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Climate Services are delivered through the Climate Data and Climate Monitoring Service outputs which contribute to the achievement of the desired outcome. The developments related to each individual output during 2004-05 and their contribution to the outcome are considered below. Climate Policy Advice activities are also described below.

CLIMATE DATA

Climate Data encompasses data management, as well as data and information provision. Data management includes the collection, storage, archiving and quality control of meteorological and related data, and provides the basis for the range of data and information services which the Bureau provides to government, industry, environmental sectors and the general public. Information is stored principally in the Australian Data Archive for Meteorology (ADAM), which contains numerous data types, including: daily and hourly surface records (e.g. temperature, rainfall totals and intensities, wind speed and direction, surface atmospheric pressure, various visual observations of meteorological phenomena); monthly statistics for surface climate; upper-air measurements; ship and buoy observations; and some international climate data. The data bank continues to expand in terms of the duration of records, the number of data types stored and the frequency of observations within a given period. Climate data must be accurate and reliable, and accordingly, a philosophy of continuous improvement underpins the quality control activity under this output. Quality control and other data management procedures are developed and refined in collaboration with the Bureau's Observational Data output, with increased emphasis on their automation and the introduction of improved techniques for error detection and investigation, while working towards better integration of quality control activities throughout the Bureau.

The Bureau is responsible for protecting the integrity of Australias climate record through secure archiving of the data that underpin the record, and making data accessible to users. Aside from ingesting current data, this involves transferring data from paper manuscripts to digital and imaged formats, which secures the records for posterity and makes the data more accessible. There is a great deal of data still in manuscript forms and efforts to transfer these data to electronic formats are ongoing. The Bureau has also taken an active role in the development of data management systems for Pacific Island countries, in contributing to the establishment of international standards for data management and quality control, and in international data rescue activities aimed at ensuring the preservation and reliability of the global climate record.

The Bureau provides historical meteorological data, information and climate-related advisory services to Australian and international communities. The full range of these services is provided through the NCC and the Bureau's Regional Offices in each State and the Northern Territory, and a more limited service is provided through smaller information offices throughout the country. Requests are generally made by phone or through the Bureau's internet email request facility. Data are available from weather stations, weather radars, satellites and the Bureau's numerical weather prediction models.

A range of standard climate products are also freely accessible from the climate pages on the Bureau's website at http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/. This includes statistical information, wind rose analyses and climatological maps. In addition to statistical data, a suite of information products can be generated for the Bureau's weather stations across Australia. These climate-related summary products, which include the Daily Almanac product, the Hot and Cold Spell and Wet and Dry Spell products and the Weather Profile product, are typically used for event planning and educational purposes. Historical station information (i.e. metadata) is stored in a database and is readily available (Figure 29). All of these products can be quickly generated for a selected date or period and are available from Bureau offices.

Figure 29. An example of the type of metadata (information about the data) provided by the Bureau of Meteorology. The diagram graphically shows information about the type and (record) length of meteorological observations available for Darwin Airport.

