Wednesday, 3 October 2007

MEDIA RELEASE

Get ready for (climate) ACCESS

One of the biggest environmental modelling initiatives in Australia is now underway with the development of the Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator — or ACCESS.

ACCESS is a climate and earth system simulator developed as a joint initiative of the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO in cooperation with the university community in Australia.

ACCESS will allow scientists to take a holistic view of the entire climate system — including things such as the ocean, carbon cycle, sea-ice, and cloud chemistry.

Attendees at GREENHOUSE 2007 in Sydney have heard that Australians will benefit from a unified and national modelling effort.

According to Dr Kamal Puri from the Bureau of Meteorology, "Climate change programs internationally are being developed to address questions such as 'Is it possible to predict the future climate?' and 'How much influence have we had on climate change?'"

"Previously the Bureau and CSIRO have been developing these systems separately and have used them for climate/climate change studies. The Bureau has also used these models for making 7-day weather forecasts and for seasonal predictions, and has been keeping an accurate climate and weather record for nearly 100 years; CSIRO has used the models for developing regional scenarios under climate change, conducting air quality studies for various air sheds, and has conducted research focusing on carbon, carbon cycles, and the land surface."

"Now through ACCESS, the different areas of climate knowledge in Australia can be combined to ensure that the most up to date information about the climate is available for scientists and policy decision makers," Dr Puri said.

Credit: Benjamin Healley, Museum Victoria.

Dr Kamal Puri 0438 324 953
Media assistance: David Grant 0439 452 424