ACCESS: Australia’s climate and earth systems model

ACCESS: Australia’s climate and earth systems model

June 19, 2024

Understanding ACCESS and the value of climate modelling 

Climate models are the most important tool we have in understanding our climate. The Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS) is a climate and earth systems model that allows us to understand unique aspects of Australia’s past and future climate, and which contributed to the IPCC’s (Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change) most recent Sixth Assessment Report. 

Facilitated by new Hub leader Dr Jaci Brown, this webinar will bring together Dr Will Howard from the Climate Change Authority and CSIRO scientists Dr Tilo Zeihn and Dr Michael Grose, to discuss the benefits of a climate model tailored to Australia’s needs, and how this state-of-the-art model is being applied in research and decision-making. The panel will also give a brief overview of how climate models work and how ACCESS can be used to solve our climate questions.

Dr Will Howard is Lead Scientist at the Australian Government Climate Change Authority, working across climate science, emissions reduction, carbon removal, adaptation, oceans and other climate policy issues. Previously, he worked as Head of Science for the Office of the Chief scientist and was Lead Climate Scientist at the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. 

Dr Tilo Ziehn is a principal research scientist at CSIRO Environment. He is leading the development of the Earth System Model (ESM) version of the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS) including the Climate Systems Hub’s project “Towards the next generation Earth System Model”. His research interests are mainly focused on land carbon-cycle interactions and the role of the terrestrial biosphere in mitigation and managing carbon. 

Dr Michael Grose is a research scientist at CSIRO working in the area of climate projections, attribution, assessment and communication. He was a lead author on the IPCC Sixth Assessment Working Group 1 Report. Through working with CMIP6 models and downscaling for new projections, and as a working group leader in the National Partnership for Climate Projections (NPCP), Michael has practical insights about the role and importance of ACCESS for analysing and communicating climate change projections for the community and decision makers. 

Dr Jaci Brown is currently the Acting Hub Lead. Jaci has taken time away from her substantive role as the Research Director for CSIRO Climate Intelligence Program. Jaci’s research has spanned agricultural climate, tropical oceanography, climate projections, fisheries, and seasonal atmospheric processes. 

 

Date: Wednesday, 19 June

Time: 1:00PM – 2:00PM (AEDT) 

Online

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