Climate change

Warmer, wetter, hotter, drier? How to choose between climate futures

Some climate models show that, under high greenhouse gas emissions, Sydney could be up to 4.8C hotter and have 20% less rainfall by 2090. Others show the Harbour City could warm only by 2.3C and become 25% wetter. How do we deal with such large uncertainty?

A new website shows how global warming could change your town

What will Australia look like in 2050? Even if we significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as under an intermediate scenario, Melbourne’s annual average climate could look more like that of Adelaide’s, and Adelaide’s climate could be more like that of Griffith in New South Wales.

Paul Fraser: the Air Man of Cape Grim

Paul Fraser looks at things that aren’t there, and at invisible things. He came up with the idea of having a library of air. But it’s not because he’s a bit odd – he’s not. He’s doing these things as part of some vitally important science.

Despite decades of deforestation, the Earth is getting greener

A new investigation of satellite records reveals that the Earth is getting greener, despite ongoing deforestation in Indonesia and South America.

February carbon dioxide levels average 400ppm for first time

The US government’s greenhouse gas monitoring site at Mauna Loa in Hawaii has confirmed that its average recorded carbon dioxide levels for February topped 400 parts per million (ppm) – the first time that this has been seen in a northern winter month.

Two trillion light bulbs burning in our oceans

A network of floating data monitors across the world’s oceans has revealed a noticeable rise in temperature, particularly around Northern Australia, in as little as eight years – something that usually takes a lot longer to be recorded.

Severe La Niña events predicted to double

A team looking at the effect of a warming climate on the frequency and severity of La Niña events has found they are likely to be twice as frequent in future.