METEOROLOGY
The Bureau of Meteorology contributes to Australia’s social, economic, cultural and environmental goals by providing essential weather, climate, hydrological and oceanographic services and by undertaking research into environment-related issues such as global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, air quality and water resources management. The Bureau of Meteorology will spend $9.3 million on environment focussed project activities in the year 2004-05.
The ocean forecasting system
An ocean forecasting capability is being developed to generate sustainable economic wealth, boost defence environmental intelligence, extend climate prediction and monitoring, and enhance environmental protection and safety at sea. A collaboration between the Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO and the Royal Australian Navy, known as the BLUElink project, will generate the first routine Australian 4-6 day ocean forecasts, starting around 2005.
The project will provide information on coastal and ocean currents and eddies, as well as the changes in the ocean on and below the surface that impact maritime and defence operations and the life cycles of marine creatures as well as regional and global climate. Forecasts of surface and sub-surface ocean conditions for the Australian region will be generated by computer simulation, based on observations from an expanding global and local network of satellites, robotic instruments, moored and drifting buoys, research vessels, commercial shipping, and coastal tide gauges.
Air quality prediction system
With support from the Natural Heritage Trust, collaboration between the Bureau, CSIRO and state environment protection agencies led to the implementation of an air-quality prediction system for Sydney and Melbourne, based on the Bureau’s weather prediction model. The system was developed for the Sydney Olympics and designed to be extended to other major national airsheds. As a step towards the extension, the weather prediction component of the Melbourne model will be extended to include Tasmania and a new model will be implemented to cover the Brisbane area. Over the last year, the emissions inventory model has been significantly improved and research has continued on the representation of aerosols in the model.
Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre
The Bureau contributes to the recently established Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre through the conduct of meteorological research and the provision of operational support. The Centre has a detailed, user-focussed research programme and among its objectives are:
- improved seasonal fire weather outlooks and fire weather warnings;
- contribution to public awareness and disaster planning;
- maintenance of biodiversity, improved prescribed burning and smoke management;
- prevention and suppression strategies and fuel reduction environment management; and
- enhanced community self-sufficiency in the rural/urban interface.
Doppler radar
The first of six Doppler radars, which form part of the Government’s five-year, $62 million commitment to upgrade the Bureau of Meteorology’s vital weather radar network, is planned to commence operation in Brisbane in 2005. Further installations in Adelaide, Sydney, Tamworth, Yarrawonga and Melbourne will follow over the next four years. Doppler radars, now standard in most developed countries, will improve the Bureau’s ability to detect and predict the development of severe weather events including large hailstorms, damaging wind squalls, tornadoes and heavy rain.