April 20, 2026 12:49 am
Published by Iain Strachan
Deadly heatwave events are occurring at temperatures and humidity levels previously thought to be survivable, according to a new paper led by 21st Century Weather and featuring a team of international researchers. A study by Professor Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and her collaborators looked at heatwaves that occurred in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) during 2024, Bangkok (Thailand) during 2024, Phoenix (United States) during 2023, Mount Isa (Australia) during 2019, Larkana (Pakistan) during 2015, and Seville (Spain) in 2003. The events featured climatologically extreme... Read More
April 19, 2026 11:49 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
A giant rotating tank of water in a laboratory in Canberra is an alternative to supercomputers for the scientists trying to predict the impacts of climate change – and the results are a mix of good and bad news for Australia. A key challenge facing the world’s researchers is understanding the role of polar amplification on the Earth. Polar amplification refers to the phenomenon in which human-driven weather and climate change happens faster and with more strength in the Arctic... Read More
March 30, 2026 9:36 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
Tasmania’s rainfall is driven by a diverse range of weather systems, with new research revealing how these systems shape seasonal variability across the state. The findings come from a study led by 21st Century Weather researchers based at the University of Tasmania, which examined the contributions of different weather systems to Tasmania’s rainfall. The study shows that over 80% of Tasmania’s annual rainfall and more than 90% of moderate to heavy rain days are associated with extratropical cyclones, cold fronts,... Read More
March 11, 2026 11:33 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
Analysis of high-resolution satellite data shows that southeastern Australia is at greatest risk of ‘solar droughts’ due to extended periods of low sunlight, while inland regions are least likely to experience persistent cloud cover. The proportion of Australia’s total electricity generated by solar panels has been rapidly growing in recent years, and will increase further as the country transitions to net-zero carbon emissions. This transition is an urgent requirement to limit further negative impacts from human-caused climate change. To maximise... Read More
February 10, 2026 1:48 am
Published by Iain Strachan
One of the major challenges in tackling the climate crisis today is effectively communicating scientific knowledge. Climate Vocabularies proposes a radical shift to climate communication, positioning music in a driving role. By working with leading musicians and scientists, Climate Vocabularies explores how music can enhance science storytelling to create more compelling and emotionally resonant climate messaging, and how arts-science collaboration can lead to innovations in creative practice. This Australian Research Council Discovery Project will entangle music and science research processes and shape... Read More
February 1, 2026 10:06 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
Breaking the drought is the untold story of how two young Australian scientists proved the world’s leading meteorologists wrong about El Niño, and helped to establish modern seasonal forecasting. If you lived in certain parts of the world in 1982 and 1983, you could have been forgiven for thinking the end was near. Changes to ocean temperatures and negative impacts on food chains decimated populations of Galapagos penguins and Peruvian sea lions and fur seals. Heavy rain and flooding in... Read More
January 29, 2026 11:10 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
From surfing after work to a swinging cricket ball, most Australians are already familiar with the regular arrival into our lives of a sea breeze. For some, it helps to cool down our sweltering cities on a hot summer evening, or it announces the end of a day at the beach by whipping up waves and sand. In Perth, they even have a name for its welcome, cooling effect – the Fremantle Doctor. Sea breezes form as land heats up... Read More
January 29, 2026 12:56 am
Published by Iain Strachan
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the world’s largest source of climate variability. In Australia, it’s contributed to devastating floods and gruelling droughts in recent years. Our understanding of ENSO is limited to recent memory and modern records. Those over the age of 50 might recall the powerful 1982-83 El Niño event, while older generations may remember the other significant El Niño in 1957-58. These events, though rare, can leave very impactful and even traumatic memories for those who experience... Read More
January 27, 2026 9:16 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
New research has revealed that land clearing and rapid development can sharply intensify heatwaves beyond the impacts of global warming, offering important lessons for many countries already grappling with record-breaking heat. The study, published in the Nature journal Communications Earth & Environment, analysed Africa as a case study, but found universal physical mechanisms that apply directly to Australia. Using AI-assisted climate modelling, the researchers discovered that deforestation and unplanned land-use change act as a “silent amplifier” of heat, often worsening... Read More
January 27, 2026 2:35 am
Published by Iain Strachan
21st Century Weather Chief Investigator Andrea Taschetto has been elected a Fellow of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (AMOS), while Dr Kial Stewart received the AMOS Science Outreach Award for 2025. Andrea is an Associate Professor in the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, and leads the ‘Weather Systems in a Warmer World’ research project at 21st Century Weather. Bestowing Fellowship status recognises the major contributions of members to the AMOS disciplines over a... Read More
