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Historic Content you are reading content from a previous reporting year.

Showing 30 of 51 results

Approach - Atmosphere 2016

2016
Atmosphere
Report Content

2016 Atmosphere In this report, we assess the state of Australia’s atmosphere through an assessment of Australia’s climate and the effects of climate change, and ambient air quality. The approach adopted in this report follows that outlined in the...

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State and trends of the Antarctic atmosphere

2016, 2011
Antarctic environment
State and trends
Assessment summary

Antarctic environment State and trends The physical environment: The atmosphere—climate and weather patterns Antarctica...

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Australia’s emissions in context

2016
Climate
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Climate Pressures Greater Brisbane Greater Darwin Greater Hobart Greater Melbourne Although Australia’s emissions in...

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Figure ANT6 Equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine for the Antarctic and Southern Hemisphere mid-latitudes derived from AGAGE global measurements of all major ozone-depleting substances and World Meteorological Organization 2014 scenarios

2016
Antarctic environment
State and trends
Graph

Average equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine for October, Antarctica, 1970–2105 Average equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine for October, Antarctica, 1970–2105 World Meteorological Organization 2014 scenariosAGAGE Antarctic measures of major ozone...

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The physical environment: The atmosphere—climate and weather patterns

2016
Antarctic environment
State and trends
Report Content

2016 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...

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Antarctica is warming, although changes in atmospheric circulation brought about by the Antarctic ozone hole have been a temporary mitigating factor that has reduced the overall amount of warming, primarily in summer

2016
Antarctic environment
Key Finding

2016During the past half-century, western Antarctic surface temperatures have shown general warming trends, with significant regional patterns. Cooling of the lower stratosphere because of ozone depletion in spring and early summer has helped to mitigate the amount of warming during the...

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State and trends of the Antarctic environment 2016

2016
Antarctic environment
State and trends
At a glance

At a glanceThe physical and chemical components of the Antarctic environment are changing. The Antarctic surface and lower atmosphere are warming, with the strongest temperature increases in the Antarctic Peninsula region and West Antarctica. Part of the warming is because of global...

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Pressures affecting Australia’s climate 2016

2016
Climate
Pressures
At a glance

At 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...

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Figure ATM3 Radiative forcing in 2011 relative to 1750, and aggregated uncertainties for the main drivers of climate change

2016
Climate
Pressures
Graph

Radiative forcing for the main drivers of climate change, and total radiative forcing in 2011 relative to 1750 Radiative forcing for the main drivers of climate change, and total radiative forcing in 2011 relative to 1750 Radiative forcingaerosols positive upper...

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Executive Summary - Antarctic environment

2016
Antarctic environment
Executive Summary

Antarctic environment 2016This report mainly focuses on the environment of areas administered by Australia (the Australian Antarctic Territory, and the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands), subantarctic Macquarie Island (which is part of Tasmania)...

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Antarctic environment: 2011–16 in context

2016
Antarctic environment
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Antarctic environment Introduction Antarctica Since 2011, the Antarctic environment has continued to respond to global pressures from human activity. As is the case in other regions of the...

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Effects of increased greenhouse gases

2016
Climate
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Climate Pressures The growing concentrations of human-generated GHGs have resulted in an increased absorption, largely in the lower atmosphere, of the heat radiated from Earth’s surface, causing an increase in the...

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Overview of state and trends of the Antarctic environment

2016
Antarctic environment
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Antarctic environment State and trends Antarctica What has changed since 2011? Antarctic sea ice has shown a general increase in overall extent, but some areas are showing rapid decline....

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Effectiveness of atmospheric management

2016, 2011
Ambient air quality
Effectiveness of management
Assessment summary

Ambient air quality Effectiveness of management Management of sources of pollutionManagement frameworkIndoor air quality...

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Human influences on Antarctica

2016
Antarctic environment
Pressures
Report Content
... vital natural sunscreen provided by ozone in the Antarctic stratosphere, human-made carbon dioxide has increased the ...
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Global importance of Antarctica

2016
Antarctic environment
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Antarctic environment Introduction Marine South West Marine South East Antarctica Although isolated from other continents, Antarctica is...