Major developments 2004-05

In addition to the ongoing routine quality control of daily and hourly meteorological data, considerable progress was made in the development of a new quality monitoring system, which will improve on the existing system by providing a greater range of evaluation tools, allowing quality control to be performed much closer to the event and enhancing reporting processes that monitor and improve the performance of the Bureau's observational systems.
The Bureau completed the key entry of 2.5 million aerodrome observations into the ADAM database, as a key contribution to research aimed at improved understanding of airport climatologies. Work commenced on upgrading the ingestion of marine data into the climate database to enhance the range of data being captured, and to improve the range of data provided to relevant international data centres.
Work continued on the large task of key-entering historical (pre-1957) hourly and daily surface observations into the ADAM database. Experimental work has been undertaken on the development of PC-based procedures aimed at improving the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of digitised paper rainfall records.
Bureau staff continued to participate in various WMO Commission for Climatology expert teams on climate observations and data management.
The NCC conducted a WMO training workshop on Climate Data Management, aimed at increasing the ability of developing countries in the Australian region to manage their climate data. Twenty-two countries were represented at the workshop, mostly from the South Pacific and South-East Asia.
The NCC commenced work to secure the climate records of a number of Pacific Island countries, where there are concerns that data could be lost. The Australian Greenhouse Office is funding this project, which is also a contribution to the Pacific Island Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) initiative. As part of this development, a Bureau officer visited the Samoa National Meteorological Service.
The implementation of a new online information service enabled the public to easily access daily weather observations (Figure 30), presented on a monthly basis for the current year, for more than 700 locations across Australia.
A new, simpler charging scheme has been implemented and has improved the efficiency of data provision for users of larger volume datasets. The new scheme allows charges to be calculated quickly and transparently.
The Temperature Atlas of Australia was completed and represents a major addition to the suite of climatological information available from the Bureau. This hardcopy publication, containing mapped, graphical and descriptive information, is available to the community from the Bureau's information offices throughout Australia.
The development of a new interactive tool within the Bureau's database retrieval system enables the automatic generation of frequency analyses for a range of weather elements.
A submission was provided in relation to a draft southeast Queensland Regional Plan, setting out the proposed strategy that will guide growth and development in southeast Queensland until 2026. Information on the likely meteorological and hydrological impacts of proposed higher density urban development was provided.
A new method of calculating lightning ground flash density from ground-based lightning counter registrations was developed and used to prepare a lightning ground flash density map for Australia.
The NCC developed an up-to-date tropical cyclone climatology for the southern hemisphere, including analysis of the influence of the El Nio Southern Oscillation phenomenon (ENSO).

Participants at the National Climate Centre/World Meteorological Organization Climate Data Management Training Workshop, Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, 29 November to 3 December.

Figure 30. A sample of the Daily Weather Observations information sheet for Canberra. This product is updated twice a day and is freely available from the Bureau's website (http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/index.shtml) for more than 700 locations across Australia.

Contribution towards outcome

Improvements to the quality control of meteorological data serve to increase the reliability of data provided to users and will also assist in monitoring and maintaining the accuracy standards of the national observational network.
Key-entering historical data into ADAM has improved the accessibility of important historical (pre-1957) data to a wide range of users.
Participation in international climate activities enhances in-house knowledge and helps ensure standardisation of climate data practices so that consistent monitoring and analysis of global and regional climate is possible.
Climate database development and data rescue in Pacific Island countries improves the availability of climate data in the Australian/South Pacific region and improves the understanding of important phenomena such as ENSO and the impacts of climate change.
The provision of meteorological information through the Internet makes it more readily available to specific industry-related user groups, commercial organisations and the general public.
A simpler charging regime has seen users benefit from more equitable costs and faster access to climate data and information.
The development of standard climatological datasets and publications supports the needs of scientific groups involved in research and industries such as agriculture and energy. The atlas datasets are all available electronically in spatial formats to meet the needs of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and related users.
Enhancements to the database access and analysis system have allowed the Bureau to more effectively respond to the growing demand from users for specialised information, such as frequency analyses produced from observational weather data.
The provision of climate data to assist urban planning helps improve the liveability of Australian cities and the comfort and well-being of the community in general.
Lightning and tropical cyclone climatologies provide information that directly contributes to minimising loss of life and property damage.

CLIMATE MONITORING SERVICE

The Climate Monitoring Service encompasses the monitoring and prediction of climate variability and change. Emphasis is on Australia and the Pacific, the latter reflecting the fundamental role of the Pacific Ocean in Australias climate variability. Data drawn from the Bureau's basic observation network, and stored within ADAM, continue to form the basis for monitoring climate variations over Australia. Subsets of these data form the high-quality climate change datasets, which are used to monitor long-term climate change (Figure 31). These high-quality data are maintained and updated in real-time, and have been used to understand a range of climate shifts over Australia, including the drying in southwest Western Australia from the 1970s, and the national warming trend which has prevailed since 1950.

