“The Weather Underwater, and Why it Matters”
Associate Professor Shane Keating
School of Mathematics and Statistics
UNSW Sydney
Date: Thursday, 20 August 2026, 6.30–7.30 pm AEST
Venue: RSL Mittagong, Carrington Room
Entry: Members, $5; Non-members, $10 (please note: cashless payments only)
All are welcome
Summary: Earth’s oceans are the engine of the global climate system and the source of food and prosperity for over 3 billion people worldwide. At the same time, the global economy relies on the ocean to transport 90% of all traded goods. It is no exaggeration to say that the ocean plays a vital role in humanity’s well-being and prosperity.
In this talk, oceanographer Shane Keating will discuss the importance of the dynamic ocean environment — the ‘weather underwater’ — to the global economy and Earth’s climate system. Travelling from the shores of Loch Long, Scotland, to ‘Eddy Avenue’ off the coast of NSW, Shane will review how our knowledge of Earth’s oceans has been methodically built from observational, experimental, numerical and theoretical studies. Finally, Shane will explore some of the ways that artificial intelligence (AI) and data science are enabling new insights and innovations that are changing the way we understand and use the ocean, and how he is creating a ‘Google Maps for the Sea’ to help the shipping industry save fuel and cut emissions.
Dr Shane Keating is an Associate Professor of Physical Oceanography in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at UNSW Sydney. His research uses powerful mathematical and data science tools to study our oceans from land, sea, and space. Shane is the founder and CEO of CounterCurrent, a UNSW AI spinout company delivering localised ocean forecasts and intelligent routing for ships. CounterCurrent’s generative AI ocean forecasting system provides crews with customised forecasts 10,000x faster and cheaper than National Weather Centres, helping the maritime industry optimise routes to cut fuel and emissions. Founded in 2025, CounterCurrent was the first Australian startup to be awarded an AWS Compute for Climate fellowship and was named a ‘breakout star’ in the Australian Financial Review. Shane is also a passionate science communicator, and his popular articles about science and mathematics have reached over a million readers.
| Royal Society of NSW Southern Highlands Branch | |
| Date: | Thursday, 20 August 2026, 06:30 PM |
| Venue: | RSL Mittagong, Carrington Room |
| Entry: | Members, $5; Non-members, $10 |
In Person Event
All are Welcome
31 December 2026
Various face-to-face and online venues 