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Figure ATM25d Timeseries of monthly mean concentrations of carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide equivalent and tropospheric ozone; monthly median particle number concentration; and monthly median aerosol optical depth at 868 nanometres at Cape Grim under ...

2016
Climate
Graph

d Monthly median aerosol optical depth at 868 nanometres at Cape Grim, 1996–2015 Monthly median aerosol optical depth at 868 nanometres at Cape Grim, 1996–2015 MonthlymedianAerosolOpticalDepth(AOD) 01/19860.076446957 02/19860.06693375 03/19860.053308571...

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The physical environment: The Southern Ocean

2016
Antarctic environment
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Antarctic environment State and trends Antarctica The Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean is changing in ways that are likely to affect regional and global climate, and marine productivity (...

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The physical environment: The cryosphere

2016
Antarctic environment
State and trends
Report Content

2016 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...

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Understanding and research

2016
Climate
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Climate Effectiveness of management Tasmania Greater Melbourne In the 5 years since SoE 2011, international climate science has advanced significantly. The IPCC,...

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Box ATM5 Cape Grim: monitoring the health of the global atmosphere for 40 years

2016
Climate
Effectiveness of management
Case Study

The Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station (Cape Grim BAPS), established in 1976 to monitor and study global atmospheric composition for trends as a result of human activities and natural variability, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2016. The station is managed by the Bureau...

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Stratospheric ozone

2011
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Report Content

2011 Ambient air quality Pressures Global production of ODSs continues to decline (Figure 3.30). However, due to the long atmospheric lifetimes of a number of important ODSs, they will continue to impact levels of...

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Stratospheric ozone

2011
Ambient air quality
State and trends
Report Content
The stratosphere is the layer of the atmosphere that begins at an ...
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Stratospheric ozone

2011
Ambient air quality
Resilience
Report Content

2011 Ambient air quality Resilience A number of the key ODSs persist in the atmosphere for long periods. Therefore, despite the success of the Montreal Protocol in phasing out CFCs and other major ODSs (apart from...

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Stratospheric ozone

2011
Ambient air quality
Risks
Report Content

2011 Ambient air quality Risks As discussed in Sections 3.3.1 and 3.4.1, the prognosis for the future of the stratospheric ozone layer over the next half century is one of continuing recovery. Over that period, GHGs (...

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Stratospheric ozone

2011
Ambient air quality
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2011 Ambient air quality Effectiveness of management On the basis of the extent of international sign-on and results achieved, the Montreal Protocol is one of the world’s most effective international environment...

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Despite the success of the Montreal Protocol in controlling ozone depleting substances (ODSs), depletion of stratospheric ozone will continue for some decades.

2011
Atmosphere
Key Finding

2011Concentrations of chlorofluorocarbons and other ODSs in the atmosphere have been decreasing since the mid-1990s, but many of these substances are long lived and will continue to affect stratospheric ozone for some decades. Nevertheless, the prospects for recovery of the stratospheric...

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The ozone hole has largely protected East Antarctica from global warming.

2011
Antarctic environment
Key Finding

2011Over the past half-century, western Antarctic surface temperatures have shown general warming trends with significant regional patterns. The Antarctic Peninsula is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth. In East Antarctica, the lower stratosphere has cooled and changed the...

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2011 Report graph - Figure 3.22 Effect of the Montreal Protocol and its amendments on ozone depleting substances and excess skin cancer cases

2011
Ambient air quality
Graph

Figure 3.22 Figure 3.22 Effect of the Montreal Protocol and its amendments on ozone depleting substances and excess skin cancer cases The top panel gives a measure of the projected future abundance of ozone depleting substances in the...

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3 Atmosphere | 3 Ambient air quality and other atmospheric issues | 3.1 State and trends of Australia's atmosphere

2011
Ambient air quality
State and trends
At a glance

At a glanceGlobal observations of atmospheric levels of the major ozone depleting substances (ODSs)—principally chlorofluorocarbons and halons (used as refrigerants, industrial solvents, flame retardants and propellants in aerosol spray cans)—show them reaching a peak in the mid-1990s and...

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Australia State of the Environment 2016 has been prepared by independent experts using the best available information to support assessments of environmental condition, pressures, management effectiveness, resilience, risks and outlook.

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We, the authors, acknowledge the traditional owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community; we pay respect to them and their cultures and to their elders both past and present.

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