CLIMARC

Extending the computerised Australian climate archive

The computerised Australian Data Archive for Meteorology (ADAM) contains some hundred million observations, and for a number of sites, extends over more than 100 years. Yet it is not complete. With the exception of rainfall, for the majority of historical observations prior to the International Geophysical Year, which began in July 1957, the original recordings still remain only in paper form.

An analysis of the lack of pre-1957 climate data available in electronic format identified several implications of national significance. These include:

• a reduced ability to manage climatic risks and make the most of opportunities;
• an inadequate period of record for developing forecast tools (e.g. frost prediction for managing crops);
• the inability of computer models to accurately simulate long-term historical crop or pasture production; and
• the fact that records were too short to determine the full significance of changes in climate extremes.

A jointly funded collaborative project known as CLIMARC - "Computerising the Australian Climate Archives" - was established in 1999 to address these issues. For 64 sites at 51 key climate locations across Australia, the project involved the data entry and quality control of more than 40,000 monthly climate records, some going back as far as 1858. The CLIMARC project was completed in 2002, and the computerised data integrated with the existing ADAM climate record.

The contribution of CLIMARC to the Australian climate record

The CLIMARC project significantly increased the amount of computerised historical climate data.

CLIMARC has made a significant contribution to the Australian climate record; the extent of the additional data illustrated by the orange shaded area in the above illustration. Investigations have shown that CLIMARC data significantly reduce analysis errors associated with pre-1957 temperatures. The extended data will contribute to, amongst other things:

• global climate studies including climate variability and climate change;
• better spatial and temporal coverage of Australia's climate history for a wide variety of applications;
• improved analysis of the effects of climate on agriculture; and
• better climate data for developing forecast tools.

Contributors to funding for the CLIMARC Project

• Land & Water Australia through its Climate Variability in Agriculture R & D Program (now Managing Climate Variability Program)
• Australian Government, Bureau of Meteorology
• Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland
• Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Queensland
• New South Wales Agriculture (now Department of Primary Industries)
• Australian Government, Bureau of Rural Sciences
• Department of Agriculture, Western Australia
• Primary Industries and Resources, South Australia
• CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
• Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Tasmania
• National Archives of Australia (in-kind)

Further information

Mr Nick Clarkson, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland
PO Box 102, TOOWOOMBA, QLD, 4350
Phone +61 7 4688 1248, Fax +61 7 4688 1477, Email nick.clarkson@dpi.qld.gov.au

Mr Rod Hutchinson, Bureau of Meteorology, Australia
GPO Box 1289, MELBOURNE, VIC, 3001
Phone +61 3 9669 4062, Fax +61 3 9669 4760, Email r.hutchinson@bom.gov.au

Last modified 31 May 2005