Briefing Note: Weather Resources
What are Weather Resources?
Weather shapes our lives in countless ways. Australia’s lifestyle and economy runs on weather.
It influences the water we drink, the food we grow, the energy we produce, our fun outings like beach trips and sports, and even washing and drying our clothes. Without reliable weather information, many of our daily activities and industries suffer, with huge social and economic costs.
Since weather is part of our everyday lives, we don’t always realise how much we depend on it.
Why weather matters in Australia
Beyond being a source of hazards, like floods or heatwaves, weather is a valuable resource that fuels Australia’s iconic lifestyle and thriving economy.
Rainfall keeps our rivers and dams full of freshwater, which is essential for everyone–humans, animals and plants. Farmers need it to grow food, and the available water influences which crops and how much they will grow. Hospitals need it for patient care. The energy, manufacturing and construction industries rely on it as a key resource for their operations. However, too much rain in the wrong place can cause floods; too little rain can lead to droughts. The balance is crucial.
Wind and sunlight are powerful sources of energy. Harnessing these renewable energies help us produce electricity to carry on with our activities while reducing harmful greenhouse gases. Wind speed also affects water sports like surfing and sailing by influencing wave sizes. Imagine a day without these weather resources – it would be tough!
Weather touches every aspect of our lives
Climate change is changing our day-to-day weather in ways that will affect the value that weather adds to our lives.
While we have great confidence in models for operational and short-term forecasting that allow us to prepare for extreme weather, how the rise in global temperature will impact the medium-term availability and distribution of weather resources is currently unknown.
What gaps still need to be filled?
Despite the progress made, there is still much to learn about the distribution and reliability of Australia’s weather resources and how they might change in the future.
As we continue exploring these areas, we must plan for a flexible future of changing weather.
What is 21st Century Weather doing?
We are dedicated to understanding the weather resources that are essential for our everyday lives. Our goal is to study the weather systems that form and distribute these weather resources and understand how climate change and variability can affect them.
Using Gadi, Australia’s supercomputer, and in collaboration with the Australian Community Climate and Earth Systems Simulator (ACCESS-NRI), 21st Century Weather is developing ultra-high-resolution climate models to improve understanding of Australia’s weather and climate. These advances will help our partners improve their weather forecast and climate models.
Together with government and industry partners, we aim to address key issues and support the transition to a better future. Knowing how our weather resources are likely to change as the world warms will maximise opportunities and optimise our ability to adapt to climate change.
The Bureau of Meteorology plays a key role by monitoring and predicting weather and issuing warnings to keep our communities safe. We are collaborating with them to enhance our understanding of the weather systems and processes that influence operational forecasting. This, in turn, will improve long-term weather-related planning.
We partner with the energy sector to evaluate how changes in wind and sunshine (our weather resources) impact the energy market.
Do you have weather data we could analyse? Get in touch! hello@21weathercentury.org.au
Download a PDF copy of briefing note here.
We want to hear what weather resources you use in your life. Reach out via hello@21weathercentury.org.au