Purpose

In this section of our web site we would like to help you find the information you want quickly and easily. Along the way we hope your awareness of what the Bureau of Meteorology has to offer will increase, and perhaps you will understand the field of meteorology better. Consider the following information as a starting point.

Climate & weather: what's the difference?
There is a variety of ways to explain the difference. Here are a few that may shed some light:

Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get.

Climate is about long-term records, trends and averages;
weather is the day to day experience.

Climate is the sum or synthesis of all the weather recorded over a long period of time. It tells us the average or most common conditions, or extremes, or counts of events, or frequencies. Weather is a description of conditions over a short period of time - a "snap shot" of the atmosphere at a particular time.

If weather is the watch then climate is the calendar.

What's Available

We have resources such as brochures, reports and glossaries in the form of web pages and PDF documents. You will find: weather charts, weather forecasts, climate data, maps, graphics, animations and details of the Bureau of Meteorology's structure and services. You will also be able to order a variety of products.

The Bureau wishes to acknowledge the work done by the students employed under the Work Experience and Vocational Education and Training schemes. Some of the web pages and animations found in the Students and Teachers section were produced by those students.

Alphabetic List of Topics and Search Tool

Use the alphabet navigation bar given below by clicking on the first letter of your topic. You will then get a list of hot linked topics to choose from. Brochures and Bureau sections and services are included. See below for the meaning of the and icons linked to brochures. Both the alphabet navigation bar and link to the search tool are given with each topic list.

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Use our glossary to find definitions of terms.

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Specific Audiences

We also cater to specific audiences by providing the following hot links to information produced specially for them. The alphabetic list of topics will also lead to the same information.

Students and Teachers _ Agriculture _ Aviation _ Marine

Tourists _ Urban Designers

Other Information

Publications : here you find a list of the brochures that may be down loaded as PDF documents, along with a catalogue of other publications.

Careers in Meteorology : here you find general career information such as entry and probationary arrangements, conditions of service, qualifications and selection criteria.

National Meteorological Library : here you'll find other resources available from the Bureau such as journals, services, references and links to other libraries.

Climate Education : here you'll find educational information of a climatic nature such as: El Niņo, global maps, climate averages and extremes, seasonal forecasts and other data and information.

Weather Education : here you'll find educational information on weather related issues such as preparing, reading and using weather maps, and typical weather map patterns.

Australian Meteorological Magazine (AMM) : a southern hemisphere journal of the atmospheric, oceanic and related sciences, is published four times each year by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

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Brochures

Brochures are a valuable source of information; especially for school projects. They may be ordered as a paper copy or downloaded electronically from our web site as Portable Document Files (PDF). Either or both of the following icons : , may appear in the description of some brochures found in the list of topics.

Clicking on the (PDF) icon will allow you to select and download an electronic version of the brochure in a PDF format. Clicking on the (REQ) icon will allow you to electronically request that a paper copy of the brochure be mailed to you. When composing your request, please include your full postal address and the name of the brochure you require (available from the menu provided when you make your request). Click here to contact us about any problems you experience.