News

  • Rows of solar panels stretch across a field at sunrise, with warm orange light illuminating misty trees in the background.

    Southeast Australia at greatest risk of ‘solar droughts’, but extreme events are rare

    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

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  • Wide green pasture with scattered trees and small farm structures, rolling hills in the midground, and a tall, jagged mountain range in the background beneath a blue sky with large white clouds.

    Climate Vocabularies: Musicians x Scientists Workshop

    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

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  • A rustic rural scene featuring a small wooden cabin nestled among trees and dry grass. In the foreground, a barbed wire fence runs across tall, dried vegetation. The sky is overcast, casting a muted tone over the landscape. A light leak on the left side adds a vintage, film-like quality to the image.

    Breaking the drought: Proving the world wrong about El Niño

    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

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  • A surfer skillfully rides a cresting turquoise wave near a bustling beach, with white foam spraying around. In the background, numerous surfers wait in the water and a densely built coastal town lines the sandy shore, filled with beachgoers enjoying the vibrant seaside atmosphere.

    Life’s a breeze: Modelling offshore wind to unlock weather resources

    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

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  • A weathered stone house with a rusted metal roof stands abandoned in a dry, barren landscape under a clear blue sky. The structure has two chimneys, three empty window openings, and an open front door revealing the desolate terrain beyond. To the right, a cylindrical metal water tank sits on the parched ground, surrounded by sparse dry grass and patches of exposed soil. The scene evokes isolation and decay amid a vast, arid expanse.

    Reconstructing 1,000 years of El Niño and La Niña to better understand our future

    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

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