Australian Annual Mean Temperature Anomalies

Australia's annual mean temperature anomaly is calculated using maximum and minimum temperature data from approximately 130 non-urban observing stations throughout the country. These stations are part of a high-quality temperature dataset developed to monitor long-term temperature trends in Australia. The temperature records at these stations have been corrected for discontinuities caused by changes such as instrumentation and site location. Climate Data Quality is particularly important at these stations.

Each calendar year the mean maximum and minimum temperature anomalies are calculated for every available high-quality temperature station, relative to the 1961 to 1990 reference period. All-Australian maximum and minimum temperature averages are then computed from these station anomalies using an area-weighted averaging scheme. The Australian annual mean temperature anomaly is the average of the Australian mean maximum and minimum temperature anomalies.

Generally Australian annual mean temperatures have increased since 1910. The last two decades have been particularly warm with many of the warmest years on record having occurred during the 1980s and 1990s.

Further details:

Lavery, B., Joung, G. and Nicholls, N. (1997). An extended high quality historical rainfall data set for Australia. Australian Meteorological Magazine, 46, 27-38.

Plummer, N., Lin, Z. and Torok, S. (1995). Trends in the diurnal temperature range over Australia since 1951. Atmospheric Research, 37, 79-86.

Torok, S.J. and Nicholls, N. (1996). An historical annual temperature data set for Australia. Australian Meteorological Magazine, 45, 251-260.