Climate change

Woman in yellow jacket

Technological advances like the Himawari-8 launched by Japan in 2014 have made significant improvements to our ability to measure the atmosphere, according to the latest State of the Environment Report.

man holding jar up to the light with museum whales behind him

Plankton are the foundation of the marine food web. They are also indicators of ecosystem health and climate change and as such get a special mention in the 2016 State of the Environment Report Marine chapter because of poleward shifts in distribution.

Man kneeling in stream

Major pressures on Australia's biodiversity persist, according to the latest State of the Environment Report. More data and better understanding shows a cumulative impact.

ice berg

Before the RV Investigator came along, the atmosphere of the Southern Ocean had been measured only a handful of times. With regular monitoring, this pristine and critical environment may now reveal the real role of atmospheric aerosols in global warming.

Totten Glacier viewed from ship with ice floes in foreground

To obtain good scientific data about the Antarctic ice sheet and the impact of warming waters you need a ship that can stand those remote, wild and unforgiving waters.

burned out house

Historical data on bushfire losses reveals sobering insight about the human response to catastrophic bushfire conditions, and why our current approach is set to fail.

dinghy leaving main boat with snow/ice background

Three of our top scientists are on board the MV Ushuaia in Antarctica as part of an innovative leadership program for women in science.

long shot of mangroves and sea channel with green mountains in the background

Trees are good at sequestering carbon but fire can quickly undo all the good. One place where plants can sequester carbon without fear of fire is under water.

man in a storage room with shelves of gas cylinders

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Cape Grim, one of only three World Meteorological Organization global super-stations for measuring carbon dioxide - it started in 1976 with an ex-NASA caravan.