New types of data are becoming increasingly prominent in the Climate Monitoring Service, including surface and subsurface ocean observations from buoys and profilers, and remotely-sensed satellite-based observations of wind, temperature, and cloudiness. Some of these data are used directly, for example to diagnose large-scale shifts in global cloud cover, while others are combined in advanced meteorological analysis schemes to provide a spatially and temporally complete description of the global climate system. It is these global (or near global) datasets which underpin the seasonal prediction activities under this output. The Bureau of Meteorology produces a national Seasonal Climate Outlook every month, which gives the likelihood of warm or cool, and wet or dry conditions occurring in the subsequent three months. The Bureau's coupled climate model POAMA (Predictive Ocean Atmosphere Model for Australia) has recently been introduced into operational services providing eight-month forecasts of the likely evolution of El Ni�o/La Ni�a. The value of this system has been demonstrated in recent years, with an excellent long-lead forecast of the decay of the 2002-03 El Ni�o event, and a successful long-lead prediction of the near El Ni�o conditions which prevailed through the second half of 2004 and early 2005.

The Climate Monitoring Service is primarily delivered through the Climate Analysis Section of the NCC but with some significant contributions from the Regional CCSs.

Figure 31. Australian annual mean temperature anomalies (1910-2004). Anomalies are calculated with respect to the mean for the reference period (1961-1990).

Major developments 2004-05

The production of special statements has continued to evolve to meet the growing demand for concise factual data relating to significant climate anomalies or short-term weather events that break long-standing records. Statements in the past twelve months have covered: the possible development of an El Nio in late 2004; record rainfall and low temperatures in southeastern Australia in early February; record or near-record high daily maximum temperatures in early April across five states and the Northern Territory; and extreme warmth for the entire month of April (Figure 32) and the very dry start to the year across a large part of the country.
A number of new display and analysis tools were developed to enable improved monitoring and detection of meteorological drought, including the rainfall totals required for relief or removal of rainfall deficiencies.
The NCC ENSO brochure was revised and reprinted with a new name, "El Nio, La Nia and Australias Climate". As one of NCCs more widely requested publications, this brochure meets demand for concise and attractively presented information relating to the ENSO phenomenon and its impacts on Australias climate. Web pages relating to ENSO impacts were also enhanced.
The Bureau continued to be involved in significant, ongoing international climate monitoring activities including: holding positions on WMO expert teams and conference organising committees; contributions to major monitoring and prediction statements and publications (e.g. WMO Statements on the Status of the Global Climate and on El Nio, the American Meteorological Society Annual Climate Summary); and the completion of a web portal as a Lead Centre for Long Range Forecast Verification. Major regional contributions included involvement in the monthly Island Climate Update Teleconference hosted by New Zealands National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), the distribution of monthly South Pacific Seasonal Outlook Reference Material, and several overseas missions to the South Pacific as part of the Bureau's lead role in the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)funded Pacific Island Climate Prediction Project. Implementation of the Bureau's seasonal outlook methodology in several countries, capacity building and linking Pacific meteorological services with their key stakeholder communities, are key features of this project.
In collaboration with the Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO), and in support of their National Climate Change Adaptation Program, enhanced internet-based information on long-term climate variability and change information was developed (Figure 33).
Spatial analysis methods used to monitor surface climate variability over Australia were upgraded as part of the Bureau's contribution to the Bureau of Rural Sciences/Bureau of Meteorology/CSIRO Australian Water Availability (AWA) Project. This activity has led to an approximate halving of the uncertainty in rainfall and temperature analyses. Analysis products from this system will contribute to the new National Monitoring System for streamlining the Exceptional Circumstance process for drought relief.
Regular participation in conferences, workshops, field days and other meetings has encouraged an exchange of ideas on how to better communicate climate information. The NCC and the regional CCSs provided numerous media interviews and related communications. A study of the communication of climate information led to the development of a five-year strategy and plan for improving its effectiveness. Collaboration with the AGO and the CSIRO on communicating climate change information was also enhanced.
The 16th Australia New Zealand Climate Forum (ANZCF) was convened by the Bureau and held at Lorne, Victoria from 8-10 November. The Forum is held every 18 to 24 months and gives climate scientists and stakeholders from Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to present and discuss ongoing climate research and applications. Focused on the theme Climate and Water, it was the largest and most successful in the series to date.

Figure 32. National maximum temperature anomalies for the month of April 2005 which had the largest temperature anomalies, i.e. departures from the average, for mean and maximum temperatures for any month on record.

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Figure 33. An example of the data displayed on the NCC/BMRC climate variability and change website, which is being developed as part of the Australian Greenhouse Office's National Climate Change Adaptation Program.

Contribution towards outcome

Special statements on climate events consolidate information of particular interest to the media and other interested stakeholders to facilitate easier access and accurate reporting.
Climate monitoring and prediction products and services, comprising both publications and Internet-based material, improve community understanding of climate and help in the planning and management of climate-related consequences for weather and climate sensitive industries.
Unambiguous communication of climate information is the key to its effective use. Improved and enhanced brochures and web content, as part of a continuous improvement ethic, play a vital role in this area. Furthermore, the routine monitoring of media interactions indicates how well critical information is being disseminated to the public at large. The development of a communication strategy and plan is expected to lead to more targeted activities and more efficient use of program resources.
A high level commitment to engaging in international collaborative activities in operational climatology, has led to Australia achieving a reputation for excellence in this important area of global interest. The growth in targeted capacity-building activities by the Bureau in the southwest Pacific has been especially welcomed.
Information on historical climate variability and change helps industry and governments to better comprehend how climate variations might affect their interests, and promotes the formulation of more effective strategies to lessen the adverse impacts and exploit the opportunities.
Drought at various temporal and spatial scales has been having an increasing impact on both rural and urban communities during the past several years. The development of upgraded drought monitoring techniques, as well as major inter-agency initiatives like the AWA project, will help the Commonwealth and State governments to formulate appropriate policy responses.
Major workshops (including the ANZCF), conferences and meetings enable researchers, policy makers, and the producers and users of climate information to exchange ideas and establish relationships or partnerships that will enable better targeted and formulated information, to the ultimate benefit of the wider community.

CLIMATE POLICY ADVICE

In addition to the operational activities involved in providing the Climate Services outputs, the Bureau participates in numerous activities and interactions that provide national and international level policy advice on climate variability and change to government.

Climate variability, including climate change, has significant consequences for the Australian people, environment and economy and the Bureau contributes information and advice to governments on the status of the nations climate. Much of this information and advice is imparted through face-to-face briefings of bodies such as the Primary Industries Ministerial Council, the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, the Murray-Darling Basin Commission and their supporting committees. The Bureau is represented on several of the subsidiary groups established under these inter-jurisdictional structures. The Bureau also informs policy through its involvement with relevant Cooperative Research Centres, the National Climate Change Adaptation Working Group and also indirectly through proposals to funding agencies. Many Commonwealth and State government agencies regularly use the Bureaus climate data and products in carrying out their operational functions and in their development of policy. In particular, the Bureau works with the Bureau of Rural Sciences in providing inputs to drought monitoring and the related Exceptional Circumstances process. In addition, the Bureau collaborates with the AGO and CSIRO to develop and implement the scientific agenda for climate change research as well as the communication strategies for informing governments and industry.

