Chapter 2 - Climate Data and Monitoring

Conclusions

In many key respects, the extreme climatic event that Australians experienced in 2002 underlined the importance of ensuring that the basic infrastructure for climate services and research is reliable, accurate and robust. While the drought was primarily a consequence of climate variability induced by an El Niņo event, questions were raised on the extent to which the very dry and warm conditions over much of the country were a manifestation of longer term human-induced climate change.

Long term and reliable climate records, managed within a modern climate database and subject to the internationally agreed data management standards of the WMO, ensure that the event will be placed in its correct historical context. These data were also an essential component of the basis for decisions by relevant government organizations to declare exceptional circumstances of drought and, as a result, were given unprecedented scrutiny. Improved metadata associated with those climate data have provided easier interpretation of climate monitoring and analyses and further helped reduce uncertainties. This extreme climatic event also gave birth to a range of new monitoring products, which were disseminated widely through the Internet.

At the same time, greater volumes of paper records were converted into computer compatible form and secured, extending the computerised historical climate record back in time. New data types were added to the climate database and much progress was made in activities related to the GCOS. Support for GCOS, and indeed all observing systems supporting climate, is essential if we are to ensure that the future supply of climate data is sustained and in formats suitable for researchers and for the generation of a growing number of climate products, services and applications.