Chapter 2 - Climate Data and Monitoring

Climate Monitoring and Analysis > Contribution to Global Climate Monitoring

Summaries of recent climate patterns over the Australia-southwest Pacific region continue to be provided for the WMO Annual Statement on the Status of the Global Climate, and for the US Climate Prediction Centre’s Annual Climate Assessment. Further copies are provided to the China Meteorological Administration’s National Climate Centre and incorporated into the annual global climate summaries published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. During 2002-03 the Bureau of Meteorology contributed to the 7th WMO Global Climate System Review, taking the lead for the chapter on Flooding, as well as providing a large volume of material on climate events over Australia and the southwest Pacific for the five years 1997-2002.

In response to a request from Directors of South Pacific National Meteorological Services (NMSs) at the sixth Regional Meteorological Service Directors Meeting in Tahiti in 1999, the Bureau of Meteorology’s NCC began monthly production of the South Pacific Seasonal Outlook Reference Material in May 2000. This compendium includes detailed information on the current state, as well as longer-range forecasts, of ENSO conditions, with an emphasis on possible impacts upon the South Pacific region. The reference material, which is circulated via e-mail, is provided as a collation of World Wide Web links to original data sources and brief summaries. It is designed to act as a tool to assist South Pacific NMSs in their local climate decision-making processes. The South Pacific Seasonal Outlook Reference Material welcomes (and receives) feedback and input from South Pacific nations.

Australia is an active participant in the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), and contributes to their national and international infrastructure, planning and implementation. Operationally, much effort has been placed in helping to ensure that the Australian GCOS Surface Network (GSN) and GCOS Upper Air Network (GUAN) operate to best practice. Other important contributions during 2001-02 included: the submission of a detailed report on Australia's climate observation systems as part of the requirements of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which included Australia’s involvement in the climate related related elements of the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) as well as GCOS and GOOS contributions; the provision of historical data and metadata for inclusion in an international GSN database; and the Australian involvement in regional GCOS workshops and subsequent planning and implementation activities. Australia’s involvement in the planning and operation of GCOS is discussed in more detail in Chapter 6.

In addition to GCOS commitments, Australia's Regional Basic Climatological Network has recently been defined. This network consists of stations reporting monthly surface or upper-air observations internationally. It includes GSN and GUAN stations supplemented by other stations needed to describe regional climate, particularly those with long records such as the national Reference Climate Stations.