At an international level, the Bureau contributes strongly on several fronts. Senior staff occupy managerial roles within the WMO Commission for Climatology (CCl). Scientific input is provided on climate change issues relevant to Australias negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). There is active coordination of Australian activities for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group I, as well as supporting scientific linkages to the other groups. The Bureau actively supports the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and, in collaboration with climate organisations elsewhere in the Pacific, the Pacific Island GCOS initiative. Throughout 200405, significant progress towards an integrated earth observations approach has been achieved. A ten-year Implementation Plan for a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) has been developed and adopted. A new Group on Earth Observations (GEO) has been formed to oversee the implementation of the plan. The aim is to progress from the current loosely-coordinated array of observing platforms towards the development of a comprehensive, well-coordinated and sustainable earth observation system of systems. The Bureau has taken the lead in coordinating Australias participation in this process. The Bureau also provides a coordinating role for climate science and monitoring projects being proposed and implemented under various climate bilateral partnerships, with the US, New Zealand, the European Union, Japan and China.

Major developments 2004-05

Bureau staff participated in ongoing high-level briefings to Ministers, Ministerial Councils and their supporting committees, and other government departments on climate issues, particularly regarding the continuation of rainfall deficiencies in many areas of Australia. Senior managers were appointed to steering committees of the Bureau of Rural Sciences-led Australian Water Availability and National Monitoring System projects and Bureau officers also participated in subsidiary working groups within the Ministerial Council structures.
Contribution to UNFCCC negotiations on issues relating to research and systematic observations of the climate system with a joint focus on an Implementation Plan for GCOS and also on gathering information on research priorities that meet the needs of the UNFCCC into the future. Australia contributed to a Pacific Island GCOS side-event at the Tenth Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP-10) in Buenos Aires.
Coordination of Australian participation in the GEOSS process, through chairing an Interdepartmental Committee to coordinate Australian input at a high level and a Joint Working Group for input at a technical level. The Bureau has actively encouraged the GEOSS process to build upon the very successful existing meteorological systems and utilise this to advance observing systems in other domains.
Involvement in steering committees and scientific panels relevant to the GCOS, including its regional Pacific Island counterpart (PI-GCOS), and appointment to two positions in the management group of the WMO Commission for Climatology.
Progress in climate bilateral partnerships, especially with regard to the AusAID-funded Pacific Island Climate Prediction Project (mainly with the US) and in securing funds from the AGO to undertake data rescue in the Pacific (mainly with New Zealand).
Commenced production of the 2005 edition of Climate Activities in Australia. This document, which reports on on-going climate related activities in Australia, will be finalised in late 2005 and distributed widely, including to delegates at the Eleventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the UNFCCC in Montreal in December.
Enhancement of the 'strengthening links' initiative between the Bureau and State government departments of agriculture or primary industries through workshops and collaboration on specific activities (e.g. climate change studies, project proposal submissions).

Contribution towards outcome

Regular briefings of Government Ministers and their advisers on current climatic conditions and outlooks support government planning and the development of policy priorities and responses. Bureau involvement in the Bureau of Rural Sciences-led projects ensured that the best possible meteorological advice and inputs were included and considered.
The Bureau's lead role in a number of UNFCCC issues, especially those related to enhancing global observing systems for climate and developing an appropriate system for highlighting research priorities, has significantly helped to raise Australias standing in that forum and contributes to improvements in climate science from which Australia benefits.
The Bureau contribution to the formulation of the GEOSS helps shape its future direction to serve the future needs of the Australian community for meteorological and related data.
Involvement in 'steering' GCOS and WMO CCl helps international communities learn from Australian experiences in climate observations and climate services and the Bureau to influence global priorities within those communities. Australia also benefits from access to the experiences of, and advances made in, other national meteorological services.
Improved climate observations and services in Pacific Island countries assist their communities in moving toward sustainable development; the observations also serve to fill potentially large data-void regions that would otherwise constrain progress in improving understanding of the climate system, including climate change. The climate bilateral partnerships have raised the profile of several Australian climate projects and activities and have provided an environment for mutually beneficial collaborations.
The Climate Activities Australia publication will provide policy makers and the international climate community with a concise description of climate activities and events in which Australia has some involvement.
Strengthened links with State government departments of agriculture/primary industries are improving the use of existing climate products and the development of enhanced products and service delivery for farmers and other end-users.

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