Welcome to spring with the Bureau of Meteorology announcing Australia just had its warmest winter on record.
Another reminder in the daily headlines that climate science is never far away.
In August, the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, AMOS, celebrated 50 years of Australian involvement in atmosphere, ocean and climate science at a symposium at Melbourne Museum. We’ve come a long way in our ability to understand and project our future climate. We heard about the formation of the Royal Meteorological Society Australia Branch in 1973, and the subsequent formation of AMOS in the 1980s. Reflections were made on Australia’s influential involvement in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change from the late 80s, and in the World Climate Research Programme thereafter until present day.
Alongside these international developments was the long history of the Australian Climate Change Science Program which ran from 1979-2016. This proud 50 year plus journey of Australian climate science has brought us to today’s NESP where, since 2016, climate science seeks to find greater impact through co-design and partnerships with our state and federal research-users.
Looking forward to the 75th AMOS celebration, it will be the year 2048 and we will have a pretty good idea of how we are tracking for a net-zero 2050 world. International policy and action will determine if we are talking about a 3- or 4-degree world or realising climate stabilisation toward the end of the century. One thing is clear, the story of ocean warming, and sea-level rise will continue to reveal itself.
Climate science will only continue to evolve and become more critical to all aspects of society, the way we live and work. The Climate Systems Hub is a key part of the ongoing scientific work to guide climate responses and adaptation.
On a more personal note, I would like to thank our hub Indigenous Facilitator Rowena Bullio for her contribution not just to the hub but to Indigenous engagement in research. Sadly for the hub, Rowie resigned in August. She has had a profound influence on the Indigenous partnerships work of the hub, an important part of the NESP program. Rowie will be very much missed by the hub team, and we offer a very heartfelt thank you.
Dr Simon Marsland
Climate Systems Hub lead
CSIRO Senior Principal Research Scientist
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