Improving Australia's climate record
Australia has warmed by approximately 1 °C since 1910
On 23 March 2012, World Meteorological Day, the Bureau officially released its updated and improved Australian temperature dataset.
Known as the Australian Climate Observations Reference Network – Surface Air Temperature (ACORN-SAT) the new dataset was developed to monitor and analyse long-term climate variability and change in Australia.
The ACORN-SAT dataset employs the latest analysis techniques and takes advantage of newly digitised observational data to provide a daily record of Australian temperatures over the last 100 years. Reviewed by an international panel of experts, the dataset is considered an important long-term national asset.
The official launch took place at the State Library of Victoria and was attended by almost 100 climate scientists, data specialists, Bureau staff, researchers, policy- and decisions-makers. Additional seminars have taken place in Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart, with one more planned for Canberra tomorrow.
ACORN-SAT reaffirms climate trends identified previously by the Bureau. The new data show that Australia has warmed by approximately 1 °C since 1910. The warming has occurred mostly since 1950, as outlined in the State of the Climate 2012 snapshot recently released by the Bureau and CSIRO.
Figure shows long-term climate trends analysis using ACORN-SAT: annual and decadal mean temperature anomalies for Australia
(departures from the 1960–1990 average).
More information is available from the ACORN-SAT website , including technical reports, publications and the full dataset.
If you are interested in attending the Canberra seminar, contact communication@bom.gov.au