Leon Rotstayn

Dr Leon Rotstayn studied the effects of atmospheric aerosols (particles) on climate. He mainly used global climate models, supported by observations of the climate system.

He contributed substantially to climate model development at CSIRO, especially concerning the treatment of clouds and aerosols. He developed novel hypotheses regarding the role of human-generated aerosols from the Northern Hemisphere in causing droughts in Africa and rainfall changes in Australia.

He was a Contributing Author to the IPCC Third, Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports.

Leon Rotstayn has a Doctor of Philosophy from Monash University, 1998. He was awarded the Frederick White Prize by the Australian Academy of Science in 2002, and a CSIRO Research Achievement Medal in 2008 for his role in development of the CSIRO climate model and his contribution to national and international climate assessments.