Our ability to predict conditions over the coming season has greatly advanced in just the past 20 years. We now better understand how the various climate drivers influence our weather, and we have more computational power to run models.
To us, a warmer ocean might feel pleasant. But the extra heat manifests underwater as an unprecedented series of major marine heatwaves, which can lead to mass death or mass migration for marine mammals, seabirds, fish and invertebrates and cause widespread coral bleaching.
The reasons for the pristine air in the Southern Ocean have long remained a mystery. This new study reveals that clouds and rain play a crucial role in scrubbing the atmosphere clean.
Parts of Sydney were drenched in more than 100mm of rain overnight and the main dam that supplies the city’s drinking water is expected to spill in coming days. At least one man has died in Queensland floodwaters after torrential rain. This wild weather is caused by the "Black Nor'easter".
Natural variability in Australian rainfall can produce “mega-droughts” lasting 20 years or more. If we add in human-caused climate change, it suggests future droughts will be far worse than we imagined.
New research suggests that increasing precipitation trends in the Southern Ocean might not be real and could be due to errors in the data caused by changes in satellite instruments over the region.
Jarrad Rowe, a heatwave expert at the Centre, explains how hot air from the central Australian desert contributed to scorching temperatures in Western Australia.
In 2023, Australia was hit by a broad range of particularly intense events, with economy-wide impacts. Here's a summary of 10 major extreme events from last year, ranging from early fires to low snowpack to compound events.
Climate scientists have known for a while that there are “tipping elements” in the climate system. These elements can undergo an abrupt change in state, which becomes self-perpetuating and irreversible for a very long time.
Ocean fronts affect phytoplankton and marine food webs, including commercially important fisheries. As the ocean warms, any change in fronts could have considerable socio-economic impacts.