Dr Clare Stephens

Dr Clare Stephens

Consultancies and Vendor Staff

PhD in Civil/Environmental Engineering
University of New South Wales (with research exchange at Columbia University NY), 2020

Chartered Professional Engineer and Member, Institute of Engineers Australia

Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) (Hons I)
University of Queensland (with exchange at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany), 2011

Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Clare is a post-doctoral researcher with the UNSW Water Research Centre. Her key interests are in hydrology and climate change, with a focus on ecohydrologic modelling and data analysis. She obtained her PhD from UNSW, researching the performance robustness of hydrologic models under climate change. Clare was selected as a Westpac Future Leaders scholar in 2016 and the Young Environmental Engineer of the Year (Engineers Australia) in 2015. Before starting her research career, Clare was a consulting engineer working on flood risk management and infrastructure design projects.

Location
Vallentine Annexe (H22) Kensington Campus
  • Book Chapters | 2024
    Stephens C; Ngari A, 2024, 'Regional Climate Drivers, Trends and Forecast Change', in Water Security in a New World, Springer International Publishing, pp. 109 - 128, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25463-5_5
  • Journal articles | 2024
    Johnson F; Stephens C; Krogh M, 2024, 'Considerations in designing climate change assessments for complex, non-linear hydrological systems', Journal of Hydrology, 645, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.132182
    Journal articles | 2024
    Wasko C; Stephens C; Peterson TJ; Nathan R; Pepler A; Hettiarachchi S; Vogel E; Johnson F; Westra S, 2024, 'Understanding the implications of climate change for Australia's surface water resources: Challenges and future directions', Journal of Hydrology, 645, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.132221
    Journal articles | 2024
    Zou H; Marshall L; Sharma A; Jian J; Stephens C; Higgins P, 2024, 'Modelling vegetation dynamics for future climates in Australian catchments: Comparison of a conceptual eco-hydrological modelling approach with a deep learning alternative', Environmental Modelling and Software, 181, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2024.106179
    Journal articles | 2023
    Stephens CM; Band LE; Johnson FM; Marshall LA; Medlyn BE; De Kauwe MG; Ukkola AM, 2023, 'Changes in Blue/Green Water Partitioning Under Severe Drought', Water Resources Research, 59, http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2022WR033449
    Journal articles | 2023
    Stephens CM; Ho M; Schmeidl S; Pham HT; Dansie AP; Leslie GL; Marshall LA, 2023, 'International capacity building to achieve SDG6: insights from longitudinal analysis of five water operator partnerships', International Journal of Water Resources Development, 39, pp. 557 - 575, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2022.2109604
    Journal articles | 2022
    Fowler K; Peel M; Saft M; Peterson TJ; Western A; Band L; Petheram C; Dharmadi S; Tan KS; Zhang L; Lane P; Kiem A; Marshall L; Griebel A; Medlyn BE; Ryu D; Bonotto G; Wasko C; Ukkola A; Stephens C; Frost A; Gardiya Weligamage H; Saco P; Zheng H; Chiew F; Daly E; Walker G; Vervoort RW; Hughes J; Trotter L; Neal B; Cartwright I; Nathan R, 2022, 'Explaining changes in rainfall-runoff relationships during and after Australia's Millennium Drought: a community perspective', Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 26, pp. 6073 - 6120, http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6073-2022
    Journal articles | 2022
    Stephens CM; Marshall LA; Johnson FM; Ajami H; Lin L; Band LE, 2022, 'Spatial Variation in Catchment Response to Climate Change Depends on Lateral Moisture Transport and Nutrient Dynamics', Water Resources Research, 58, http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2021WR030577
    Journal articles | 2022
    Stephens CM; Pham HT; Marshall LA; Johnson FM, 2022, 'Which Rainfall Errors Can Hydrologic Models Handle? Implications for Using Satellite-Derived Products in Sparsely Gauged Catchments', Water Resources Research, 58, http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2020WR029331
    Journal articles | 2021
    Johnson F; Higgins P; Stephens C, 2021, 'Climate change and hydrological risk in the pacific: A humanitarian engineering perspective', Journal of Water and Climate Change, 12, pp. 647 - 678, http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2021.277
    Journal articles | 2021
    Stephens CM; Lall U; Johnson FM; Marshall LA, 2021, 'Landscape changes and their hydrologic effects: Interactions and feedbacks across scales', Earth-Science Reviews, 212, pp. 103466, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103466
    Journal articles | 2020
    Stephens CM; Marshall LA; Johnson FM; Lin L; Band LE; Ajami H, 2020, 'Is Past Variability a Suitable Proxy for Future Change? A Virtual Catchment Experiment', Water Resources Research, 56, http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026275
    Journal articles | 2019
    Stephens CM; Marshall LA; Johnson FM, 2019, 'Investigating strategies to improve hydrologic model performance in a changing climate', Journal of Hydrology, 579, pp. 124219, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.124219
    Journal articles | 2018
    Stephens CM; Johnson FM; Marshall LA, 2018, 'Implications of future climate change for event-based hydrologic models', Advances in Water Resources, 119, pp. 95 - 110, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2018.07.004
    Journal articles | 2018
    Stephens CM; McVicar TR; Johnson FM; Marshall LA, 2018, 'Revisiting Pan Evaporation Trends in Australia a Decade on', Geophysical Research Letters, 45, pp. 11 - 172, http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079332
  • Other | 2024
    Burns G; Fowler K; Stephens C; Peel M, 2024, Investigating evapotranspiration calculations within conceptual hydrological models: an intercomparison among models. , http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-7198
    Preprints | 2024
    Zou H; Marshall L; Sharma A; Jian J; Stephens C, 2024, Modelling Vegetation Dynamics for Future Climates in Australian Catchments: Comparison of a Conceptual Eco-Hydrological Modelling Approach with a Deep Learning Alternative, http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4756938
    Other | 2023
    Medlyn B; Williams L; Knauer J; Inbar A; Stephens C; Gallagher R; Nolan R; Choat B; Boer M; Smith B, 2023, Climate succession: a framework for predicting vegetation dynamics driven by climate change, , http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-11134
    Preprints | 2022
    Fowler K; Peel M; Saft M; Peterson T; Western A; Band L; Petheram C; Dharmadi S; Tan KS; Zhang L; Lane P; Kiem A; Marshall L; Griebel A; Medlyn B; Ryu D; Bonotto G; Wasko C; Ukkola A; Stephens C; Frost A; Weligamage H; Saco P; Zheng H; Chiew F; Daly E; Walker G; Vervoort RW; Hughes J; Trotter L; Neal B; Cartwright I; Nathan R, 2022, Explaining changes in rainfall-runoff relationships during and after Australia's Millennium Drought: a community perspective, http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hess-2022-147
    Other | 2022
    Stephens C; Marshall L; Johnson F; Lin L; Band L; Ajami H, 2022, Can examining past variability help us understand catchment response to future climate change?, http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-3319
    Conference Papers | 2015
    Jordan P; Nathan R; Weeks W; Waskiw P; Herron A; Cetin L; Rogencamp G; Stephens C; Russell C, 2015, 'Estimation of flood risk for linear transport infrastructure using continuous simulation modelling', in The Art and Science of Water - 36th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, HWRS 2015, pp. 1441 - 1448

  • 2015 Young Environmental Engineer of the Year (Engineers Australia)
  • 2016 Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship
  • 2019 National Council of Women NSW Australia Day Award
  • 2016/17 OzEWEX Summer Institute Scholarship – fully funded position for 6-week research program
  • 2018 Best Presentation by a Young Professional, Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium
  • 2018 Best Poster at UNSW School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Industry Engagement Day
  • 2011 Program Prize for highest GPA in graduating class, BE (Environmental)

My research focuses on:

  • Modelling water resources in a changing world
  • Dynamics of hydrologic variables
  • Model structure and parameter uncertainty under climate change
  • Water sector resilience
  • Application of different hydrologic data types

 

Publications:

Stephens, C. M., et al. (2020). "Is Past Variability a Suitable Proxy for Future Change? A Virtual Catchment Experiment." Water Resources Research 56(2): e2019WR026275.

Stephens, C. M., et al. (2019). "Investigating strategies to improve hydrologic model performance in a changing climate." Journal of Hydrology 579: 124219.

Stephens, C. M., et al. (2018). "Revisiting Pan Evaporation Trends in Australia a Decade on." Geophysical Research Letters 45(20): 11,164-111,172.

Stephens, C. M., et al. (2018). "Implications of future climate change for event-based hydrologic models." Advances in Water Resources 119: 95-110.