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January 23, 2026 6:55 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
Previously expected just four times per century, heat at the level recently experienced by Australia is now likely every five years, and will happen every two years without much stronger action to reduce emissions. Human-induced climate change made the intense early January heatwave in Australia five times more likely, according to a new analysis by World Weather Attribution. The study also found that the heatwave happened against the backdrop of a weak La Niña, which usually brings mild temperatures to... Read More
January 18, 2026 10:41 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
Becalmed in the doldrums. Have you ever heard that old nautical expression? It’s a throwback to the times of Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe. Hundreds of years ago, the prolonged absence of wind in the tropical ocean could spell disaster for sailing ships and their crews, who rapidly ran out of drinking water as they prayed for a life-saving change in the weather. Now, it is our iconic Great Barrier Reef that is suffering in the doldrums. New research by... Read More
December 3, 2025 10:54 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
Understanding why air moves the way it does between buildings has long been one of urban climate science’s toughest challenges. Airflow in streets and between towers is shaped by a maze of real-world factors: building heights, street layouts, wind direction, and even the gaps between structures. For decades, researchers could only study these effects using small collections of computer simulations, often just a handful at a time, because the models required massive computing power. A new project led by Dr... Read More
December 3, 2025 1:46 am
Published by Iain Strachan
A new scientific review has revealed that the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), the Southern Hemisphere’s most influential climate driver, is now in its most positive state in over 1,000 years. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, this positive state is projected to persist throughout the 21st Century, with long-term implications for Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Published in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, the review was led by Monash University researcher, Dr Ariaan Purich, from Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future... Read More
November 17, 2025 9:09 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
We must prepare for a future of frequent, deadly heatwaves, which will worsen in severity the longer it takes to reach net zero, new research has shown. Researchers working at the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather and Australia’s national science agency CSIRO used climate modelling and supercomputers to learn how heatwaves will respond over the next 1,000 years, after the world reaches net zero carbon emissions. They chose a range of dates between 2030 and 2060, and... Read More
November 13, 2025 11:33 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
21st Century Weather’s Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick has been named the Scientist Communicator of the Year for 2025. Awarded by Australian Science Communicators (ASC), it recognises a researcher who communicates their work, or the work of their field, to audiences with clarity and excellence. In particular, the quality of the scientist’s science communication expertise is recognised by the award. The ASC is the peak body for science communication in Australia, bringing together professionals, educators, researchers, journalists, and creative communicators to advance meaningful... Read More
November 12, 2025 10:40 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
A team of Australian climate scientists has explored how weather patterns in the tropical Pacific Ocean can influence the chemistry of snow falling thousands of kilometres away in Antarctica. Working with an ice core drilled at Mount Brown South in East Antarctica, the researchers studied traces of sea salt preserved in layers of snow and ice. These salts, carried inland from the Southern Ocean by Antarctic storms, act like tiny chemical fingerprints of past weather. By analysing how the amount... Read More
November 2, 2025 10:22 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
Carefully choosing the location of wind farms could help to balance electricity supply and demand during hot and cold days in southeast Australia, but more research is needed to better understand the complex relationship between weather, wind and energy. Together with hydroelectricity and solar, wind power is becoming an important source of renewable energy as Australia continues the transition to net zero. One area chosen for offshore wind farm development is the Bass Strait, along the coast of Gippsland in... Read More
October 29, 2025 9:29 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
The 2025 State of the Climate Report has been released, indicating that 22 of the Earth’s 35 vital signs are being pushed to critical levels, as the planet reaches its hottest temperature in the last 125,000 years. Warming is accelerating, the report highlights, while ocean heat content, the volume of tree cover lost to fire and fossil fuel consumption rates all reached record highs. Meanwhile, the crucial Atlantic Meridional Ocean Overturning Circulation continues to weaken and may fail. The seventh... Read More
October 28, 2025 10:17 pm
Published by Iain Strachan
When droughts take hold, they don’t just dry out the land, they strain food security, damage economies and affect both our physical and mental health. Australia is no stranger to these impacts, with the country frequently experiencing severe and widespread droughts. Recent decades have left Australia with lasting environmental, economic and social scars of drought: from enduring the longest drought in the historical record (the “Millennium drought”; 1997-2009), to the most severe (the “Tinderbox drought”; 2017-2019). And now with another drought... Read More
