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Fahim Nawroz Tonmoy

Fahim Nawroz Tonmoy photo

BSc. in Civil Engineering
M.Engg in Environmental Engineering



School of Civil Engineering, Room 360
Phone: +61 2 9351 5155
Fax: +61 2 9351 3343
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Research project - Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change: Development of a Stochastic Multi-Criteria Decision-Making and GIS Analysis Tools

Supervisor: A/Prof Abbas El-Zein
Associate Supervisor: Dr Federico Maggi

This research intends to develop a new GIS based stochastic vulnerability assessment method for Climate change vulnerability assessment. Vulnerability and adaptation to climate change are emerging as rich research and policy making study areas. Attempts at quantifying the vulnerability of an economic sector, a municipal area or a whole town remain difficult owing to, among others,

  • The multidimensional nature of climate change impacts (e.g., heat-related mortality and morbidity, forest fires, threat to coastal structures, spread of vector-borne disease etc.);
  • The complexity of interactions between biophysical and socio-political determinants of vulnerability in space and time; and
  • The high degree of uncertainty found at almost every level of the vulnerability framework.

Research questions arise concerning the right vulnerability framework to use, how to identify suitable proxy indicators of adaptive capacity of a system, how to validate assessment frameworks and how to use vulnerability assessments as a tool for identifying and analysing adaptation policies.

The research project combines two methodologies, namely multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) analysis algorithms and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), to develop more sophisticated stochastic approaches to vulnerability assessment at different scales (household, municipal, sectoral etc). The methods will incorporate various uncertainties in the exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity components of vulnerability and will be applied to data for cities in Australia and overseas.

The outcome of the project will be:

  • More powerful tools for assessing vulnerability and analysing adaptation options at a municipal level;
  • A better understanding of the effects of uncertainty on vulnerability assessment.

Selected publications

  • Fahim N Tonmoy and Abbas El-Zein. 2013. Assessment of vulnerability to climate change using indicators: methodological challenges. In: DINCER, I. & COLPAN, C. O. (eds.) "Causes, Impacts, and Solutions to Global Warming" Springer (In press).
  • Abbas El-Zein and Fahim N Tonmoy. 2013. Incorporating Uncertainty and Incommensurability in Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments: An Outranking Approach. Risk Analysis (Under review).
  • Fahim N Tonmoy, Mafizur Rahman and Hidetoshi Kitawaki. 2011. GIS Mapping of Correlation between Arsenic and Iron Concentration of Ground Water of Bangladesh. Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, 8, 61-70.
  • Fahim N Tonmoy, Mafizur Rahman and Hidetoshi Kitawaki. 2009. Impact of Ground Water Depth on Arsenic and Iron Correlation in Bangladesh: GIS Approach. International Journal of Applied Environmental Sciences, 4, 437-458.
  • Fahim N Tonmoy and Abbas El-Zein. 2012. Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment by outranking methods: Heat stress in Sydney In: SORIAL, G. & HONG, J., eds. Environmental Science and Technology, 2012 Houston, USA American Science Press, 272-279.
  • Fahim N Tonmoy and Abbas El-Zein, Isabelle Ghetti and Ray Massie. 2012. Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise of 8 Beaches in Shoalhaven: A New Multi-Dimensional Assessment Methodology 21st NSW coastal conference. Kiama, New South Wales, Australia

Conference presentations

  • Fahim N Tonmoy and Abbas El-Zein. 2012. New techniques to take nonlinearity into account for indicator based climate change vulnerability assessment. Presented in World Congress on Risk 2012: Risk and Development in a Changing World. Sydney convention and exhibition center, Australia.
  • Fahim N Tonmoy and Abbas El-Zein. 2011. Applying Outranking methods to climate change vulnerability assessment. Presented in 3rd International conference on climate change: impact and response. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
  • Fahim N Tonmoy. 2011. Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment(CCVA): Challenges, and research directions. Presented in 5th Early Career Researchers’ National Forum & Workshop. University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Teaching and learning

  • CIVL3010: Engineering and Society
  • CIVL2611: Fluid mechanics-I
  • PMGT 6867: Quantitative methods of projects management
  • CIVL 3613: Ocean & Coastal Engineering

Research Grant

  • CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship scholarship (2011-2013)