Introduction

For decades the user community has used historical climate data to make assessments of current and future climate risk in order to maximise profits and to help ensure the safety of life and property. However, climate change is changing the rules and the past is no longer a good guide to the future. Users now require future climate data and related information – just as accessible and as easy to use as historical data – with which to assess future climate risks and make decisions.

Historical and projection data

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology archives historical observational meteorological data going back to the 1850s. These are point-based datasets collected by the Bureau’s weather stations. In addition, the Bureau also stores more than 100 years of historical gridded rainfall and temperature data, including climatalogical (average) gridded datasets. Secondary data, potentially affected by climate change effects such as river gauges are also archived by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Climate projections out to the year 2070 have been developed by the CSIRO and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology for the Australian Climate Change Science Program. These are essentially gridded (2-dimensional array) datasets covering Australia. They encompass a range of variables, periods, percentiles, projection years and emission scenarios. The specific historical data and projection data provided for the scenario are summarised in the next section.

Data provided for scenario

The following datasets (with supporting ANZLIC metadata) are provided as attachments on this page.

(Suggested services to implement are in green)

Copyright Information for use with Australian Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO data

The copyright for all Australian Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO data provided for this scenario is held in the Commonwealth of Australia. This excludes stream location and flow data (see below).

These works are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/au/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

Enquiries should be made in the first instance to the National Climate Centre, Bureau of Meteorology, PO Box 1289K, Melbourne 3001, marked to the attention of SRDS.

Copyright Information for use with stream location and flow data

The copyright for stream location and flow data, provided for this scenario, is held in the State of Queensland, Australia.

These works are licensed under the Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/au/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

Enquiries should be made in the first instance to the Water Division, Bureau of Meteorology, PO Box 1289K, Melbourne 3001, marked to the attention of Business Leader, AWRIS Project.

Historical data

• Approximately fifty years (1960 – 2007) of seasonal (winter and summer) point-based observations of mean temperature for selected sites – approximately 1000 observations. (Refer to site location map) (WFS)
• Approximately fifty years of decadal (1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2007) seasonal (winter and summer) gridded mean temperature data – 12 grids (WCS)
• Averages for point-based mean temperature data. (WFS)
• Averages for gridded mean temperature data. (WCS)
• Water gauge data (1960-2005) on a daily bases from 8 stations in the Burdekin basin. (SOS)

Projection data (grid format) (WCS)

• Variable: Temperature change
• Period: Seasonal (winter and summer)
• Percentile: 50th
• Projection years: 2030/2050/2070
• Emission scenarios: low / medium / high
• Total grids = 18

Questions to drive a solution

(Suggested services to implement are in green)

• What were the mean temperature conditions at a particular place/area and date/period? (WFS Filter or WCS BBOX query)
• What is the current mean temperature of a particular place or region? (WFS Filter or WCS BBOX query)
• How have the mean temperature characteristics varied over time? (WPS exploratory data analysis algorithm?)
• How is it likely to vary in the future – over the seasonal (winter and summer) timescales? (WFS Filter or WCS BBOX query? see CSIRO Projection data at url below)
• What is the difference between what has happened at a particular date in the past and is likely to happen at a particular date in the future? (WPS algorithm?)
• Which areas in the Burdekin Basin have been affected frequently by flooding since the early 1960's? (WPS algorithm?), (SOS?)

The following are optional:

• For the above question, what are the range of possibilities for mean temperature (given the various emission scenarios)? (WPS algorithm?)
• How do present mean temperature conditions compare with past and future conditions? (WPS algorithm?)
• Is there a spatial correlation between temperatures and water gauge levels? (WPS algorithm?)
• What is the mean water gauge level at station x in the Burdekin Basin? (WPS algorithm?), (SOS?)
• How does the mean water gauge level develop over time/area? (SOS?)

More information about the gridded data can be found at: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/climatology/gridded-data-info/gridded-climate-data.shtml

More information about the projection data: http://www.climatechangeinaustralia.gov.au/

Examples of the historical data: http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/climate_averages/decadal-rainfall/index.jsp

National Climate Centre, Bureau of Meteorology February 2009

-- RajSingh - 13 Feb 2009

-- BastianSchaeffer - 04 Aug 2009

-- BruceBannerman - 05 Aug 2009

• Point-based Observation Sites: Location Map: