Greenhouse gases and aerosols

Forty years of measuring the world’s cleanest air reveals human fingerprints on the atmosphere

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.

Ozone hole a late starter in 2015

From August to December each year, about 2.5 trillion kilograms of ozone is broken down in the stratosphere above the Antarctic, with losses peaking in late September or early October. NASA and CSIRO have been monitoring the hole since the late 1970s.

Living on air: uncovering bacterial mysteries for agriculture and climate

Scientists have solved one of the mysteries of certain soil bacteria that allows them to persist without an apparent source of sustenance. It might lead to solutions for improving agricultural production while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

CSIRO is conducting the world’s best practice methane emissions research

When attempting to answer questions about whether the coal seam gas industry (CSG) is less greenhouse intensive than the coal industry, one of the big factors to consider is fugitive methane emissions—the amount of methane that leaks from the CSG wells.

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.