mankind. Universe Books, New York] presented some challenging scenarios for global sustainability, based on a system dynamics computer model to simulate the interactions of five global economic subsystems, namely: population, food production, industrial production, pollution, and consumption of non-renewable natural resources. Contrary to popular belief, The Limits to Growth scenarios by the team of analysts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology did not predict world collapse by the end of the 20th century. This paper focuses on a comparison of recently collated historical data for 1970–2000 with scenarios presented in the Limits to Growth. The analysis shows that 30 years of historical data compare favorably with key features of a business-as-usual scenario called the “standard run” scenario, which results in collapse of the global system midway through the 21st century. The data do not compare well with other scenarios involving comprehensive use of technology or stabilizing behaviour and policies. The results indicate the particular importance of understanding and controlling global pollution.

Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH)–a community perspective

Abstract: This paper is the outcome of a community initiative to identify major unsolved scientific problems in hydrology motivated by a need for stronger harmonisation of research efforts. The procedure involved a public consultation through online media, followed by two workshops through which a large number of potential science questions were collated, prioritised, and synthesised. In spite of the diversity of the participants (230 scientists in total), the process revealed much about community priorities and the state of our science: a preference for continuity in research questions rather than radical departures or redirections from past and current work. Questions remain focused on the process-based understanding of hydrological variability and causality at all space and time scales. Increased attention to environmental change drives a new emphasis on understanding how change propagates across interfaces within the hydrological system and across disciplinary boundaries. In particular, the expansion of the human footprint raises a new set of questions related to human interactions with nature and water cycle feedbacks in the context of complex water management problems. We hope that this reflection and synthesis of the 23 unsolved problems in hydrology will help guide research efforts for some years to come.

A new long‐wave formula for estimating downward clear‐sky radiation at the surface

Abstract: A new formula is proposed for estimating the long-wave radiation from clear skies. The formula depends on screen-level air temperature and water vapour pressure. The formula has been extensively tested using long-wave measurements covering a large range of environmental temperatures (-40 to +40 °C), and by using radiosonde profiles and an accurate radiative-transfer model (Lowtran-7). It is shown that the new formula out-performs five other widely used formulas.

Sequence organization of the repeating units in the nucleus of wheat which contain 5S rRNA genes

Abstract: Examples of both the 410 and 500 bp size classes of repeating units containing wheat 5S rRNA genes have been cloned in plasmid pBR322 and sequenced. The structural genes showed sequence microheterogeneity. Also the gene in the 500 bp repeat which was sequenced had a 15 bp tandem duplication within it and appears to be representative of non-transcribed subfamily of repeating units. The transcription terminators comprise 14-17 A.T bp immediately preceded by a region of weak dyad symmetry. The spacer regions adjacent to the transcription terminators in the two different size repeat units have interspersed oligonucleotides of high and low homology. The central spacer regions of the two size classes have very different sequences. The only repeated sequence in the spacers has undergone extensive divergence. In contrast to most of the spacer, the 70 bp region preceding the genes of each type of repeat show high homology, suggesting that it has functional importance. The transcription start point obeys the pyrimidine-1 purine+1 rule.