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Dr Alastair Williams

Research Leader, Atmospheric Research Group
Institute for Environmental Research (IER)
Location - Lucas Heights Campus
Phone - +61 2 9717 3694
Email - alastair.williams@ansto.gov.au
Alastair Williams

Staff Profile

Role at ANSTO

 

Alastair leads ANSTO-IER's Atmospheric Research Group. Group uses natural radioactive and stable isotopes as tracers to investigate the sources and movement of pollution and greenhouse gases in the lower atmosphere, and to aid in the interpretation of observed changes in atmospheric composition. Alastair conducts experimental boundary layer research using atmospheric Radon-222 to quantify vertical mixing processes in the lower atmosphere using aircraft and tower-based platforms. Alastair is also a member of the IER Management Team.

 

Expertise

 

Boundary layer meteorology; micrometeorology; atmospheric turbulence; parameterisation of subgrid processes in numerical models; atmosphere-surface interactions; aircraft meteorological measurements; applications of radon in atmospheric studies.

 

Qualifications & Achievements

 

  • Award of the appellation "FRMetS" (Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society) by RMetS in February 2012
  • Research Leader, ANSTO-IER Atmospheric Research Group (2008-present)
  • Project Leader, ANSTO-IER atmospheric research project Iso Trans (2004-2008)
  • Boundary layer turbulent processes modeller Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, UK Met Office (1999-2002)
  • Visiting fellow, Flight Research Laboratory of the Canadian National Research Council (Canada) (1997-1998)
  • Alexander von Humboldt fellow, Bonn University (Germany) (1994)
  • Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Flinders University of South Australia (1993)
  • Ph.D. in Boundary Layer Meteorology, Flinders University (1991)

 

Committee Memberships and Affiliations
 

Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society (FRMetS).
Member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS).
Member of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).
Member of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (AMOS).

 

Publications

Williams, A.G., Zahorowski, W., Chambers, S., Griffiths, A., Hacker, J.M., Element, A., and Werczynski, S., 2011: 'The vertical distribution of radon in clear and cloudy daytime terrestrial boundary layers'. J. Atmos. Sci. 68 (1), 155-174. doi:10.1175/2010JAS3576.1

Chambers, S., Williams, A.G., Zahorowski, W., Griffiths, A., and Crawford, J., 2011: 'Separating remote fetch and local mixing influences on vertical radon measurements in the lower atmosphere', Tellus 63B, 843-859. DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0889.2011.00565.x.

Williams, A.G., Chambers, S., Zahorowski, W., Crawford, J., Matsumoto, K., and Uematsu, M., 2009: 'Estimating the Asian radon flux density and its latitudinal gradient in winter using ground-based radon observations at Sado Island', Tellus 61B (5), 732-746. DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0889.2009.00438.x.