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‘Human influence on the climate system is clear’
2016 Key Finding2016The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made this statement in its most recent report (Stocker et al. 2013a). The IPCC’s role is to review, assess and synthesise the latest information on climate change. Concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere have...
State and trends of the Antarctic cryosphere
2016, 2011 Assessment summaryAntarctic environment State and trends The physical environment: The cryosphere Antarctica...
Managing for resilience
2016 Report Content2016 Marine environment Resilience Great Barrier Reef Marine North Marine North West Marine South East Most management...
Pressures affecting Australia’s climate 2016
2016 At a glanceAt a glanceGreenhouse gases (GHGs)—carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, short-lived tropospheric and stratospheric ozone, nitrous oxide and synthetic GHGs—together with water vapour, and natural and industrial aerosols, influence Earth’s energy balance. Human activity, primarily the burning of...
Risks to Australia’s climate 2016
2016 At a glanceAt a glanceAn understanding of the risks associated with Australia’s climate will lead to improved action plans to adapt to the changes predicted to occur. Our climate is a dynamic system; therefore, the risks need to be re-evaluated frequently. Recent climate change projections for...
State and trends of the Antarctic atmosphere
2016, 2011 Assessment summaryAntarctic environment State and trends The physical environment: The atmosphere—climate and weather patterns Antarctica...
Effectiveness of climate change management
2016, 2011 Assessment summaryClimate Effectiveness of management Planning and strategyManagement outputs and outcomesUnderstanding and researchRole and coordination of different levels of government...
Direct (primary) effects of pressures on climate
2016 Report Content2016 Climate Pressures Greater Sydney The CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology State of the climate 2014 (CSIRO...
Sustained ocean monitoring
2016 Report Content2016 Marine environment Outlook Great Barrier Reef Responding to a changing and increasingly modified environment, especially one where directing or modifying the trajectory of change is...
Climate change
2016 Report Content2016 Heritage Pressures Murray Darling Tasmania Great Barrier Reef Marine North Greater Sydney...
Understanding and research
2016 Report ContentThe living environment: Marine and terrestrial
2016 Report Content2016 Antarctic environment State and trends Antarctica Given its extreme conditions, the Antarctic has a surprising diversity of ecosystems. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, driest and...
Trends in emissions
2016 Report Content2016 Climate Pressures Greater Melbourne Greater Sydney Absolute aggregate emissions Between 1990 and 2015, Australia’s national GHG inventory suggested that emissions...
Climate and system variability
2016 Report Content2016 Marine environment Pressures Tasmania Marine Temperate East Marine South West Great Barrier Reef Marine North...
Pressures affecting heritage values
2016, 2011 Assessment summaryHeritage Pressures Climate changePopulation growthEconomic growthPressures on natural heritagePressures on Indigenous heritagePressures on historic heritage...
The living environment: Vertebrate populations
2016 Report Content2016 Antarctic environment State and trends Antarctica Vertebrate populations Antarctic vertebrates encompass a variety of flying seabirds and penguins, several seals and whales, and numerous...
The physical environment: The cryosphere
2016 Report Content2016 Antarctic environment State and trends Antarctica The physical environment includes both the nonliving factors that characterise an ecosystem (e.g. weather patterns, ice coverage, the...
Increases in greenhouse gases
2016 Report Content2016 Climate Pressures Tasmania Greater Brisbane Greater Darwin Greater Hobart Greater Melbourne...
Climate change
2011 Report Content2011 Introduction Climate has always been a prime determinant of the Australian environment and its condition, with droughts and floods perhaps more characteristic than for other inhabited continents. The recent drought in south-east Australia is...
Future risks associated with climate change
2011 Report Content2011 Coasts Risks Climate change is a major driver of change for Australia. Commenting on Australia’s vulnerability, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted in 2007:41 Even if adaptive capacity is...
2 Drivers | References
2011 Report Content3 Atmosphere | References
2011 Report Content2011 Report graph - Figure 2.2 Annual industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for 1990–2008 and 2009
2011 GraphFigure 2.2 Fossil fuel CO2 emissions (Gt of carbon/year) Figure 2.2 Annual industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for 1990–2008 and 2009 Black circles represent the years 1990–2008, and the open circle represents 2009. Emissions fall...
Climate research
2011 Report Content2011 Climate State and trends Murray Darling Indian Ocean Variability and extremes of weather are key characteristics of Australia’s climate. Australian scientists are...
Management outputs and outcomes
2011 Report Content2011 Climate Effectiveness of management Efforts by government, the business sector and the broader community to reduce GHG emissions are essential to minimise the degree of climate change and associated consequences....
2011 Report graph - Figure 2.3 Projected changes across Australia in (a) annual average temperatures between 1980–99 and 2030, and (b) annual average precipitation in 2030 (compared to the period 1980–99)
2011 GraphFigure 2.3 (b) Figure 2.3 Projected changes across Australia in (a) annual average temperatures between 1980–99 and 2030, and (b) annual average precipitation in 2030 (compared to the period 1980–99) The projections give an estimate of the...
3 Atmosphere | 2 Climate | 2.6 Outlook for Australia's climate
2011 At a glanceAt a glanceThe latest State of the climate report notes that, by 2070, if growth in global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) continues in line with past trends, Australia will warm by 2.2–5.0 °C. A rise of around 2 °C over just two centuries is expected to lead to widespread and...
Pressures affecting Australia's climate
2011 At a glanceAt a glanceThe energy balance of Earth’s atmosphere is influenced by the presence of trace levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapour (a major GHG), and natural and industrial aerosols. Since the start of the industrial era (around 1750...
3 Atmosphere | 2 Climate | 2.5 Risks to Australia's climate
2011 At a glanceAt a glanceFor Australia, as the driest inhabitable continent and with a climate characterised by high levels of variability, climate change poses a clear and present threat. At national and regional scales, although there is inevitable uncertainty associated with projections of future...