Forecast looking hopeful with funding of new weather-focused ARC Centre of Excellence

It wasn’t so long ago that the weather was something farmers lived by. For urban dwellers, it was more about planning life and work activities around hot or rainy weather.

In recent times, the impact of weather systems around the world is becoming increasingly alarming, and we’re more aware than ever that the climate and our lives are intricately connected – from safety to sustenance and beyond.

Now a new ARC Centre of Excellence for the Weather of the 21st Century (W21C) will be helping us understand how Australia’s weather patterns are being re-shaped by climate change, and how we can mitigate or adapt to the risk.

Led by Monash University, the Centre will bring together the expertise of more than 20 partner organisations to address the challenges of anticipating the likely weather patterns of a warmer world.

“It will be an honour to contribute to this vital work, to transform climate research by focusing on what matters most in critical adaptation and risk mitigation decision-making – understanding weather change,” said IMAS researcher, Professor Neil Holbrook, who is a W21C Chief Investigator.

“The Centre’s approach will be to fuse innovative analyses of observations with fundamental scientific advances, and develop ultra-high resolution climate models, to enhance Australia’s ability to plan its future.”

W21C Chief Investigator and IMAS Associate Professor Paul Spence said the focus will be on providing Australia with the knowledge, technology and human capital for evidence-based decision-making in response to future weather changes in our region, and on harnessing weather as a resource.

“You will see the first generation of weather-change scientists emerging – scientists who have the specialist skills and knowledge to help business, industry and government manage risk,” he said.

The Centre will receive $35 million in funding over 7 years from the Australian Research Council (ARC).

Images:

• (Top right) The impact of weather systems around the world is becoming increasingly alarming, and we’re more aware than ever that the climate and our lives are intricately connected (Credit Kelly Sikkema, Unsplash)
• (Bottom left) The new Centre aims to transform climate research by focusing on what matters most in critical adaptation and risk mitigation decision-making – understanding weather change (iStock)
• (Bottom right) 20 partner organisations will come together in the Centre to address the challenges of anticipating the likely weather patterns of a warmer world (Credit Wes Warren, Unsplash)

Published 21 November 2022